STILL LIFE |
TITLE: Belief
SIZE: 14 x 18 (35.6 x 45.7cm) MEDIUM: Acrylic on Canvas COMPLETION: March 2023 EXHIBITION TEXT
This still life painting is named “Belief”. This painting depicts a Buddhist sculpture that is surrounded by paintings of fruits and vases. Most Asians, if not all, adhere to the Buddhist religion. Buddhism is the faith practiced in my family, and this is what we consider important. This painting is about Buddhism and how important it is to some people as a religion. In Buddhism, enlightenment and nirvana are the endpoints. Buddhists hold that insight or nirvana can be attained via prayer, hard work both physically and spiritually, and proper behavior. They also hold that human life is one of suffering.
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INSPIRATION
ARTISTS: Keith Gunderson and Youqing Wang
For my inspiration, I was going for something that was similar to the idea I had in mind. I already had a plan for this painting, which had something to do with my religion, before I knew what had inspired me. Because Buddhism is my belief and also because it corresponds to the concept I'm going for, which is culture, I knew that I wanted to make a still-life painting that had a Buddhist sculpture. A component of my culture is Buddhism. I started looking for some inspiration after deciding on the kind of topic I wanted to paint, and I found these still-life oil paintings. I wanted to depict Buddhism in my painting, just like these artworks did. I was moved by this collection of paintings since my home has a similar arrangement, but I was also moved by the way the colors were used together. I appreciate the contrast of bright and dark in the color the artists employ, but I was also intrigued by the way the artists were able to incorporate both dark and warm hues. Since there aren't many paintings depicting Buddhist sculpture or religion in general, I was also captivated by the manner these paintings were Buddhist still life paintings. The first painting, "Red Buddha by Keith Gunderson," caught my attention because it resembled a sculpture I had and because of how well the fruits were depicted. I appreciate how Gunderson used both dark and light colors effectively without going overboard; the choice of colors was also well-balanced. Together with the bowl and fruit, the Buddha sculpture truly stands out because of the use of dark and warm shades. I thought that this painting was also similar to the second painting called “Buddha statue with fruit by Youqing Wang” since the background color and the fruit layout are similar except the only difference is the second painting had the fruit layout on the front of the Buddhist sculpture. This artwork appeals to me because the inclusion of an object's shadow enhances the realism of the still-life composition of several objects on a table. I wanted to do something similar to the second painting when it comes to the layout and use of colors. I was able to make sense of these paintings when I first saw them since they each featured a Buddhist, and Buddhism is a religion that I am a part of along with my family. Buddhism is a religion in which adherents think that enlightenment, or nirvana, can be attained by meditation, hard work both spiritually and physically, and good conduct.
PLANNING
For the first part of planning I was looking at what type of sculpture I wanted to add to my painting. Once I did that I decided to sketch the object so I can get a rough idea of what I’m working with. At first, I was thinking of adding/painting 3 sculptures that I had, but I decided to go with two. Out of the sculptures I had I chose to paint the big sculpture I had along with one of the smaller sculpture I had of a Buddhist. Getting a rough idea of what I’m working with will help me with how I want to set up the items. Setting up the different things I have will help me reference them while I’m painting. This sketch will also help me out with the flow of drawing these sculpture onto the canvas.
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In the second part of planning, I decided to add more things to put beside the sculpture. I already had some items that go along with the setup, which one of them were vases. I also wanted to paint some fruits and so I went with oranges. I was also maybe thinking of painting a lamp and a few plates and cups, but I thought it if I were to paint those items it wouldn’t look good and I just wanted to keep everything simple. I had about 3 vases and in two of the vases it had little rocks inside the water to keep the little bamboo plants secure. The other vase just has flower, which we change from time to time since they aren't always healthy and old flower petals would fall off.
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For the last part of planning, I took different angles and different sculptures I had. Taking pictures of the items and sculptures will help me with how I want the layout of my painting to look. I had 3 Buddhism sculpture, but I only wanted to paint two, which was the big one and one the little one. Besides the Buddhist sculpture, I also wanted to paint the different plates, fruits, and many things that related to Buddhism. I wanted to have to paint something that matches my religion and with all of the setup and materials, it’ll help me a lot since I can reference it from time to time when I start painting. After taking some pictures, my mom helped me with the setup since the sculptures and the other items were supposed to be arranged for other reasons.
