exhibition text
this piece is focused on showing my personal struggles with identity and growing independent from my parents. This project specifically focuses on how much of an impact my parents have had on forming my identity and how much I value them, I wanted to create this piece to represent the difficulty I have had to grow independent from them and how that has affected how I identify myself as a person with her own individual values and beliefs. This piece is a portrait of me and my parents made up of oil and acrylic paint on a 4 ft x 2 ft canvas.
inspirationThe inspiration for this piece came from photographer Lucia Golcman and her family portrait. In this specific portrait she was able to compose I was really attracted to the connection that she's able to represent through the way she structures the individuals profiles. The way she utilizes light to her advantage by creating a certain mood was also really interesting to note in this portrait along with the depth with the contrast between light and darkness in her background. I wanted to incorporate her style of photography into my own work by introducing an intimidating mood in my piece with the structural elements of my own piece by including individuals which could be connect through an implied way. I would use my parents side profile and have myself in the middle facing the audience to form a sense of intimidating and mystery between each individual. I also wanted to highlight each individual which I would do by using contrast in the work through using lighting to highlight part of the individual's.
|
(Luciana Golcman photography 2021)
|
planning + process
At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to make an entire family portrait or if I wanted to just make a portrait of me and my parents. However after further developing my ideas and looking through inspiration I found that I wanted something that was personal to me and the relevant to what I was currently experiencing. I wanted my piece to focus on the realism of the faces because I wanted to practice some of the skills used with oil paint and realism, and I hadn't worked on realism with faces like this before for a class project. I began by drafting an idea of how I wanted the piece to look overall, initially I wanted it to be more similar to Lucia Golcman's photography and have a black background. Having a black background in contrast to colorful individuals I thought would be interesting to create. I also thought that by including only one side of my parents face in contrast to my entire face I would be able to illustrate the idea that they both equally contribute to who I am as a person.
I began by creating a 4 ft by 2 ft canvas, and taking some reference images, I wanted the background to be black and have the faces pop out so when taking the reference images I took them in a setting where the lighting would reflect on a side of the individuals face so that it could stand out more through the black background.
After I took these reference images I began to place grids on the image and canvas to proportionally sketch the images to my canvas. It was difficult at first to align the sizes of the heads to be around the same size because the image I took of myself was too big compared to the other ones and I was just having a difficult time making everything look proportionate to each other, in the end after experimenting with the grids I found a way to incorporate the appropriate grids onto my canvas. Due to the fact that I was not able to compile all images into one piece by itself proportionally I decided that drawings the grids onto the individual images and drawing individuals grids for each image on the canvas would be easier than drawing one singular grid box. I began by sketching on the canvas from right to left beginning with my dad, then me, to end with my mom.
Once I was done sketching each individual I began to focus on painting them. I began by painting my dad but I only painted his face and not his clothing which is what I did for the rest of the individuals as well. I wanted to paint only the individuals face because I thought it would be easier to do so this way since I could be getting rid of the most time consuming part of the piece. after completing all of the faces I went on to paint he background.
Once I was done sketching each individual I began to focus on painting them. I began by painting my dad but I only painted his face and not his clothing which is what I did for the rest of the individuals as well. I wanted to paint only the individuals face because I thought it would be easier to do so this way since I could be getting rid of the most time consuming part of the piece. after completing all of the faces I went on to paint he background.
The background was another of the big components of this piece since it was supposed to allow the individuals to stand out. Initially I was going to have a black background such as my inspiration, however because I realized that the rest of the individual's components would be kind of lost because of this and also because I wanted the mood of the piece to be mysterious but also vibrant and show the beauty of separation and individualism, I decided that I would choose a different color for the background. And thus I decided that by adding a color green to the background, I would allow for that sense of vibrancy to be introduced, at first i dint like how it looked so i thought that maybe by adding a highlight with a lighter shade of that green around the individuals I would be able to introduce more detail to the piece and it wouldn't be as plain as it initially looked. However this still looked plain so I decided that I would add a couple of monarch butterflies to kind of symbolize the idea of change among individuals and relationships, I wanted them to be subtle but still be noticeable I decided to draw three individual butterflies which would essentially represent the three personalities, values, beliefs, and individual ideas that correlate with each individual. After completing the background I worked on the individuals clothing because I was most afraid of that part of the piece since I'm not really good with clothing textures.
experimentation
I took a lot of reference images and was having a difficult time choosing which one I would utilize for my face. I was stuck between two options which varied differently in its components. The first option was an image which was from a lower perspective than the second option, and I honesty liked it more initially however I ended up choosing the second option because I noticed how when I would align all three images together the second option just flowed better alongside the others, because its components were more proportionate to the other images and a lot of my features in the second option were more visible and stood out more which is what I wanted to incorporate in my piece.
