Quercetti Capstone Project

 

Title: Doodle Flowers 

The prompt I chose was expression of self. I have been told by some that I come off as very harsh and closed off when they first meet me but, when they get to know me, I am fun, kind, and full of life. I have always seen myself as a very colorful person but deep down I know I come off a bit closed off. In this piece I wanted to reflect my more colorful, childlike side, this is the part of myself that I love the most. I wanted to include a lot of color and later decided to add black doodle flowers because the one thing I have always loved drawing is black ink doodle flowers all over every school notebook I have ever had. I am very pleased with the outcome of my work. It is colorful and chaotic and exactly what I wanted.

Bale Capstone Project

"Coming Up for Air"

For this piece I chose the entry point of past/present. In this work of mine I wanted to portray coming up for air as emerging and letting go of the past and choosing to live in the present. I chose the setting of the middle of the ocean to represent that at times we are stuck out at see not sure where life it going. The further down into the darker water I used to represent deep into the past. I purposefully made the sky a much lighter shade of blue but also empty to represent finding peace with yourself once you decide to let go of the past and live in the present. The emptiness of the sky was used to bring mystery. By letting go of the past their is mystery of what is to come however the light peaceful colors were meaningfully used to show that is doesn't have to be scary. The most important part of this piece is the women swimming up and reaching for the surface in the painting. I struggled to paint her to make her look submerged so instead I used a different color for the hand sticking out of the water. I chose to keep most of her body submerged to show though she is attempting to let go of the past, much of herself is still stuck. 

This piece tested my skills greatly as I chose to paint a non-abstract scene. To create the piece I first mixed together many shades of blue. In total I created about twelve different shades for the painting. On the 26" x 30" canvas board using a very light blue I did an underpainting. I found that the paint was two thick an heavy so I went back in with matte medium to thin it out. Then I created a point on the board to differentiate the water and sky adding darker colors into the water. After painting a rough version of the sea and sky I sketched out a simple figure in the water. This was the hardest part of the piece. I must have painted over the figure about 50 times in the process of painting this work. I did not get much from my sketch of the figure so I chose to freehand it which I often do in my pieces. On the figure I used darker acrylic colors and matte medium to experiment with shadows, while at another point in the process the figure was completely blue. I made the decision to keep her a more natural skin color instead of an underwater blue hue to keep emphasis on the figure. I felt that when the figure was blue it blended in with the water loosing it position at the center of the piece. While continuing to go back to the figure I also experimented with gradients in the water. To do so I used a large amount of matte medium. Many layers of doing so allowed me to have an ocean like under water scene. It is obvious that blue was a large part of this piece, however the use of white in the painting process is what really brought things together. I used a lot of white in the sky to represent day time and light from the sun, and also white in the water to show the reflections of light in the water. Before making final touches on the figure, using a palette knife, white acrylic, a few shades of blue acrylic, and purple acrylic I scraped on the sky. I chose to you a palette knife over a brush to keep things simple. I did not want to put much into the sky or it would take away from the rest of the piece. My final touch to create the piece was adding the sun to show where the reflections and light in the water were coming from. I used a very light yellow with white mixed in and lots of matte medium to dull out the sun. Many choices I made on this piece were done using observation of actions I had already taken and making an effort to improve on them. I would probably and may still go back in to make edits on the figure. 

 

Atkins Capstone Project

 

(I included an uncropped version of the image because the roses at the bottom of the piece come off the page, and the image looks very different with natural/studio lighting). 

For my capstone project, I chose to explore the two prompts of perception versus distortion and self versus object. I decided to choose a more narrow topic that interconnects the two themes and is a problem that I have been struggling with recently. For my capstone project, I chose to depict imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome can be defined as "the persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills". It is the constant worry that you only got to where you are today because of luck and that at any moment you could be found out as a fraud. I decided to depict myself in this piece (not my brother haha) because it is a topic personal to me, and it emphasizes the topic of self versus object as it is a self-portrait. The shattered glass in the back is supposed to represent the subject looking through a broken mirror, which in turn represents the subject's distorted perception of her own self-image. Her expression and unusually pale complexion represent the constant anxiety and fear that is caused by the imposter syndrome. The flowers represent the subject hiding the presence of imposter syndrome under her accomplishments and almost romanticizes the syndrome. 

To create this piece, I wrapped black paper around a 24''x 36" canvas using duct tape like a present and traced a photo of myself in pencil (because I like to work with negative space). However, after I finished tracing, I couldn't really see my pencil lines, so some of my work (such as the nose and eyes) are freehand. I completed the figure, hand, and pen in chalk pastel and then painted FRAUD on top of the subject's chest in red Guache paint (I experimented writing with different mediums over chalk, and the only mediums that worked were guache and acrylic). Next, I cut up 15 CDs into geometric shapes of different sizes and pieced them together like a puzzle in the back. I created a gradient of highly concentrated pieces at the bottom, and less concentrated at the top, so it would look as if the glass was falling on the subject. Then I hot glued them to the canvas. Next, I added three flowers to the bottom of each corner that I made with pink and green felt and hot glue. 

