Take Two…
Hello, it's nice to see you again. My name is Amya. You can call me Red. I am a relatively novice artist. I’ve been attending Salem High School's Visual Art Academy for around three years now. I’ve dabbled in different media and mediums and played with a variety of concepts in my time here. I strive to spark a little conversation, find other individuals with similar struggles and thoughts as myself, and let the rest of the world know that people like me are in it, and this is my Third project Blog post/ reflection.
I’ve been working on the second edition of my latest project series. I've been reflecting for quite some time on the ties between this painting and the theme of its series. I landed on creating an image that could portray holding myself back. I wanted to shine a light on how I am the only thing keeping me from growing and improving as an individual by keeping myself inside and alone. I have realized that this is not only where I am most comfortable. It is overall easier to keep to myself and be by myself. I felt this would be a great point to address in this series. I realized that I've been doing this for so long that I now worry about what problems will result from this in the future. Now, what was my comfort zone is no longer comfortable due to my now constant apprehension.
The Painting is all oil on an 18" x 24" recycled Canvas.
I reclaimed an abandoned canvas, sanded it down, applied a mixture of white gesso and gray acrylic, and then unintentionally, a ton of glossy gel medium which, in the end, was surprisingly a very nice surface for my oils. The oils slid across my canvas like butter, and the guilt of my mistake later felt like the best happy accident I could have possibly made.
And to not waste such a perfectly primed canvas, I wanted to make sure I painted something of quality. Unfortunately, the imagery was very rushed. I hoped to find decent symbolism for holding myself back. I resorted to using what I, at the moment, thought was the most fitting representation, which was chains from my wrist to my neck. I do not regret this option; however, I know I could have found something more fitting and self-satisfying if I had just a bit more time.
At the moment, this project is still in progress. I plan to hopefully have the painting done by the end of the week, along with another project, which I have also partially completed. I currently have left the chains, bonnet, and background (which will be the least complex part of the project).
