Title: Utopia
Size: 91.44cm x 60.96cm (3ft x 2ft) Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Completion: August 2019 Exhibition TextUtopia was inspired by Scottish artist John Lowrie Morrison's (Jolomo) landscapes of Scottish beaches. I based this piece off a reference photo I took while I was at a beach that reminded me of the beauty of nature. Utopia represents the beauty and peace of a simple place, contrasting with some of the environmental issues that are going on today. It is meant to remind the viewer that we need to preserve nature so that others can feel the peace within it in the future.
|
Planning
Inspiration
A photo I took that I used for reference
|
I took this photo when we went out to a very special beach. My family likes to go here to relax before school starts, and I took this photo to document the trip. I wanted to paint this piece based on this photo to contrast the reality of some of the environmental issues that are going on today to this beautiful place that I find completely peaceful. |
Scottish Artist John Lowrie Morrison (Jolomo) is famous for his oil paintings of Scottish landscapes. I chose these paintings by him because they reminded me of the beach I went to. The serenity and peacefulness in his pieces was something that I wanted to show in mine as well. I also really liked his style of painting, because it was one that I haven't tried before. He paints places that are important to him as well. He researches the geography, along with its history and folklore to get the area's "vibe" so that the viewers can see what its meaning is. |
|
Sketches
These were my sketches that I created where I planned out what I was going to paint. I was pretty certain from the beginning of what I wanted to paint, but I had to figure out the different techniques I was going to use, like painting the grass area, so that's what I mostly worked on in these sketches.
Experimentation
In order to get the best technique for making the grass look as light as possible, I had to experiment with different brushes. At first, I was using brush 4 because I thought it would be skinny and make the fine lines like Jolomo's. However, as I continued to work on my piece, I started using brush 3 because I was able to get more paint on it, and I had better control on it.
|
Process
1. After constructing the canvas and applying gesso as a base, I started by using the largest brush (brush #1) to paint the sky. First, I used the 6th color (light blue) to lay down a base color. To create the lighter highlights, I used brush #2 with titanium white with light brushstrokes horizontally. |
3. Then, to create more detail in the water, and to emulate Jolomo's style of more harsh and unblended lines, I took brush #2 with the dark blue to create waves. Then, I took the light blue and put it right above the dark color to make it stand out more. I also blended the bottom of the dark blue highlight with the water. |
Reflection
Critique
Overall, I really like the way the final piece turned out. I don't think it looks like the same style as Jolomo, but I since it was a style that isn't really one that I am that comfortable with, I just wanted to try it to see if it fit for me. I think that I work best with surrealist style paintings with lots of blending, so Jolomo's style was definitely out of my comfort zone.The wave was the hardest part for me, because It was hard to make it look realistic. I was struggling to make it look the way I wanted, but based on Jolomo's work, I think the way it turned out mirrored that. I think if I were to change anything about it, I would add more details into the sky and water to make it look more like my inspiration.
Compare and Contrast
Similarities
Differences
|
ACT Responses
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork.
Jolomo's piece heavily influenced my piece, with its use of color and technique. He used cool colors and included lots of texture and movement that I tried to emulate.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author wanted to create a piece surrounding the beauty of this spot. Jolomo used this place in Scotland and represented its history and geography, which is what I tried to do in my piece as well.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I can generalize that all of Jolomo's pieces represented something special about each place he painted.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The theme of Jolomo's pieces is beauty in nature, as almost all of his pieces are landscapes of Scotland, where he is from.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I can infer that Jolomo uses his culture and location as inspiration for his pieces, like I did with mine.
Jolomo's piece heavily influenced my piece, with its use of color and technique. He used cool colors and included lots of texture and movement that I tried to emulate.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author wanted to create a piece surrounding the beauty of this spot. Jolomo used this place in Scotland and represented its history and geography, which is what I tried to do in my piece as well.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I can generalize that all of Jolomo's pieces represented something special about each place he painted.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The theme of Jolomo's pieces is beauty in nature, as almost all of his pieces are landscapes of Scotland, where he is from.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I can infer that Jolomo uses his culture and location as inspiration for his pieces, like I did with mine.
Bibliography
“A Taste of The Hebrides.” JOLOMO, www.jolomo.com/jolomo/current-exhibitions/a-taste-of-the-hebrides.html.
“The Light of Argyll.” JOLOMO, www.jolomo.com/jolomo/archived-exhibitions/2016-exhibitions-/the-light-of-argyll.html.
Wade, Mike. “Is This the New Vettriano?” Evening Standard, 4 May 2007, www.standard.co.uk/arts/is-this-the-new-vettriano-
6579954.html.
“The Light of Argyll.” JOLOMO, www.jolomo.com/jolomo/archived-exhibitions/2016-exhibitions-/the-light-of-argyll.html.
Wade, Mike. “Is This the New Vettriano?” Evening Standard, 4 May 2007, www.standard.co.uk/arts/is-this-the-new-vettriano-
6579954.html.