Daily Blogs

5/4/26 - 7:34PM (Today's hours: 4, total hours: 4)

For the first day of my project, I traveled to Boston, MA, to conduct research at the New England Aquarium. I spent the day doing quick sketches of fish I would be interested in studying further. The main photo above is of my first two watercolor sketches out of the five I completed. My current favourite is the congo tetra fish, which has an iridescent quality that would make for an interesting artistic interpretation. I’ve decided to focus on fish, certain visual elements such as bright colors and textures. I spent time learning about the fish by reading the plaques and observing their behaviours. My sketching materials for the day are my cotman watercolor set and an oil-based pencil, which keep the outlines loose and give more of a sketch feel. After observing in the aquarium, I located a place to work and finished up my sketches before heading back to campus.

5/5/26 - 2:55PM (Today's hours: 4, total hours: 8)

Today, I began by researching my first chosen fish, the Royal Gramma. I completed an information sheet, which can be viewed under “Information Sheets” in the menu. I researched the Royal Gramma’s habitat and diet, as well as its behaviours. It is a relatively peaceful fish, making it good for beginner aquariums. The image above is of my first sketchbook study. I started with creating a gouache (water-based opaque paint) painting based on an online image. I then did a quick watercolor painting using my cotman watercolors and a marker sketch with warm and cool-toned grey brush pens. I also selected my second fish, the Asian Arowana, and researched the same fundamental questions (also under “Information Sheets”). This fish is especially interesting to me because of its endangered status and the pops of orange in the scales.

5/6/26 - 12:00PM (Today's hours: 3, total hours: 11)

Today I finished the sketchbook stage of my art pieces. I did three sketches of the Asian Arowana, my second fish, in my sketchbook. I started with creating a more detailed gouache study based on an online image. I then did a quick watercolor painting from a different angle using my cotman watercolors and a marker sketch with warm and cool-toned grey brush pens. Overall, I think this page turned out better than my last one, and I am happy with how vibrant the colors are. I also researched mixed-media art techniques that I could potentially use in my final pieces. After searching online for the materials I liked, I compiled a short list in my notes for the supplies shopping excursion tomorrow. I hope to include beaded elements on an oil painting and shimmer fabric to accentuate the scales.

5/7/26 - 2:07 PM (Today's hours: 4, total hours: 15)

The next step in my project was for me to gather materials at a local craft supply store. I shopped for the list of materials I made yesterday and was able to find everything. Now that I have everything I need, I can start my final pieces. After returning from Michaels, I started both of my oil paintings. It doesn’t look like much since the starting layer is quite thin and needs time to dry. Each of them has a different color underpainting to best enhance the colors of each piece. The Royal Gramma has a burnt sienna underpainting because of the redness in the violet color. I chose ultramarine blue for the Asian Arowana to establish depth. Tomorrow, I will continue adding layers to the paintings while giving them a bit of time to dry.

5/8/26 - 4:20 PM (Today's hours: 4, total hours: 19)

Today, I continued working on both paintings. I started with a morning session working on the Asian Arowana. I am happy with my progress on it so far, as the face really came together today. I continued keeping lots of oranges and reds in it, and the next step will be painting the scales. I have not decided on what I want to do for its background, but I would like to keep it some kind of blue. Later in the afternoon, I resumed work on the Royal Gramma. I worked on bringing in more definition and shading the body. I did the yellow spots and was able to keep the pink in the middle of the fish. I am also happy with that one's progress, although I do prefer the arowana.

5/9/26 - 12:19 PM (Today's hours: 2, total hours: 21)

For today, I chose to do one 2-hour session to focus on the Asian Arrowana. I worked on painting the large scales while keeping the vibrant orange color. I started by using the reference photo to get the size, shape, and pattern of the scales. I used a light orange paint to outline them, and then I blended the edges in to give a layered effect. I felt like it needed a bit of shadow as well, so I used a darker purple to outline the top scale edges. For the scales on the lower half of the body, I used more of a lavender to better suit the light blue body. Jill brought out some very bright paints, cyan and orange, and some metallics, which I am excited to use. I already used a bit of the cyan around the eye and gills, and the orange on some of the scales. 

5/11/26 - 3:05 PM (Today's hours: 3, total hours: 24)

Today I did some research in galleries in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I visited N. W. Barrett Gallery and a Pleasant Shoppe. My goal was to find multimedia artwork and learn more about the processes. I have two local artists that I would like to research, including Jodi Harvey and Carey Jane. One work I saw from Jodi Harvey was a pastel drawing of an octopus. This piece was particularly captivating because of the contrast between the bright orange of the octopus and the blue of the background. Carey Jane works with multiple mediums to create whimsical landscapes. I will likely reach out to both of these artists via email to learn more about their process in specific pieces I saw.

