Unit 1: What is beauty?

Skin

Mixed Media (collage and acrylic on wood), 15 x 12 inches

In a country that views white influence and features as a sign of affluence and beauty, it is no surprise that prejudice is continuously rising against Filipinos of darker skin color. This artwork depicts a woman’s inner turmoil who is confused on whether she should be proud of who she is, and where she comes from, or if she should give in to a white-washed society who deems darker skin colors as something to be ashamed of. The use of discriminatory comments has already been normalized in our country, but have we ever thought to stop and think twice about the person on the receiving end?

Unit 1 reflection

In this unit, I got to study different art styles and find one that suits me the most. I learned about mixed media art and conveying a message through an artwork. However, beyond the practical skills I have learned, I also learned aesthetics in terms of art and the factors that affect it. I believe my approach in conveying the message of racism in the Philippines was creative. Studying mixed media art was beneficial in terms of layering my work. I was able to give my artwork definition in doing so which brought the attention to the subject itself. My artwork went through various revisions, but it ultimately led to a painting style that was different. By layering dollops of paint and dragging them out, I was able to create a blurred effect on the subject which is a reflection of her inner conflict. All throughout this entire process, I always knew that I wanted to do something with mixed media art but I faced challenges in term of how I painted my subject. Initially, I painted a woman with cracks on her skin. This was to show a Filipina who had bleached her skin as a result of the insults thrown at her. The cracks were to show and represent her real skin color behind the whitening she had done. She had her eyes closed as a representation of submissiveness since it is still a harsh reality that people would rather give in to society’s demands than stand up for what is right. However, I realized much later that skin bleaching, though a problem, was not something that all victims of racism went through. So, I kept everything, but changed mainly the parts of the subject’s skin. It was risky changing it at first, but after doing it, I was able to successfully convey my message of the inner turmoil people of darker skin is facing in the Philippines who are confused on whether they should be proud of who they are, and where they are from, or give in to a white-washed society who deems darker skin color as something to be ashamed of. Though my artwork went through some major revisions, I believe my final work was the best way I could convey my message.

Renoa King

Unit 2: Self Discovery

To be, or not to be

Shadow Sculpture Art (Plaster, paper, and acrylic on wood), 16 x 56 inches

My artwork would impact the world positively through the message I am trying to convey. The topic of being someone people expect us to be is not really talked about in our society because it has already been normalized like many other serious problems. My artwork shares a message through a sad story of a girl who had no room to dream because she was told by many to be that one thing and one thing only. Though many people’s intention is not to harm the person, telling young kids to be something that you want because it creates an easier life, makes more money, or for whatever reason, is unhealthy. We constantly tell people to dream big, but we shun them out when what they want to be is something that we do not want to be which is not right because we have no business manipulating people into choosing a path that we want and not what they want. Through my artwork, this problem of deferring young people’s dreams can be conveyed to people even if it may just be a few. As long as there are enough people who are aware of this problem, through conscious efforts, we can stop normalizing something that does nothing, but hurt people in the long run. The next impact my artwork can make is in terms of shadow sculpture art. When I was carrying out my research, I had such a difficult time looking for information on shadow art because it is something that not many people talk about or do. Through my artwork, I can introduce the concept of shadow sculpture art to more people since it is a beautiful art form that deserves to be recognized and understood by people. My artwork can raise awareness and hopefully get people curious about the other artworks under this type of art form; and hopefully in the future, there will be more than enough information for people to read about and learn about this type of art to get them inspired to start creating their own. When shadow sculpture art gets recognition, artists who make use of this art form will ultimately be recognized more too which will help them not only earn more, but create more of their beautiful pieces.

Unit 3: Art In Trying Times

For this artwork, I considered two-dimensional art, specifically painting. Upon observing artworks showcased in an article about the greatest painters all time, Artemisia Gentileschi and the realism in her artwork had me awed. The vibrancy of her choice of colors and the contrasts definitely made a lasting impact on me because it felt like I was looking at a photographed picture resulting in the realness and eeriness the viewers feel while looking at her work. Matt Philleo wrote an article regarding the process he undergoes while painting artworks focused on realism like portraits. He shares that the first step is to start with a good sketch. By creating an outline of a picture you want to paint, you are able to draw out specific details and form the right proportions before actually painting on the canvas since pencils, charcoals, and pastels are much more easy to erase than a dried acrylic. He then goes in with a glaze over his drawing in order to lessen the contrasts. In realism, lines are not used to define a specific object, rather it is the values and colors which is why it is important to establish the tonal values first and define darker parts with a more concentrated glaze. You can then go in and add more values and finer details like nose or cheekbone contouring. His last two steps are to refine and finalize details by fixing them or making them more detailed in order to really capture a certain emotion. This process would be a great process to use when making my artwork as well since I want to paint a picture of a hospital staff in the bed of a covid patient, and my goal is to add some realism to the painting in order to really get the message to the readers. The painting would also have a drak meaning so realism will help me show devastation or sadness in order for it to fully resonate with the audience since it is very much a reality healthcare workers are facing in this time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Unit 4: Community Art

The artform I considered for this project is digital art. “Digital Art” refers to technical arts, with invisible boundaries that allow for many interpretations of the word. Although digital art, multimedia art, and cyber-art were common terms in the 1960s and 1990s, the emergence of the World Wide Web introduced a level of networking, resulting in a change in expression (DANAE, 2018). The concept that made an impact on me was the fact that this art form, like said, is very fluid, and has no boundaries. Since it's made digitally with the help of the computer and technological advancements today, the sky is indeed the limit. I liked how the artist or the creator is not limited to a certain art form's techniques or materials. Instead, it can mimic and combine the essence of many different art forms to create one that is entirely different and original. There are many different aspects and softwares to create digital art, but after watching videos on YouTube of people creating digital art, I decided to use Procreate since it is what is most accessible to me since I already have an iPad. It is also an app with features that I am already familiar with.

My intention for creating this artwork is to remind the students, and the community as a whole of the toxic standards we have today. I hope to open their eyes to the unhealthy environment we have created, so that we can consciously make an effort to stop it. My intention for this artwork was never to convey to people that studying is bad, and we should not make an effort to do our best. In fact, we should do our best without having to put children’s mental and physical health at risk. We need to be realistic instead of creating and teaching children these false fantasies about success. Success is more than books and the achievement level we get from school. It is a mindset, a passion, a drive, and so much more. Not just the colleges we get into or the amount of awards we get. To do that, I plan to do a detailed rough sketch first, so that I can go in and create very clean lines so as to create the “illustration” look. The unrealistic aspect to illustration gives the message a very playful facade, but it is that same playful effect that makes the dark realization hit harder (basing off experiences, hopefully it is the same for others as well). To add to that effect, I want to create depth as well so that it isn't just a flat piece of clean diagrams. I plan to do this by taking a very grainy brush, setting the opacity lower, increasing the size, and picking a shadow color. I will then alpha lock the layer that I want to add texture and depth to. For example, the spine of the book. I will lightly hover over that section to create a very small giant texture, without it imprinting on the other parts. I learned this from other videos of buttersquibs on YouTube who uses this technique to give her drawings very smooth and subtle shadows.