Artist's Statement:

Jillian Wight

Medsker

2D Design

23 September 2020

In this piece, the themes that are most prominent are lines, colors, and circles. It is very abstract, and I think that a lot of what makes it intriguing is the many different elements at play so that the viewer will discover more as they look closer. There is not much of a story or a deeper meaning, but I did my best to convey a very calm, undulating overall vibe. I didn’t want the piece to make the viewers uncomfortable, I wanted it to make them think a little bit, and I wanted it to relax the eye and be easy to look at. I think I was successful! The muted colors go together nicely, and the subtle changes inside the circles worked very well. The project relates to my life because it is the first idea I thought of when I was assigned this project. It is based off of instinct, and reflects my taste as an artist as well as some of my personal style. I like matching colors that are slightly different shades, because it creates tension and adds depth. I also selected these colors because they remind me of Sedona, a place I’ve always wanted to visit. I decided to do an abstract work because I love to try new things as often as possible and I am a lot more comfortable with realism. Overall, my choices illustrate who I am as an artist. The piece shows that I am willing to take risks, and love to experiment with space. It also conveys to the viewer some of the concepts that I like to test and play with in my art.

To create this piece of art, I started by using a compass and a graphite pencil to create a large circle on a piece of multimedia drawing paper. I then used the same soft graphite pencil to sketch where I wanted the lines within the circle to thicken and thin out. Once this element of the piece was planned, I sketched circles over the lines to fill the larger circle. I took a photo of this for reference, and then used an eraser to lighten my lines significantly so that they wouldn’t show through the marker. After these beginning steps were complete, I selected six colors of dual brush markers that worked well together and began to fill in the lines, changing colors to fill the smaller circles. Finally, all the lines were completely filled in. To finish the piece of artwork, I went in with the fine tip side of the markers and added texture to the circle. I then used the colors already in the piece to add texture to the background with dotted lines. I wanted the piece to have a little more depth to it, and I think that this method was successful.

I used a few different processes to create my work of art. For example, when I sketched my lines, I tried my best to recreate a marble-esq, oily kind of pattern like one would see on the outside of a bubble. I looked at reference images, and sketched one line that wove throughout the circle, adding more lines to match the thickness I needed. Filling the lines in with color was also a process. I had to make sure that my marker strokes were even and went in the right direction. In the end, I was able to accomplish this by layering lines where needed in order to create an even finished product. Finally, I had to make sure that my dotted lines were cohesive and went together nicely without clashing. I started with lavender, and then filled inwards with the other colors. This was effective in the end, and I am very happy with how it looks! As well as the obvious line and color, shape is a really important part of my artwork. It is subtle, but constantly present. The theme of this project was circles, and I wanted this to be evident but not obvious. This is why I chose to incorporate many more than just the one circle in a subtle, intriguing manner. Texture and space were also very prominent. Texture is present in the background in order to properly fill and utilize the space I had left over. I originally left the background blank, and then realized that the piece was a little bland. I experimented a bit, and settled on this design to fill the space but contrast enough to emphasize but not overpower the bright circle which is meant to be the focus of the piece. By texturing the space and manipulating it carefully, balance and rhythm as well as movement are evident in my work. They make it easier for the viewer to take in my creation, and appreciate the different aspects. I think my next steps could be to play around a bit more with other ways I could have filled the space, and attempt to make a more realistic, 3D version of what I created. I want to try making the circle in the middle a sphere to see how this would impact the outcome of the piece.

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