Zach Goodwin -
The accumulation of works that I have created reflects a spectrum of ideas and emotions that I have had and felt throughout the last two years. My goal is to showcase my progression of thought and technique through visual representations. There is a variety of pieces that share similarities, as well as other pieces that hold obvious differences. Different shapes, colors, mediums, and themes are what collectively reveal my development and creativity.
A portion of my works are snapshots of different lenses and mediums that were used as a way of finding a preferred technique that best fits the idea and message that I'd like to bring to light. I enjoy the aspect and concepts of abstract art, and how abstract pieces don't have to hold a single meaning or representation. Darker colors, such as black, dark blue, as well as dark purple are colors that are the most appealing to me and set the tone that I look for in a work of art. There is a vast amount of “Ink” pieces that grasp my attention. Extracting elements from pieces that I enjoy looking at has always been something that I base initial ideas on. For the ink piece that I created titled “Calamitous,” inspiration was driven from the cover of a song. The darker, evil aspect that is highlighted in the piece that I created is a feeling that I was intentionally trying to create. When it comes to other mediums, such as oil pastels, I was able to conclude that control of a medium in a piece can determine the message delivered. With that being said, when I worked with a pen, I had more control, whereas with the oil pastel I had less control of the medium, hence the comparison of lines and details. Working with oil pastels was an enlightening experience, however, I wanted to make a piece with oil pastels and have more control with the medium itself. Crayons have a very similar texture compared to oil pastels, and with crayons, having more control is plausible. “Ananas” is an “Op Art” piece that exposed the feelings of happiness that I had encountered at the time of creating. Ananas and Calamitous are two pieces that hold different meanings and qualities, but also share commonalities. The overall themes are different, one is happy while the other is depressed, but the variety of colors and hints of brightness brings the two pieces together. Opening the door to watercolor was also something that I experienced during the last year. I entered a watercolor series and produced three Asian-style watercolor paintings. I'm fond of all three works, especially because all of them look as if they could be one entire piece. Color, as well as brush strokes, are huge ideals of watercolor. Knowing the brush as well as amounts of water on it, and the causes and effects of certain elements can be the difference on if the work is good or not. Blending watercolors and creating a sense of comfort in each piece was exactly what I was looking for. Incorporating darker colors into a piece to create a positive mood is a technique that helped me grow.
All of the pieces that I have created share the colors black and blue. No matter the message, the mood is always clear. Elements such as trees, plants, or the sky, also add to the theme and presence of nature. A tree is a symbol of growth and strength. Without trees, life would be difficult. Without growth, life would be pointless. All of the emotions and ideas put into each piece are a true reflection of my feelings and emotions.