The artist I forgot I was...

Well it has been an age hasn't it.  My life has taken some twists and turns that remind me why I hate rollercoasters so much.  It's been really really hard to pick up a brush.  I have all my supplies staring me in the face and I can't bring myself to create a thing.  I know this will pass, but it will take a little while... once things are more settled I'll be up for creating.  I have some great ideas....

In the mean time, I've been doing a lot of cleaning and organzing of my stuff.  In the process, I've found my art portfolio from middle and high school.  It was amazing to see the stuff I created back then- a real kick in the pants!  For all my protestations of my lack of talent, even I have to be impressed with the me of yesteryear.  Let's take a walk down memory lane...

Lots of EDM people have been talking about the upside-down drawings being easier than rightside-up.  Apparently, the 15 year old me agrees!  Here's a close up of the directions from my teacher's handout.

I am really excited to see how my attempt turned out... when I get my muse back I'm gonna give it a shot again and see if I fair just as well.

Next up on the non-hot tub time machine tour, an assignment from 8th grade (1994).  We had to pour through magazines to find a picture we would cut in half in a direction of our choosing.  We were then to use acrilic paints to re-create the missing half of the picture.  Here's mine with the label from my district's art show (I'll spare you all the picture of me standing next to it in full 1990's Jersey flair, lol).

I remember being proud of this faucet when I was making it, and I am really happy to have it back.  Up next was an excercize in negative space.  Another piece I actually remember making.  My penchant for brighter colors matched with black comes through even then.

I also am impressed with my experimentation with techniques as illustrated with this next find from high school (yes yes I was made to this by my teacher... but I kept this so clearly I was proud of it.)

Some of the techniques included sponge and paper textures, scrafitto, and blending.

Lastly, I present my most favorite art piece I've ever made.  The assignment from 11th grade art was to make a surrealist painting with acrylic paints.  I remember very distinctly the vision I had for this painting and while my vision was exactly realized this painting comes the closest to what I envisioned than any other painting I have ever painted.

I hope you've all enjoyed my trip in the wayback machine.  I hope seeing what I was able to accomplish will jump start me back into creating art again.  If I did it once, I can do it again.