The title of this piece is "Imposter Syndrome" and I am proud of the outcome. If I had more time, I think I would try to make the shading of the nose look more realistic, because before I had an idea that I wanted to also cover some parts of the face in CD pieces, so I didn't work very hard on the shading of the bridge of the nose. After completing the full portrait and cutting out the pieces, I didn't like how the face looked when covered so I scratched that idea. In the end, I really enjoyed working with mixed media and I am happy with how the background turned out. 

Updated Capstone Trusello

I made some changes to make the red hand less wonky and minor changes on others :3

 

Ava Passehl Capstone

For my Capstone project, I chose to dapple with space and perception/distortion. I was inspired by Edward Hopper's "Night Windows" to take a picture of Jocelyn from the fire escape of the art building. I was very interested in Hopper's use of unusual vantage point and window as a means of perceiving/looking at a subject. I was also inspired by Hopper's simplification of everyday scenes into flat colors and shapes. I simplified the scene but added textured brushstrokes to keep liveliness in the piece.  In addition, I wanted to experiment with lines to create the effect of enlargement. Jocelyn's figure was deliberately painted so small to emphasize her contrast to the giant surroundings. I also chose to paint her in a stylized, cartoony portrait to experiment with contrasting styles in the same piece (cartoon vs. Impressionistic/Hopper-esque). I loved this piece due to the freeing nature of stylized brushstrokes as well as the ability to split the painting into sections and work bit by bit to make a final piece! 

 

Jocelyn Zavala-Garcia's Capstone Project

For my Capstone project I chose to focus on “systems”, specifically the police system, and the brutality police use towards African Americans. I started out my project by going online and finding photos of men with their hands up to show the act of surrender, which I would transfer onto my board. Thus, I went to find a used particle board with minimal paint so that I could personally add it myself. I wanted to use a used board because it has history to it since other people used it prior to myself, relating to police brutality which has been an ongoing problem throughout history. I painted over some of the particle board but also left some as it had been, to show how there are new cases occurring every day but that does not hide what happened in the past. 

I also did my research, finding some powerful protest photos that gave me inspiration for specific details I wanted to add to my final piece. For example, I included the detail of smoke from the fires around the men’s figure, since he was taking part in the fire that would fuel future generations of African Americans. I also used the scraper tool with black, white, and red acrylic paint to add wide strokes. I wanted the red to represent the bloodshed from the lives lost to the police system, and also the fact that people are willing to sacrifice their lives in protests to protect their community.

 I included him wearing a mask because many of the photos from the BLM potests had people wearing masks due to the pandemic and I wanted to evoke the feeling of being safe from the pandemic but not safe from the police. I also added text throughout the piece, both in the border and the piece itself. I wrote “Don’t” on one hand, and “Shoot” on the other because I found that many people did this in the protests, and it adds to the message of surrender. I also wrote “RIP ….-....” on his chest to signify the T-shirts created by family members or friends after the death of someone. The dots represent the years they were born and had died, because many African Americans live with the fear that they will be the next face on one of these T-shirts. 

Finally, I made a border out of cardboard that I had personally ripped to represent what most of the signs at the protests were made from. I included messages that were prevalent in those signs such as, “How many more?”, “Black Lives Matter”, “Say their names”, and “When will this end?” Through this capstone project I wanted to bring awareness to police brutality by experimenting with different brush strokes, using a paper towel as a brush as well, and intentional placement of materials, reminding people that these protests will not be forgotten. 

The title for my artwork is "How Many More?", and I really like the outcome. I think I evoked the theme well through materials and ideas, especially with the research I did. The background gives an abstract view, but it still has meaning to it, and my favorite part would definitely have to be the border because of the texture created and the text on it.

 

Sisson Capstone Project

 

    For my capstone project I used the prompts system and perception/distortion. When I think of system I think of an ecosystem with moving parts that work together. I illustrated system by showing the relationship between a butterfly and a flower and how they benefit each other in an ecosystem. To incorporate the perception/distortion theme, I decided to use a basic background in order to highlight the butterfly and flower. I also made them large to distort how they are seen in real life. I wanted to show them as a big system rather than just a pretty animal. The flower was inspired by Van Gogh’s sunflowers and I used bright colors in the foreground to further emphasize the butterfly and flower against a washed out background.

 

Trusello Capstone

For my Capstone, I integrated 2 of the prompts: Transformation/Metamorphosis and Echo. I wanted to focus on hands because I think that they are considered really tricky but they also look cool and can bend in many different ways and create lots of different shapes. I started with the red and ended with purple, going in the order of the piece, and I think I improved on certain aspects in each one of them (the purple is my favorite). I used oil pastels and I love the way they blended. 

