11.29.22 - 12.20.22

Here is the final piece of the year, that will be sharing a negative side of Individuality, titled Desperate for Clarity! This month's piece is going to tie back as a sequel to my very first piece about Individuality titled Longing for Clarity, which will be featuring the same two figures from that work. I hope you are looking forward to the creation of my final piece of the year, as I will be logging as much detail as I can related to the creation of this artwork.

The composition of this piece is going to tell a story about the main figure and their emotions, by showing their interactions with the environment. The scene of this piece will take place in a museum in a corner of an exhibit filled with picture frames. These picture frames are going to feature the white figure initially shown in the original Longing for Clarity piece, as well as similar figures that are this pearly white-purple color. These picture frames will be crammed tightly on the walls around the main colorful figure, which is being enclosed by museum barricades. We can see on one wall that a picture frame is missing, as it has been aggressively torn off the wall by the main colorful figure. It took some brute force to get the bolted frame off of the wall, which in return ripped off some drywall and paint off of the wall. The picture frame's glass in response to this harsh force shattered and cut the main figure's hands. The main figure has this picture frame grasped tightly in their hands as they are kneeling against the hard floor of the museum. Their long shirt reaches just above the knees, so we can see some bruising and damage done to the figure assumedly from their other explosive actions. This figure has an expression of enraged sadness, as they are tightly clenching their jaws with tears in their eyes, as they look at a photo of these clear or "pure" figures. This is the main story being told within the piece, but there is a second layer of perception being shown, as this scene is being framed itself to be presented in the present moment. I hope that I will be able to properly display this scene through these elements and details, and that the viewer will be able to see and feel the strong emotions being shown in this piece.

This piece will be more of a challenge for myself when it comes to color schemes, as in the original Longing for Clarity piece I did not use a set color scheme. I am attempting to stay true to the original color scheme, which features a sunset-like color scheme for the main figure composed of purples, pinks, and orangish/yellow hues. The desired clear figure is made up of, like mentioned before, a pearly purplish white color scheme. These hues make up a rough analogous color scheme, ranging from purple to yellow on the color wheel. I plan on using several textured and rough brushes to help create the harsh energy being emitted from the main figure, and to make the rest of the scenery more of a smooth and glossy in contrast. I envision in my mind the colors of the figure reflecting everywhere onto the clear and clean environment around it, and I will plan on using this as a way to transition from a harsh brush to a more refined and clean brush. Another feature I purposely intend on adding are harsh and thick outlines to the figure and the scenery, as I believe this will add to the bold and clashing energies within the piece. I may change my mind with these features, but this is my current plan of action for executing this work and the elements behind it.

I want this piece to achieve a visible storytelling effect that will help the viewer adapt their own meaning to the scene. This piece directly ties into a negative aspect of Individuality, through the physical appearance of the main figure and how it contrasts the environment around them. This theme can also be shown through the smaller details of the scene, as we can see in the picture frames around the figure there are people who are a white/clear color, which directly contrasts the harsh and bright colors of the main figure. The meaning I personally envision and draw from this piece is a story of someone who feels they are completely different compared to the people they admire. This figure could feel that they are "wrong" for being the person that they are, and they are extremely frustrated and unhappy to be different. This figure desperately wants to see themselves as a clear and pure person, thus why they are desperately grabbing this picture frame and looking into it with such a strong emotion. As stated in my goals of composition, this scene will be shown framed, which could presume that this event has already happened and that we are viewing this in a "future" sense of that scene. I hope to show that the main story of this piece, someone who is so dejected and desperate to be "normal", is being shown in another museum in the present day. This meaning could either state that you, the viewer in the present moment, should look down upon their actions, or look upon their actions with pity and remind yourself to not be afraid of being different. I believe that this piece will be able to hold a lot of meaning and different perspectives based on your views, and I hope to achieve that through the composition and elements I proposed.

I hope you all look forward to the creation of my final piece of 2022, Desperate for Clarity. I am going to put as much effort as I can into this piece in order to create a work full of hidden detail, meaning, and value. I hope you all will follow your Individuality and that you will find that meaning clearly within this month's piece.

Here is the completed result of "Desperate for Clarity"! I really enjoyed planning and creating this piece, and I hope that this piece shows my enthusiasm.

I really love the overall result of this piece, specifically how the figure turned out. I was able to create a figure with a wide spanding color scheme, but still have a controlled system to make the piece not feel too unorganized. I was able to create some really good dimensions with this color scheme, and I really liked painting in this semi-realistic style. I also really like the composition of this piece and how the room entraps the main figure. This piece really shows the skills I have learned this year, and I enjoy looking back and forth at my "Longing for Clarity" piece and this one, and comparing how I have improved.

After completing this piece, there are some certain skills I am able to pick out that I am lacking on, and I would like to properly tackle them within the next year. My biggest critique for myself is to put more detail into the background. I find myself still putting most of the focus on the figure, but I would like to put just as much detail into the background to help the piece feel more complete and cohersive. Part of me also likes the abstractness of the figures in the frames, but I believe if I added immense detail into the whole surroundings, I would have achieved an amazing result. As well as that, I would like to create an abstract theme that really makes the viewer ask questions, instead of the viewer being able to figure out easily what the meaning of the piece is. I would like to tie all of these skills together into creating work that can say more about myself as the artist. I believe that this is the direction I will try to take my art within the next year, and I will chose a portfolio prompt that can challenge me in this areas.

The meaning of this piece has stayed the same, as I believe this piece reflects a feeling of desire and desperation. This main figure desperately wants to become someone different, someone pure and achromatic, and they are being trapped into this persepctive. We the viewer are able to see this scene being framed, meaning that this scene could be shown in more museums or places in the future. I think this piece can show a perspective of the past, present, and future. I really like the idea and main theme I wanted to get across in this piece related to Individuality, and I hope I can continue to push these themes and ideas in my future pieces.

This year was my first experience creating a portfolio every month, and I could not be prouder of the experience and knowledge I have gained. This challenge has made me improve incredibly as an artist, and I plan on continuing these projects in the future years. I hope you are all excited for my next portfolio theme in 2023, and I hope you all will stay true to your Individuality.