Summer Lovin'

Acrylic on Panel
8 X 10

When the sun is beating directly down, colors have a greater contrast. The people walking in this painting are almost outlined because of this effect. The woman also has a "halo" around her head because of the sun. The water is lighter close up and a darker blue in the distance to show that the water is deeper and in the background. There is a foreground, a middle ground, and a background. The older people are the foreground, the woman in the distance is the middle ground, and the background is the mountain range, which touch the sky. The sky is darker as it goes up because light reflects and bounces off of the water back to the sky, making the sky appear lighter from a distance.

Cafe Window

Acrylic on Panel

8 X 10

This picture came from a school trip to France that my teacher took. Creating a scene behind glass is very difficult. To set the people back and make them look like they are behind a window, the color must be darker and duller than that of the foreground. The words and stickers on the window also help make the window look like glass. I glazed over all the windows with a gray blue color to give it the far away appearance. The background of the cafe is even darker than the people in the window and has less detail. The most intense color is the red on the outside of the building. This is because it is outside in daylight. The door is dark and dull because it is in a shadow. The lightest color is white and is balanced around the painting.

Two Old Men

Acrylic on Panel

8 X 10

This is my first black and white painting I have ever done. I did not use just blacks and white because in doing that I would have given the painting a harsh feeling. Instead, I used shades and tints of purple. The two old men sitting on the bench in the foreground have more detail compared to the abstracted background. The background in the picture I used as a reference, was windows on a building. There were people and other shapes in the windows that I blurred and put less emphasis on. The darkest dark is the dominating color, which balances the less of the lightest light. To me the men have angry expressions on their faces giving the idea that these men are either mad at each other or they are complete strangers.

Family Colors

 Acrylic on Panel

8 X 10

Color plays a major part in this painting. Much of it is arbitrary because its not exactly realistic. The bright colors give it an older 50s look, which goes along with the idea of the happy, typical American families that are thought of from the 1950s. The background is contrasted with the family by the calm blue background, with the busy colors of the family. Some of the blue background is brought into the family in the fathers tie, the girls dress, and in the turkey. There is emphasis on the mothers red dress and the yellow oven because they are the only true colors in the painting. The location of the family makes the whole group a focal point. Unity is created by the proximity of the family. This is important not just for art reasons but also to tell a story of the closeness of the family.

Concert Lights

Acrylic on Panel

8 X 10

This photo is of two different photos I took at a Circa Survive concert that I added together. The focal point is the two people on stage hugging, even though they are in the background. The people in the audience are looking towards the stage adding emphasis to the people on stage. Also the stage lights are directly beating down on the stage and the lines of the beams are pointing to the people. I used two main complementary colors: yellow and purple. All the colors are different shades of these colors. The foreground has more detail and is larger making it appear to be closer to the audience. Also the placement of the people help give the painting depth. The closeness of the people make the crowd look dense and give the painting the feeling of being at a concert. The style of this painting has loose strokes and many highlights to show where the light hits. Also the intensity and hard edges help show the lights on objects.

"Playing" Soccer

 Acrylic on Panel

9 X 10

The subject matter of this photo is of my art teacher's grandchild (the blonde) getting upset because she did not want to play soccer that day. The background is done in very loose strokes, as is the foreground, but to a greater extent. The focal point is the upset child and the converging line of the building in the background is pointing to her face. The bright colored jerseys give emphasis to the foreground and sets it about from the more neutral background. I had difficulty foreshadowing the arms on the girl in the front and it took me many tries and many corrections to get it right. The trees are not geometric at all, they are very organic and have implied lines.

What is an A.P. Concentration?

A concentration for Advanced Placement Art is one theme that 12 pieces of art relate to. My Concentration is art of everyday life. This entails people, places, and things. I chose this theme because I think it is interesting to portray people in a candid way. Everyday life can show the natural beauty of the little things in life.