When I began, I didn't really have a meaning in mind. As I was drawing the hands, I noticed that I would place certain shapes for the fingers, but end up choosing a different angle. This is especially evident with the close-up of the green hand that I included last. I tried to erase my mistakes, but I remembered that everything happens for a reason and I wanted to go with the flow and make my process fun instead of stressful. I figured it would be cool to leave my mistakes faintly present to show that the process doesn't always turn out how we want it to, but I love the result. Sometimes the mistakes I made ended up looking better than my original idea!!! This ties into the prompt of transformation because my process is evident without even including progress photos, you can just see my ideas in the final piece. I think this also ties into the echo theme because, in certain close-ups, such as the blue hand, you can see how the hand shifted from its original position to be more forgiving to the composition I originally had in mind. 

I didn't really know what to expect when I began this project because I had never used oil pastels before and drawing hands can turn out very wonky sometimes. But I think this piece really loosened me up and allowed my art not to look so stiff because I wasn't really worried so much about the end result. Usually, with a medium like this one, I would freak out if I messed up and try my best to erase it. But I think this allowed me to enjoy the process more and take some risks. :)

 

Capstone

Savannah Lee 

Mrs. Silverman 

AP 2D Design 

26 May 2021 

Capstone

For my final capstone project, I wanted to create a piece to represent the contrast and perception of light vs dark. In my painting, I created a dripping effect of space over a cloudy sunset. I wanted to make this piece because I wanted to represent the perception of space closing in on us while still showing that contracts of light beneath the darkness of the colors. For my colors, I chose a deep black paint for my space and a light pink paint as the sunset sky in order to emphasize their differences. My piece looks fun and pretty while still having a message behind the drips. A topic that interests me that I incorporated into my piece would be the perplexity and vastness of space and the world beyond the earth. I thought that the perfect way to show the perception of dark vs light would be to incorporate space and the stars against a cool and calming sunset. My intention for the dripping of space over the sky was to show how when you step back, you are able to process how big the earth is beyond us and our everyday lives. I decided to use acrylic paint so I could show thick colors and put more emphasis on the dark vs light. I started with painting the dark space, and I added planets and started to create a space-like representation. I then painted the sky under the space scene and I used a totally opposite color scheme as before. I painted rainbow clouds of the pink sky and added shading to each cloud to show the contrast. I later decided to overlap some of the clouds with the space drips. The finishing touch was to add some glitter in space to represent tiny stars in the distance of space, and glitter in the sky to represent the reflection of the light against the clouds. I am very happy with how my piece turned out and my message shined through the light and dark reflections in the sky.

 

DCAD=Pre College Scholarships & Drawing Marathon!

 

Dear Amazing AP Students: DCAD has generously offered to waive the admission fee for you to attend the Drawing Marathon they are hosting at Hagley Museum! 

Here is a LINK with more info-this would be an excellent portfolio building opportunity!

They also have several we have several scholarships available for their summer Pre-College studio immersion program. If you are seriously interested, please let me know. Here is a LINK with more info about their PreCollege Program!

Marino - Final Project

 

The Schools of Joe Marino (Title)

Past/Present

The topic I picked was past/present. Since it is my last week of school I wanted to pay homage to myself and where I will go or where I have gone. My intention was to create a piece of work that looked like a piece inside of another piece. My idea was to create a museum style piece where it looked like a painting hanging on the wall. I decided to create 3 mini rectangles on my 24x30 work. At first I was just going to draw the Archmere logo to show an end of a period piece however I wanted to further my art work, make it different. I chose to just work with Acrylics because I like the glossy texture they give of when looking at it and on camera. It makes it look like it has glass over the piece. I made all these choices like in the moment, I was just think at the time what could I do to make it look cooler. I didn't really have a plan I just started to paint and see where it took me. I didn't have to do much research because I already knew what my schools logos looked like. For experimentation it was just how should I approach the idea of looking like a museum wall, so I chose white. Overall I think this piece is a success because it gives off the idea of past/present and I like how it came out. 

hartman final capstone project

Gildea Final Capstone Project

 

For my Capstone piece, I chose the entry point of Dichotomy. I decided to show a dichotomy and contrast between night and day as well as the sun and moon. On the left side of the canvas, I collages darker images with blacks and dark blues to represent the night / the moon. I tried to use pictures of the night sky as well as pieces from art history that had a darker color palette like the Mona Lisa as well as a painting from Picasso’s blue period. On the right side of the canvas I collaged lighter images with whites, yellows and bright colors to represent the day / the sun. I used pictures that incorporated the sun as well as pieces from art history with bright and sunny color schemes like Monet’s grass hut painting and Van Gogh’s sunflowers. For the center of my piece, I drew a picture of a sun with the mon inside of it to connect the two sides of my piece and serve as a bride between them. This sketch was also what made me develop my idea for this project - I had this image that I referenced for the sketch as my phone lock screen for some time and I just decided to draw it.