5/12/26 - 2:55 PM (Today's hours: 4, total hours: 28)

Today I spent about 4 hours working on my Royal Gramma painting. I haven't been working on it as much as the Asian Arowana because I don't like it as much. To help with that, I gave it a background and really put more time and thought into its composition and the overall shape of the fish. I worked on adding depth to the fins and capturing the eyes and face. I think it looks a lot better now that it has a warm blue background to make the fish pop. Spending more time on it today helps me enjoy it more and become happier with how it's turning out. I also sent out some inquiry emails to local artists asking about their process in creating multimedia artwork, so I can compile research into how much time and how much it costs to create multimedia art pieces. 

5/13/26 - 12:07 PM (Today's hours: 3, total hours: 31)

Today, I spent the morning working on finishing the Asian Arowana. I will need to add a few details before it's done, but it's nearly there. I added another layer of french ultramarine blue to the background. It has a transparent quality that adds to it looking like water. I also worked on the fins by defining shapes and adding detail. I used a variety of pinks and purples to best represent the reference photo. For the scales, I added more highlights and then went back and added more orange to keep the vibrancy. Tomorrow, I will continue working on the Royal Gramma and hopefully finish it.

5/14/26 - 4:17 PM (Today's hours: 4, total hours: 35)

Today I continue working on my Royal Gramma painting. When I came into the studio, I found that at some point the painting had been knocked over, so I spent some time picking gravel out of it, which was unfortunate. To prevent this from happening again, each painting has its own easel now. I painted the edges of each canvas in its background color to give a more finished and professional look. I'm not entirely happy with how the fins are turning out on the Royal Gramma, so I will continue to work on those in a later session. I'm very happy with how the Asian Arowana turned out, and I am finished painting that one, but I would like to do a bit of glazing. I'm also considering beating the fins of the Royal Gramma to add to the iridescent quality 

5/15/26 - 2:46 PM (Today's hours: 4, total hours: 39)

Today I spent time researching my next off-campus trip, which will be to Odiorne State Park on Saturday. I'm going to look at tide pools and try to sketch a few things I find. This trip will be a good way to break up my beading process and do a bit more sketching. I also researched how to sew beads onto canvases. I thought that would be relatively easy, but it has proven difficult to get the correct amount of tension with the thread so that the beads stay in the place that I want them to. I've decided that I'm happy with both of my oil paintings and that I'm ready to bead them. I also learned how time-consuming being a canvas is and that this might take me longer than I anticipated. I think it's worth it because I'm very happy with how it's turning out so far.

5/16/26 - 4:16 PM (Today's hours: 4, total hours: 43)

Today I spent time at Odiorne State Park sketching the coastline and exploring tide pools. I arrived in the morning and started on a walking trail put out to me by the Attendant. Unfortunately, I didn't see much in the tide pools because I went during low tide. I did get to experience the beautiful coastline on a sunny day and sketch for about an hour. I sketched the water, the rocks I was sitting on, and the houses in the distance. I played around with color to keep the sketch super vibrant, and I like how whimsical it turned out. Turns out that lots of people had the same idea as me, as the parking lot was packed when I exited.

5/18/26 - 4:16 PM (Today's hours: 5, total hours: 48)

Today I worked on beading and putting the final touches on both of my paintings. I continued beading the Asian Arowana while redefining the lower jaw barbs and the edge, where some of the background got into it. While reaching the edge of the canvas, I encountered the issue of the wooden frame behind it. This made beating especially difficult, and I had to use tweezers and glue to place each bead. Despite that challenge, I think it turned out really well, and the glued beads look no different than the sewn ones. I also beaded the entirety of the Royal Gramma to add iridescence to the fins. I also put beads in each of the fish's eyes so that they can catch the light and bring life into the painting. In the next few days, I'll be working on my presentation and my self- evaluation paper. 

5/19/26 - 1:49 PM (Today's hours: 4, total hours: 52)

Today is the final day of my senior project before presenting at the Express Fest tomorrow. I wrapped up my project with an interview with local artist David M. Carroll. He walked me through his artistic process from start to finish, which you can read about on the David M Carol page of my website. I found his work very inspiring, as well as his dedication to local wildlife and to keeping art in his life. He was generous enough to share a copy of his book Following the Water, which I look forward to reading. Today I also wrote my evaluation paper and I am preparing to present it tomorrow. I feel really good about how my project has gone thus far, and I am looking forward to being able to share my work with the Proctor community. As for that, this will be my last blog entry. Thank you for following along with my journey and all the support you've shown me.