Chincoteague Beach, VA
CCHS 2019 (Painting) Mixed Media on Canvas 18 x 12 This piece was probably the hardest to complete. I faced a lot of challenges trying to get the sand to stick, or getting the correct colors that will actually look decent. For the sand it isn't just ordinary sand. This sand was taken from my childhood beach, Chincoteague Beach, VA (how I named the piece). The shells and sand glass are also from there. This piece is supposed to represent how much fun I would have on the beach, whether it was finding shells, or swimming in the sea. This place is sacred to me because it was the place where I spent most of my time with my other family. We would always put our feet in the water, and run back complaining that it was way too cold. Little did I know, the ocean at the Atlantic is always cold. It is where I spent 1/2 of my time when I was in Virginia. It was also the place where I learned how to Boogie Board. I remember the first time I caught a wave it ended having a 3-foot ripcurl and I almost fell off the board. Needless to say this piece brought back memories and tears.
For the process I started with a thin coat of paint on the bottom for where the sand was going to be. At first I tried matching the color, then I outlined it with burnt orange to represent heat. For the froth of the ocean I used modeling paste to show the layers when the waves turn to nothing and are just a white foam. For the water I used a blue-greenish color and made the waves by taking a palette knife by pressing it, lifting it, then moving backwards with the excess paint. Then I took a small paint brush and put a lighter shade of the ocean in front of it, making it look like some are curling before they even hit the shore. This piece took a lot less time than anticipated and I enjoyed doing it, even though the whole time I was worried I was going to destroy it in an astronomical way. It made me take a lot of risks, like you do every time you step out onto the water. |
Farm Landscape
CHS 2019 (Painting) Paint on Chipboard 24 x 16 For this project I wanted to capture some of the serenity of living in a small town. You get nice landspaces, that hasn't been touched in years. This has happened to a lot of my grandparents' neighbors. They either move away, or closer to the city, leaving this overgrown beauty that is too majestic to touch. This impacts me because I got inspiration from a building crumbling away on Highway 69 and I was trying to recreate what it could've looked like before it was falling apart, but after it hadn't been used in years. Every time I go out to my Grandpa's I always pass this building and ask myself: What was it like before? Was it a raggedy old barn, or a church out in a rural area? No one knows, I have asked my parents. This piece shouldn't only catch serenity, but that good things will crumble away slowly, some faster than others.
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Reevaluate!
CCHS 2018 (Art Foundations) Mixed Media on Paper 24 x 16 This piece of artwork is showing not just one problem that needs to be solved, but it is supposed to represent all, but not exactly. It is supposed to make people reevaluate their choices and way of life. I used Uncle Sam to represent the United States in distress, and what better way to do that then put him in a profile and make him look sorrowful. The hat off of his head is a signification that he has given up, he has done all that he could to save America, so now he is trying to leave it up to the people of the US to take action, whether it be people starting a revolution, or taking it one person at a time. This is where the "reevaluation" comes in. The person will recognize what he has done wrong, change it, and go on with their life. At first I started a rough draft using colored pencils, then I used Sharpie on the back side and let it bleed through, and then I just colored over the bled side which gave different areas of boldness. The different quotes on the paper is another reevaluation aspect, and makes people question, no matter if they have done everything right, or have fallen to do bath things and impact hard times, that get even harder.
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Rapid Waterfall
CCHS 2019 (Painting) Paint on Chipboard 12 x 16 This piece was a fun one. Trying to figure out what I was going to do difficult. After many different ideas. I finally settled on a waterfall. I mainly used Pthalo and Sienna. Those are the two colors that you can see the most. I wanted the trees and the waterfall to pop the most so I made them more lighter than the rest of the painting.
I went through a few changes with the background. At first, I started with the stripes. I figured out quickly that didn't go with the overall painting. I left the background alone for a bit, then went over it with a dark and light color and realized that looked a lot better. For the trees I sketched out the trunk and branches, and then painted over them. The waterfall took me many pictures to get it the way I wanted it to look. The concept connects to me because when my life feels panicked. Yet everyone next to me feels calm. It's one of my biggest insecurities as a person. I freak out over literally everything that people don't freak out on. So sometimes I feel like a rushing waterfall. My mind falling to the floor a million miles an hour. Yet sometimes the calm of everyone else chills me out. |
The Top of the Building
CCHS 2019 (Painting) Mixed Media on Charcoal Paper 12 x 12 Me feeling not good enough inspired this piece. No matter how hard I try I seem to fall short. The papers are there to represent how hard I try but always come up short. Instead of coloring the background. I used texture paper so it is actually in the back. The building above the clouds is supposed to represent the best of the best, yet it always seems like the top is filled with talent and no skill.
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The School Compared
CCHS 2020 Pencil on Paper 20 x 16 My depression was my inspiration for this piece. Every time I walk in to school I feel lost, like I am in a forest. So I compared the two in this piece. I decided to use graphite and shading which I felt was the best way to represent the mood. This piece was difficult for me because of the emotions wrapped around it and the material being used. Although this work is not connected to a previous piece, I still worked hard on it and hope you enjoy!
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Tiger Fur
CCHS 2021 Paint on Canvas 18 x 12 I did this piece, along with the others on this page to bring attention to the danger the different wildlife shown in these pieces are in. This one in particular is shown to note the senseless killing of Tiger's in need of their 'precious' fur. This took me about a week and a half to plan and create.
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An Elephant's Nightmare
CCHS 2021 Paint on Canvas 18 x 12 The final piece I created took an ironic approach. Elephant tusks are used to make piano tiles. I decided to make an Elephant sitting in front of a piano playing what may be his parent's remains. I chose red as the background to represent the death this baby Elephant has experienced in his lifetime. This took around a week and a half to create and I am happy how it turned out. The most difficult part was finding colors that matched what I was going for.
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Be the Change
CCHS 2021 Pencil and Paper 18 x 12 This piece sort of goes off of a bit of cliché with a twist. Gorilla's are being killed for sport as a trophy. Instead of me making the classic head I chose to do a foot extended over a plaque piece. This took me about a week to complete and the hardest part was drawing the foot and making sure it was center in the page. Out of all of the pieces I did, this is the one that I was most unsure about.
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Thin Ice
CCHS 2021 Mixed Media on Paper 12 x 20 This piece shows different animals stranded on the ice in the north pole because of the melting of the ice caps. This is effecting a variety of differnet animals and making life a bit harder for them. This took me around 2 weeks to complete and the hardest part was the composition of the piece. I had to figure out how to split everything to make it look like it has depth. In the end I was successful and it turned well.
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Rhino with No Dignity
CCHS 2021 Paint on Chipboard 12 x 12 This piece was to bring attention to the Rhino's being poached for their horn in order to be used in different jewelry and precious items. Cutting this off of them is like taking a piece of them that they had for so long. Taking it from them is like taking their dignity. This piece took about a week and a half to create as well. The hardest part was to map out and draw where the rhino was going to be placed.
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