Student Example Page

Starting the artwork, I didn't really have an idea to go with. The first day, I added elements based off the instructions without putting much thought into it. We were told whatever we draw on the first day will likely not be visible on the final piece, and I think that made me less afraid to just experiment because I had control over what I want to keep or cover up. Later we covered around a third of the canvas, so I painted over areas where I want to add something different.

Again, a lot was done from following the given instructions. I added a lot more on my canvas, especially the background with a blue chalk pastel. I also realized the pastel is more visible on the paint than the blank canvas, so I later added white paint to areas I wanted to add pastel and cover up what I don't like. This is when I started to section the artwork to different groups using the red line I drew going the canvas. I felt inspired by the melting clocks in Salvador Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" and how it is interpreted to symbolize the passage of time or  the control time has on us. This is why I decided to add a clock in the circular blank area in the center as a symbol.

We were given more freedom from here. I started to have an idea of how I wanted my artwork to look and drew some designs I could work on more later as we're finalizing. I decided to keep the red line I drew when we started. I didn't want to experiment as much as I did before and wanted to have some fixed ideas.

By now, I have added a lot of designs I've decided to keep as well as details on specific areas, especially parts I want to seem more realistic. I painted the background colors for each part and cleaned it up a bit by painting over unwanted sketch lines and tracing over covered or faded lines. More literal symbols I added were the clock-like eye, hand, mouth, doors, and people.

This is my finalized piece. I drew more details I felt was necessary to add. The finished symbols are all part of what I think comes with the passage of time and growing up. The clock-eye represents how people are almost seeing the world with a sort of lens referencing time everything we go through. The hand pulling down the eyelid symbolizes how people emphasize the importance of time, stretching the eye "open". A small detail in the clock is that the time is  5:55. I chose that time because the number 555 symbolizes change, freedom, and adventure. The doors were added to show decision making because there are so many decisions people need to make in their lives. Having two closed doors to choose one from can be how people make decisions, even if we don't know what is behind them. The mouth could generally symbolize communication but I made the lips slightly parted to make it unclear if it is speaking or not. New communication and connections can be made OR continued while some are cut off and eventually stop communicating. The people and the shapes around their head are get neater as they go to the right. People change as time passes and it doesn't have to be positive or negative. Comparing to my thoughts, I feel as I get older I need to be more rational and organized, which is why the messy shape becomes smaller and rounder. Not all the canvas space is filled because I didn't think I needed to have those areas completely filled in and I decided to keep the sketch lines in those areas.