I had a good experience overall in Foundations of Art. I learned lots of new techniques for creating art and experienced many new challenges too. I also learned many things about myself as an artist, like my strengths and weaknesses. I’d say that throughout the year, I definitely improved as an artist, which has encouraged me to continue art in my future. I have noticed a few ways that my art represents my strengths and weaknesses. One of my strengths that are shown is my attention to lighting. This is a skill that I have improved throughout the year, and there are a few projects in which this can be illustrated. Projects like Beautiful Oops, the Realistic Self Portrait, Duck Stamp, Color Design, Scratchboard, and my Independently created piece show some good examples of light and my strengths in that area. I think that another one of my strengths that can be shown in my artwork is my flexibility with different styles. In Foundations of Art, I really had a great opportunity of expanding my horizons, and I think I adapted to them well. A lot of the art I did was realistic, but there were some that were only semi-realistic, and others that were cartoony. This variation is shown in the Space, Linear Perspective, Scratchboard, and Color Design units, as well as many more. I also have some weaknesses in art. I have always been aware of my first weakness, which is patience. I usually begin a project very enthused, but over time it becomes tiring, and I will rush it a little. This is common for all of my projects. You can see this in certain projects, such as the Duck Stamp project. I started with the duck itself when I was much more committed, and it is much more realistic than the lake beneath it. This is because I was impatient after doing the duck, and when I drew the lake the results weren’t as great. Another weakness I noticed, which presented itself closer to the end of the year, is my struggle with “physical” art. This is both 3D and 2D. I struggled with 3D art like the Wire and Assemblage sculptures. I struggled with 2D art like the Linoleum Carving because this was also pretty physical. You can tell by looking at these projects that they were a little harder for me. As mentioned before, I definitely improved as an artist in several ways. This can be seen pretty quickly when viewing my art. Looking at my art from the earliest to the latest projects, it is shown that my work became more accurate, more detailed, and more realistic. My projects started out as a bit messy, and not quite clean, but over time this improved. One striking difference between the beginning of the year and the end is in the two self-portraits I made. The first was done for the Time Capsule unit, and while I did not spend much time on this, I doubt whether I would have been able to create a portrait that was much better. The results were pretty poor. My second self-portrait, on the other hand, was very accurate, and much better. This was after I had learned and developed new techniques for creating a real self-portrait, and the results were astonishingly different. The most difficult project for me this year was the Wire Sculpture. Again, I struggled with 3D projects often, but the Wire Sculpture was definitely the worst. Not only was the wire difficult to bend, but it was also very difficult to secure. I had to try many times to create a satisfactory frame for the object I was depicting (an L.L. Bean boot). The wire connections would not hold, and it was very frustrating. Another challenge in this project was to get the shape of the wire correct. I wanted the form of my sculpture to match the form of the boot. This was difficult at times because the wire would slide if not secured, or just bend out of shape. This project definitely taught me perseverance, and that, perhaps, 3D art is not the best path for me. My favorite project, and the one I am most proud of, is my Independently Created one. Perhaps this is because it is my most recent project, and my heart still remembers the satisfaction that came with completing it, but I also believe that it is one of my best. It is certainly one of the most accurate pieces of art I have ever done, and perhaps the most accurate. I also got to do this on scratchboard paper, one of my favorite mediums and got to scratch a picture of my dog, Max. Finally, this was dear to me because it was a very independent project, and created solely by me and my inspiration. For all of these reasons, my Independently Designed project was my favorite and most proud. I have many goals for my art, but overall my biggest goal is to just continue making it. I would like to do some art over the summer, for starters. Probably graphite drawings, colored pencil drawings, and even scratchboard, if I can manage it. I am also looking forward to doing 2D Design as a sophomore. After that, I’d like to take Advanced Art & Design, and then AP Art & Design. I have also considered Ceramics I. I don’t think I’ll major or minor in art in the future, but it is a skill that I would still like to keep in my life. All of the challenges, successes, and lessons that came along in Foundations of Art this year have improved me as an artist, and I will take what I have learned with me in the future.