senior portfolio
Robert
One of my first investigations from my high school AP Studio Art class was a charcoal product using a grid method. I replicated a photograph I took of my cousin Robert.
I enjoy using the grid method and I asked myself how I could use the grid to share information about Robert. In the image, he is drinking an alcoholic beverage. The missing grid pieces resemble how when you drink, you can lose memories. I had a lot of fun using mixed media on this project because it expressed the message I wanted to display.
Annie
For this art piece I explored how I could show personality in a different way through the grid method. This investigation was about my long-time friend Annie or as I like to call her "Annie Jo." I continued to use the grid method while drawing her face, but I used colored pencil in her eyes to show her lively soul. She has been through a lot in her short life which explains the complicated, patterned background. On the surface she is always happy.
Grandpa Winston
My Grandpa Winston means the world to me. I have never met a person who is so practical and smart. Sadly, three years ago he was diagnosed Parkinson's Disease and he is beginning to have some memory loss. With this investigation, I switched up the way I used the charcoal method. I selected white charcoal to draw my grandpa and focused more on the negative space in the picture. The "scratchy" texture of his shirt showcases the disease and how it can cause hand tremors. The background depicts how structured my grandpa is, and the color shows my emotion to how he has developed the disease.
Grandma Judy
My grandmother Judy has always been a huge light and source of happiness in my life ever since I was younger and so I wanted to also draw her for one of my investigations. About three years ago she was diagnosis with dementia, a form of Alzheimer’s disease. Although she is still “here” on the surface, I can see her fading. She is not the same person she once was. I portrayed this through the glitching affect. I showcase she isn't the same, but deep down on the surface she is. I continued with the similar background as I created on my grandfather’s portrait so the two pieces can be nicely showcased together.
Dad & Aunt Jill
I knew I wanted to draw my dad. I looked for images of my dad that I had taken but I struggled finding "the one." (As with all my charcoal portraits, the images are created from a photograph I took.)
I came across an image I took over the summer of my dad on his birthday and my Aunt Jill, dad’s sister. I realized they both portray very similar traits, so I represented this in the portrait by drawing an intertwined grid. My dad and Aunt Jill mean so much to me and I feel this piece represents how love is the most important thing to our family.