I was initially going to create a picture collage on procreate in order to visualize the final piece however I was having a hard time because the website kept crashing and I was not finding the right way to make everything proportionate to the canvas size so in order to make sure everything was proportionate I decided that I would just print out the images and pace grids on them. I had a really hard time finding the correct measurements for the grid in order to proportionate everything. I started by drawing a grid on the canvas, since its a 4 ft x 2 ft canvas I decided to do a 12 x 6 grid with each cube measuring 4 x 4 inches. I then drew a grid on the image of where I wanted it to be. Essentially each face would take up 1/3 of the canvas so each component would fill up a x x grid, since I knew this I just placed that grid onto an image I had printed for each individual. However because I wanted my face to be centered in the piece I noticed that if i had each individual take up a certain amount of grid space then canvas my face would not be centered based on how the gird was laid in the canvas so in order to fix this and allow for what I wanted I had to measure an equal amount of space from each grid set from the outsides and then adjust the grid that I would take up in the middle so it would be centered. after doing this I essentially created three individuals grids apart form each other a certain distance and then began sketching. at first i sketched my dad but it was laid out incorrectly because it was one cube down from where it was supposed to be so I had to erase it and draw him again however apart form that every other person was laid on correctly.
the butterflies. the background was something difficult to decide on because I initially wanted it to be black just as Golcman's photograph however after painting the individuals I realizes that their hair was too dark and it would be really difficult to not loose their hair in the portrait which is kind of what Lucia's piece does as it creates some form of vanishing effect however i wasn't sure I really wanted to do that and I wanted my individuals to be more complete so in order to achieve this I decided to choose on another color for the background. Growing up I've always said my favorite color was green because I have just been so used to pick a color but in reality I don't necessarily have favorite color and i think that I'm able to show how as we grow up we are so used to we believe or think a certain way because we are so used go that idea but we might not necessarily even believe or value what we say we do so I kind of wanted to imply that through the color I chose for my background. after finishing the background however I noticed the individuals were too flat so I wanted to highlight them with a lighter shade of green and create and outline through the piece, however despite this i felt as if it was till too dull and so I decided to incorporate the butterflies as they symbolize rebirth and change. They are also highly used for immigration purposes which can relate a lot to my parents story so I wanted to create and add a question to be bought up by the individual when looking at the piece. I did the background with acrylic paint because it was just so much easier to apply flat colors with the acrylics than with the oil paints which were a lot more thick and wet.
critique
Both of these pieces are portraits of a family and they both focus on amplifying a connection between all the individuals through the work's structure. In my piece as well as in Lucia Golcman's piece the way in which the individual are presented in the piece is able to symbolize something. In my piece I use the side profiles and placement of the individuals is used to represent the idea that my parents are both in me and their impact has defined a lot of my values and beliefs despite growing individual their teachings continue to stick with me. So by showing their side profile on both sides of me I am kind of able to show how I am essentially half of them and I carry a part of them with me. The piece is used to show how I am growing individual so by placing myself in the middle i am emphasizing my portrait and placing more significance to myself in the piece. Lucia Golcman uses location in her piece to show the connection between all 4 individuals in her work, by allowing the individuals to follow up next to each other and by emphasizing their side profiles she's able to highlight the idea of a connection between all of them. She also structures the piece by placing the smallest on the left with the oldest more towards the right. this might also be an implied way of relating the individual to its significance in the role they play within the family, by having the children further on the right and the parents further in the right. both of the pieces also use lighting to emphasize a part of the individuals face. I Lucia's piece the light is coming from the right where the individuals seem to be looking this is able to highlight the connection between the individuals even further as they share the similar light source. This also allows for the individuals to blend in with each other smoothly.
My piece is an oil painting on canvas while Lucias' piece is photograph. In my piece I use the individuals body as well and not only their faces I also us a different background to emphasize different things. In Lucia's Piece her work is darker and doesn't use color to create depth. she focuses a lot on the use of light to emphasize parts of the individuals and their connections with her black background she is able to further emphasize the subjects in the piece. In my own piece I use a lot more color and the background allows for the individuals to become more flat and less three dimensional compared to Lucia's piece. my piece is more zoomed out and it doesn't emphasize dimension as much as Lucia's photograph is able to present. while Lucia's photograph is created for the purpose to depict a family and create a portrait to represent heir connection my piece does that but through the idea that my individuals are more physically disconnected regardless of their emotional connection.