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PROCESS AND EXPERIMENTATION
EXPERIMENTATION
For my experimentation I decided to experiment with the different paint colors and mix them together to see if they matched the picture I took. But before I did decide to paint on the canvas I had to practice my process journal sketch so that way it doesn’t ruin my painting on the canvas. I also experimented with different paintbrushes to see which paintbrush would be better to use for my painting. I also decided to practice a few brush strokes so then I don’t mess up on the final piece of the painting. With all this practice it’ll make the process of working on this painting go a lot smoother and it’ll look a little neater. |
PROCESS
I made the decision to take the final image I would use as a reference for my painting as the first step in my technique. I opted to utilize a grid method for this painting, so after taking the final image that I was happy with, I decided to insert the image into a grid creator. I then made the decision to begin sketching the grid onto the canvas after incorporating it into the grid approach. A 8 by 12 grid was used to begin, and once I had finished gridding the canvas, I drew what was shown in the photograph. I encountered a challenge once I had drawn what I had on the picture. I thought the images I sketched on the canvas felt strange, unnatural, and uneven in some places. I subsequently made the mistaken decision to remove everything, even the grid, because it didn't seem right to me. I then put the image through the grid-making process once more, doing a 7 by 10 this time, but it still didn't look right to me. I used the grid-making tool once more to draw a 6 by 9 grid, but this time I altered it to a 7 by 9 grid because I knew I would probably struggle once more. I chose to preserve the 7 lines I had drawn before and grid the remaining area. The image I'm going to use as a reference now has a 6 by 9 grid, but I was still able to recreate the image. The only negative aspect of what I did was that I found it difficult to draw one of the Buddhist sculptures. One of the smaller ones was hardest for me to sketch. If I had the right amount of grid drawn or a canvas that was the proper size, it would also have been an improvement to my painting.
I made the decision to take the final image I would use as a reference for my painting as the first step in my technique. I opted to utilize a grid method for this painting, so after taking the final image that I was happy with, I decided to insert the image into a grid creator. I then made the decision to begin sketching the grid onto the canvas after incorporating it into the grid approach. A 8 by 12 grid was used to begin, and once I had finished gridding the canvas, I drew what was shown in the photograph. I encountered a challenge once I had drawn what I had on the picture. I thought the images I sketched on the canvas felt strange, unnatural, and uneven in some places. I subsequently made the mistaken decision to remove everything, even the grid, because it didn't seem right to me. I then put the image through the grid-making process once more, doing a 7 by 10 this time, but it still didn't look right to me. I used the grid-making tool once more to draw a 6 by 9 grid, but this time I altered it to a 7 by 9 grid because I knew I would probably struggle once more. I chose to preserve the 7 lines I had drawn before and grid the remaining area. The image I'm going to use as a reference now has a 6 by 9 grid, but I was still able to recreate the image. The only negative aspect of what I did was that I found it difficult to draw one of the Buddhist sculptures. One of the smaller ones was hardest for me to sketch. If I had the right amount of grid drawn or a canvas that was the proper size, it would also have been an improvement to my painting.
I made the decision not to draw everything I had on the picture because my mom had already set it up and I wasn't really permitted to move things about how I wanted. Three vases, an orange fruit bowl, and two Buddhist sculptures are the subjects I'll paint from the image. One of the issues was drawing everything evenly and the grid was one of the key causes for it. Drawing the smaller Buddhist figure was difficult for me. I began sketching the broader Buddhist statue after drawing a portion of one of the vases on the canvas' side as a starting point for the process of painting on the canvas. The remainder of the vase, an orange bowl, and the final, smaller Buddha sculpture were all drawn after I had finished drawing one of the Buddhist statues. After I did that I then decided to add in the rest of the details for the plants and Buddhist sculpture.
I chose to begin painting after I had finished drawing everything from the image onto the canvas. I began painting the fruit bowl and the bottom of the canvas first. The light hue paint was one of my challenges when I was painting. As I applied the light-colored paint, I unintentionally mixed it in with the pencil led that was previously drawn onto the canvas. I spent a lot of time trying to cover the grid with paint, but it either was too light or blended in with the pencil mark.
I chose to paint the remaining oranges, the towel, and the three vases after first painting the bottom of the canvas, along with a portion of the fruit bowl and background. I had trouble painting on the vases since the paint kept blending with the pencil mark from the canvas. Choosing the proper color was another challenge for me because the majority of the colors I had didn't go with the image I was using as a reference.
