Overwhelmed

 "Overwhelmed"

This oil painting is one of the longest wrestles with art I have ever had. "Overwhelmed" was inspired by the beautiful surrealistic work by Meghan Howland that can be seen here. 

I started painting this piece way back in March and finished it only a few days ago. For six months it sat in some sad corner looking like the image shown below.

Last spring, I applied for Marie Walsh Sharpe, a two week art camp in Colorado. In the application, there had to be a portfolio included, and unfinished and all, "Overwhelmed" was sent along with it. That was about the time I gave up on trying to get the skin tones right and decided to discard it.

Winston Churchill once said, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts." 

Looking back on the year, as many do in the closing days of December, I see a great year. Not really "great" in the way that it felt like one big party, but more in an accomplished way. What sticks to me is all of the hard work. The autumn and winter months remain a blur in my memory, and I have to make myself think to see if any of my work really paid off. If it did, either it was pretty melodramatic or it's still in the mail. Even if juggling everything in life can be taxing, it is worth feeling overwhelmed for a while. 

-M

Time Constraints

"Student Life"

I remember having a conversation with a friend at school, around the time everyone was signing up for Oklahoma auditions, about how much of a time commitment the play would be. It was the only thing holding me back from auditioning, but for her, it was the reason why she would sign up. She said she didn't like having free time. It puzzled me that someone could have a problem like that. I'm always fighting for more time and wishing I had a few more lifetimes so I might have enough time to satisfy my interests. I'm a perfectionist to a fault, making everything I do take an eternity. Sometimes I think having a sort of hit and run approach on everything I do would be useful, but I can't change the way I am, and I don't see how that would give any sense of reward in the long run.

Anyhow, these last few weeks have been a blizzard of assignments, tests, essays, art, and finals. Everything coming with nagging deadlines. Since I was falling behind in my independent art class, I whipped together a photography project that took practically no time at all. It was an unexpectedly fun project I did with my friend during a final. In the end, I found the grainy quality of the photos to have a certain preppy-grunge charm. Ever since first using the school's projector, I've been wanting to do a project like this. "Student Life" is about the frustrations of being a serious student. Dealing with grades, identity, and the future takes its toll on me, and I can see it does on other people too.  In the end, the pain of learning supersedes the pain of ignorance, but its still pain.

It's my first day of Christmas break, and my time is instantly filled with new obligations. Christmas, mostly. And Christmas Eve is this Wednesday. Never have I waited this long to do the shopping, but there's always a first time. This only means lot's of cooking, baking and merrymaking ahead. Needless to say, I won't be bored.

-M
 

Modern Inconvenience

"The 24 Hour Day"

"Arrive Faster"

"Claustrophobia"

I had a blog once, back in middle school, but it was directionally challenged. A couple of my friends had blogs too, and those same friends consisted of my total readership. Now that I've grown a little older, being a senior in high school and all, I thought I would give it one more go.

I won't make this an autobiographical post, deeming that no one will ever read the first post anyhow. Whoever stumbles upon reading this blog will hopefully care more about the content of what I post rather than my life story. Art is what I do, and it is exposes my character and personality enough.

"Modern Inconvenience" refers to my AP Art portfolio concentration theme that I have come to embrace. The idea is that by trying to solve problems, modern man makes new problems. Those problems are modern inconveniences, or first world problems, in a sense. Living in a first world, it isn't hard to find inspiration. The works above are some that I have completed so far this semester. I will post more of my progress later down the road.

-M