My piece is an oil painting on canvas while Lucias' piece is photograph. In my piece I use the individuals body as well and not only their faces I also us a different background to emphasize different things. In Lucia's Piece her work is darker and doesn't use color to create depth. she focuses a lot on the use of light to emphasize parts of the individuals and their connections with her black background she is able to further emphasize the subjects in the piece. In my own piece I use a lot more color and the background allows for the individuals to become more flat and less three dimensional compared to Lucia's piece. my piece is more zoomed out and it doesn't emphasize dimension as much as Lucia's photograph is able to present. while Lucia's photograph is created for the purpose to depict a family and create a portrait to represent heir connection my piece does that but through the idea that my individuals are more physically disconnected regardless of their emotional connection.
reflection
one thing I noticed after completing my piece was that the background I chose did not do what I originally intended it to do. If I would have done the original black background maybe I could have highlighted my subjects the way Lucia does in her piece to create more dimension, I wasn't able to do this because I was afraid of loosing some details from the subjects but I think it would have been better to have experimented more with the original color during the planning before creating the piece. I just believe that the background in general makes the rest of the piece look more flat, and I could have added more detail to it in order for it to match the mood that Lucia portrays in her piece. However I do think that the significance between each component creates more depth to the piece.
I wasn't satisfied with the way I painted the clothes because I think they look rushed and incomplete specially the clothing of the individual in the middle. I think that if I would have looked at the reference image more and decided to match up the colors better I could have been able to recreate the texture of the cloth more accurately. My mom's face is also something I wish I could have done better. Every component I feel like was similar but not replicated as accurately as it could have been. In relation to that I believe my color matching is not the most precise which really throws off the entire piece. When comparing the colors from the original photo to the colors replicated in my canvas there's a clear difference and I realized that like many of my other pieces I end up making the shadows and highlights correlate with the base color I apply but regardless its not the most accurate it could be, and I find that I make the skin tones way too orange, which I want to work on future projects.
I wasn't satisfied with the way I painted the clothes because I think they look rushed and incomplete specially the clothing of the individual in the middle. I think that if I would have looked at the reference image more and decided to match up the colors better I could have been able to recreate the texture of the cloth more accurately. My mom's face is also something I wish I could have done better. Every component I feel like was similar but not replicated as accurately as it could have been. In relation to that I believe my color matching is not the most precise which really throws off the entire piece. When comparing the colors from the original photo to the colors replicated in my canvas there's a clear difference and I realized that like many of my other pieces I end up making the shadows and highlights correlate with the base color I apply but regardless its not the most accurate it could be, and I find that I make the skin tones way too orange, which I want to work on future projects.
When looking at my left eye and other proportional features of my piece its noticeable how they could have been more accurate it took me way longer to complete than the right eye and i just couldn't find how to replicate the shape. when looking at the hair as well there's lack of texture highlights and shadows that could have been implemented into the piece. Overall there's a lot of practice I found that I need in order for me to feel fully comfortable with the replication and accuracy of images. Regardless of the lack of technical components in this piece however I would say that it is one of the pieces by far I have enjoyed the most to create. it was interesting having to analyze with such depth each individual's face as I looked to identify each shadow highlight and crease in their face, the significance this piece holds for me is very significant and I felt very strong emotions as I was creating this piece which made the process very interesting.
ACT questions
1)Clearly explain and describe how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
the cause-effect relationship between my inspiration and its effect upon my artwork is seen through my piece's structure and through the use of light in my work. The way Lucia's photograph is able to imply a connection between the individual's is what my piece is able to recreate through the profile selection and placement of each individual in the piece.
2)what is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration
The overall approach that Lucia has regarding the topic of my inspiration is not directly mentioned however it can be implied that she has experience within this topic because she works on photographing portraits which is what I decided to depict in my painting.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration.
I have discovered that a family is created and connected through the relationships formed between individuals. The physical aspect of someone or their genetics does not necessarily define what a family is. In both my piece and in Lucia's piece there is an implied connection between its subjects through its structure and a viewer can infer a bond between individuals upon how a piece is presented and I think that this can be significant to the idea that a family is a community and essentially a family is formed through the relationship between individuals. I have also realized that it's natural to grow apart and become more individual regardless of the significance others have on you.
4)What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
the central idea/ theme around my inspirational research was to find a way in which I could create a family portrait which would emphasize the details of the individuals faces and allow for depth and contrast to be introduced. I wanted to find a way in which I could show a strong connection between my subjects.
5)What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
While reading my research I have noticed that I need to begin to focus on the significance of a piece more than I need to focus on its technical and stylistic components in order to have stronger connection between the inspiration and my piece.
Bibliography
“Newborn, Baby, Child, Family and Maternity Photographer - New York, NY.” Luciana Golcman Photography, http://lucianagolcman.com/.