Identity Project (+ explorations into landscapes)

 On the left was my next attempt at oil painting. As I still wanted to base my project on Identity, I decided to do a more in-depth study into the personality of my model. She loved geography and was keen on preservation therefore I thought a study of landscapes would help create the perfect palette for my piece. On the right are some examples of my development. Throughout this stage I was keen to experiment with a range of mediums, such as palette knifing, brusho and collage, as my personal study prompted me to increase my skill base. These pieces all helped me decide that I should predominantly use greens, yellows and browns as my main colours however the top painting of cherry blossom made me also use pink as I believe cherry blossom capture a certain beauty, a similar emotion my friend has to the entirety of nature. This emotion was one I wanted to preserve, just as my friend wants to preserve the beauty of the environment. Overall I was happy with my final piece however I think an increase in different tones would have produced a better outcome as definition on the face would have been clearer.

After I wrote this post, I decided to add trees into the background as I felt it gave a stronger connection to the identity of the model.

Identity Project

To develop my oil painting skill further I also did some direct copies of my own photos with no varied colour schemes or extra images. Although I liked some areas of this piece, such as the hair, overall I felt it lacked any real depth and once again, the eyes didn't seem realistic. Therefore I decided to try and incorporate both of my previous explorations into identity (the images within the ink drawings and the previous oil painting) into one piece.

Identity Project

Although I enjoyed my previous brusho project, my personal study prompted me to develop my skill in oil painting and to move away from such abstract pieces. However I still wanted to keep some of my original concept, just increase the subtlety of it. Therefore I chose the same image as before and although I didn't copy the symbols of my brusho piece into this, I kept the presence of yellow. I was happy with piece as I felt I was able to create realistic shading on the face through prominent brushstrokes and a varied palette - I used a range of browns, yellows and blues. However my inexperience meant the eyes lacked realism due to bright white creating an overwhelming contrast between the eyes and the rest of the image. 

Identity Project

As I enjoyed the process of my last piece, I decided to try it again using an image of my friend. For her symbols I decided to focus on her interests as she is an incredibly passionate person and her hobbies influence her a lot. For example her love of music is a very important aspect of her life; she attends gigs regularly, plays the guitar and keyboard and hopes to become involved in music in some way in her later life. Her other love is America. She has visited New York and hopes one day to live in California. Furthermore she is doing 'American Politics' at university. To highlight these aspects, I used a music note to create the shape of her eye and shading on her face, this symbolises her vision of working in the music business. In addition, I used the American colours throughout her face however her central features are predominantly red to reference the central redness of the United Kingdom flag and how, although America may be her ultimate passion, she is equally as proud of her British roots. 

Identity Project

Using my passport picture as a template, I designed this brusho piece. Although it is far from photo-realistic, I felt the incorporated symbols portrayed a more realistic image of me than the original photo. The predominant colour of yellow has connotations of happiness, something I believe is a key aspect of my life due to friends and family. Yellow also connotes a sense of positive thinking, which I try to maintain however the main features of the face are a much duller colour due to the insecurities I feel towards some aspects of my appearance. Overall though I tried to showcase the positives in my life; my features include Japanese lettering spelling out 'Ellie' as a symbol of how lucky I have been to experienced such travels and I gave myself a more animalistic nose to show my protectiveness towards my friends and family. Furthermore it links back to my question on identity as it relates to my date of birth as my star sign is a Leo and the overall image I've produced looks slightly feline. 

Identity Project - Inspiration

Whilst re-searching my last project I looked through my souvenirs and belongings from Japan. This led me to my passport, it struck me as weird that one document could showcase your entire identity and allow you to travel and buy alcohol among many other uses. Ultimately this was the beginning of my next project as I began to question what 'identity' really was - is it your date of birth and gender? Or is it your experiences, family and interests that make up your identity. In the end, I couldn't decide however I thought that it would be interesting to explore in my next topic. I used my passport image as a starting point.

Geisha Project - Main Piece

This was my main piece for the Geisha project and also was the one I chose to enter into the Gallery Exhibition. I was very proud of this piece as it seemed to solve all the problems I have previously encountered with my prep. During the project I had experimented with collage and how it was able to portray certain messages and meaning. 

In this piece the collage included:
- coloured paper to create an interesting background and provide contrast to the whiteness of the paper extracts and the painted faces of the Geisha's.
- extracts from the book 'Memoirs of a Geisha' to reference the personal experience of Geisha's and their historical importance in Japan. 

- photocopies of brochures from Kyoto that I brought back from my trip there in Summer. These were to link back to my initial inspiration for this piece whilst also showing how Kyoto and the Geisha are fading into more of a tourist attraction rather than a current tradition

From my prep, I decided that paint would be the best medium to use over my collage as it provided the detail of the biro and felt pens, whilst also maintaining some of the fluency of brusho. Using my own photos, I decided to only use a limited palette for the faces as the make-up of a Geisha is often referred to as 'her mask'. Therefore, although, I didn't achieve perfect photo-realism I feel that the faces portrayed a that mask-like feeling.

Finally I included a few other images alongside my faces. 

- The Japanese writing at the bottom of the piece says 'Iconography' to link back to my prep and re-search into the changing icons of Japan. 

- The red circle on the left is referencing the Japanese flag as I felt it was necessary to

establish which country this was relevant to. A lot of people I first talked to believed

Geisha were originally a Chinese idea. 

- The other red, slightly more detailed circle, at the top right of the piece is a link to

some Japanese art: in particular, Hokusai and his "Amida Waterfall on the Kiso Road"

scene.