Painting II

Jaxyn Dingbaum "Moonlit World"

6x6, Paint on Canvas, 2026

 (IDEA) My idea was to create a peacful night painting because my favorite time of day is night. I was inspired to do this by the pretty night skies that have countless stars, that overwhelm me with peace just looking up at them. At first I was just going to paint a night sky with a moon, but later decided it would be neat to add a scene within the moon. 

(PROCESS) I used a mix of blue and purple to construct the background. This required a couple layers of different shades to get the glowing look to the moon. I tried to layer while it was slightly wet to help blend better, rather than having it look like one color on top of another. I then laid down the moon and stars using brighter shades of the same color, and also utilizing the white and black paint pens. 

(SYMBOLISM & ICONOGRAPHY) The moon with the scene contained inside shows the true deepness of the night sky, and the wonders of what could be out there. The snow on the trees show the endless feeling of snowy nights, and the empty feeling you get when standing outside on a cold winter night, while snow is endlessly falling, showing no sign of stopping. 

(ARTISTIC GROWTH) The most difficult part was blending the sky. I wanted to make sure I got the glowing look to the moon, without going too light and allowing it to not seem as deep. Getting the sky look in the moon was also tough. I was struggling to get it smooth, with such little brush space to work with inside the circle. If I were to start over, I would make the stars have many different sizes, rather than all being the same. 

(VISUAL VOICE) This artwork is a semi-realistic piece. This piece shows my style because how mysterious it feels. When I think of the possibilites of the sky, and what could be out there, it takes peoples minds to a million different answers. That is my kind of art, and I feel that this piece shows it perfectly. 

Jaxyn Dingbaum "Dueling Dragons", 12x14, Acrylic on Canvas, 2026 

 (IDEA) This painting was inspired by a photo that was a super fun Halloween memory of my relationship. We dressed up in our awesome costumes and had a super fun holiday.

(PROCESS) I began by sketching us onto the canvas, and laying out where everything is going. I then painted the background which is my garage door using a reddish-brown. I then started on the costumes first, and finally the faces. 

(SYMBOLISM & ICONOGRAPHY) The costumes are used to show our personalities aligning, and coming together as one. We both love the How To Train Your Dragon movies, so why not dress up as them! I want people to see this painting and think about a relationship in their life that makes them happy. 

(ARTISTIC GROWTH) The hardest part of this painting was making our faces recognizable. I have always struggled with faces when it came to painting, but I feel that I went above and beyond with this painting and made them very recognizable. 

(VISUAL VOICE) This painting is a semi-realistic portrait of my girlfriend and I. It shows two real life people, but simplifying a lot of shapes and colors. With this project I wanted to focus on the mood of the painting, rather than the sharp and detailed look. 

Jaxyn Dingbaum "Moonlight Reflection"

6x6, Acrylic on Canvas, 2026

 (IDEA) This painting was inspired by the feeling of looking at the moon reflected on water at night. I wanted to create a calm feeling that captures the beauty of nature after dark. 

(PROCESS) I used acrylic paint on canvas to create this piece. I started by painting the background with different shades of blue to build the night sky and water. I blended the paint with a big brush to give the surface movement and texture.

(SYMBOLISM & ICONOGRAPHY) The moon represents reflection and peace. The way it reflects light off the water represents a feeling of guidance in the dark, or perseverance when things get hard. 

(ARTISTIC GROWTH) The most difficult part of this painting was creating the moons reflection on the water. I struggled getting the right shade of white to blend with the blue of the water. 

(VISUAL VOICE) This piece was a semi-realistic landscape painting. Even though it was simply just a landscape painting, I still wanted a good meaning/theme behind it. 

Jaxyn Dingbaum "Lonely Polar Bear"

12x14, Acrylic on canvas, 2026

 (IDEA) My idea for this painting came from my love of nature. Nature can be so quiet. When I was younger, I did a school school project, learning all abut polar bears. I learned that polar bears represent strength and endurance. As I was making this, I wanted the polar bear to seem lonely, but instead calm rather than sad. The main idea for this was from a picture I saw online, which brought back all my polar bear memories and inspired the painting. 

(PROCESS) I first started this painting with a grid sketch. I used a grid to make the correct proportions and even space everything out. After I had everything sketched out, I began filling in th major parts with white and grey. I layered some white and grey to give the bear some texture. For the background I did a big black layer, and used small lines to show texture in the snow behind. I used a small brush to show a bit of texture in the bear and make it more realistic. 

(SYMBOLISM & ICONOGRAPHY) The polar bear resembles strength and power. The dark background shows that the cold arctic environment can be lonely and sometimes a little harsh. 

(ARTISTIC GROWTH) The most difficult part of this painting was making the fur stick out, while still keeping it smooth. 

(VISUAL VOICE) This artwork is semi-realistic because its a creation of a real life animal, but I toned it down to simpler shapes and colors. I wanted to focus more on meaning with this painting, rather than looks and appearance.