2 down, 1 to go

2 classes down, 1 left! Today was my last art class, leaving me with the realization that I will be headed back to the States very soon. I have the chance now to reflect on my experience in my art studio course.

I have definitely had my ups and downs in the class, leaving some days feeling completely frustrated and other days feeling great about the work I’d produced. In looking back at the class however, I think more important than any of the paintings and sketches I’ve produced is the way that I have learned to think about my art. I have learned to experiment with color and trust my eyes and to paint what I see, not what I think I should see or the “right” colors. Painting is more about finding the relationship between things and letting the background add beauty to the foreground rather than painting simply the subject. A complete painting should include the entire surroundings in a cohesive and unified way. For my last painting, I painted the same project that I started with in the first class: a colored square exercise. The premise is to mix several colors and paint a square on the paper. You then use that color to mix a new one and place it beside the first one, and continue on in that fashion. The purpose is to let the colors work together and complement one another. I learned that oftentimes, the paint palette can look more beautiful than the painting because in trying to force the colors to be what you think they should be, you lose sight of the beauty of the materials and the way they work together effortlessly. A big part of painting for me is letting go and really letting the colors work in comparison to one another. Using complementary colors is also a lot more fun and relaxing.

I really enjoyed the art class. While some of the hour discussions were sometimes slightly painful and abstract, it really got me thinking about the different elements of art. I’m really happy I had the chance to take an art class over the summer since I probably won’t be able to fit it into my schedule at school. It certainly wasn’t what I expected, but I am very satisfied with the class and know that I have learned to think in a new more colorful way.

August 11