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After I had finished painting with the towel and a portion of the three vases, I added the leaves and flower petals from the plant in the vase. Since I didn't really have the correct color and it seemed like the leaves were simply all over the place, I did struggle to paint the small bamboo plant. Although I did my best to paint the flowers and the bamboo, I don't think the results are perfect. After I finished painting the vases, I began to paint the sculpture depicting Buddhism. As I painted the larger sculpture of the Buddhist, I began at the bottom and worked my way up. As the paint wouldn't look the way I wanted it to on the canvas and some parts wouldn't just merge together smoothly, I had a lot of trouble painting it. It also appeared sloppy as I worked.
After I finished painting the larger sculpture, I made the decision to paint the smaller Buddha statue. This one was challenging for me because several of the colors I had didn't quite match those in the reference image. I started painting the background after I had finished most of the other elements on the canvas. I made the mistake of using the same color paint that I had used to paint the Buddhist, but I did my best to paint it, and after that, my painting was complete, but one thing that I didn't like were not having the right colored that perfectly matches the photo.
I made the decision to complete the painting by adding all the details after completing a portion of it. While looking back at my painting I didn't really liked how everything was shaped, so I decided to make some changes by repainting some of the components in the painting, to make it look much better and even. I improved my artwork by correcting any flaws I found. My artwork will appear much more decent and tidy if any errors are fixed and it looks neater. I didn't really like the background color that I painted before, I thought it didn't look right and so I decided to experiment with the colors I had to make a brown color. I started mixing in blue, yellow, red, orange, and white. After I mixed them in I then decided to paint the background, when I painted the background I also used some white paint to paint over the brown color. |
The final piece is called “Belief” because there are many people out there who believe in different things. Several cultures practice diverse religions. When I started working on this project, I was trying to figure out what they believed in, why they thought they were significant, and how that related to religion. Since Buddhism is a religion in which my family and I believe, I painted a picture of it. My family and I place a high value on this faith because of the good fortune it has brought us. Buddhism advises followers to avoid both self-indulgence and self-denial. Buddhism accepts the ideas of reincarnation and karma. There are many varieties of religions that humans believe and for the same reasons they have different amount viewpoints and preferences. Some people were reared in different ways, in different settings, and in families at various times. Many people have different values and beliefs when it comes to their religion. Every morning, my family prepares two cups of water and places them in front of the Buddhist statue. In addition to that rice, two small snacks, and water are available for them to eat and drink.
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One water is for drinking, and the other is for washing their faces. We wash the cups and plates in the afternoon, but this time only water is provided. When it's approaching 7 or 8 o'clock at night, we wash the cup once more and add a fresh cup of water. We light 3 candles, along with 2 tall thin candles, after the water is poured. This is done every morning. Once everything is set up, we pray. We would pray for luck before a test or other crucial event.
REFLECTION
I think the still-life piece I created turned out fairly well in the end. I was able to create a painting that reflected my religion and culture. There are many things I could have done better and I feel like my painting would have turned out better if I had done more experiments or practice, but for now, I think it worked out quite well and I was able to interpret it. I know there will be some problems when working on this project, but I was able to meet them head-on and make it work because I've learned a few talents as an artist while painting. I am aware that I could have done a better job if I had selected the appropriate canvas or the appropriate quantity of grid. If I were to try anything similar again, I'd definitely pick a canvas that was the proper size or decide how many grids would work best for whatever image I used as inspiration for future artwork. Although the entire procedure was difficult, I was able to finish it thanks to some inspiration and the subject of my paintings. I wanted people to respect my faith. I believe that better color use and blending techniques would have improved the painting's appearance. Despite the fact that the painting could have looked a little better in certain places, I was nonetheless pleased with how it turned out.
CRITIQUE
Differences
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Similarities
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CONNECTION TO ACT QUESTION
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
The cause my inspiration had on my artwork is the theme and the objects that were painted on the canvas. The Buddhism painting had an effect on my work and I was inspired to a similar painting because of my inspiration.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The overall approach the author has a regarding on my topic was religion I wanted to paint something that also defines what my culture is and what me and my family believe in.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Many paintings and other works of art are ambiguous and can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Many artists' works also reflect the culture and environment in which they were created.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research is culture, religions, and beliefs.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
The inferences I made around my inspirational research were Buddhism which my religion and I wanted to explore the different way Buddhism is define and why people believe in it.
The cause my inspiration had on my artwork is the theme and the objects that were painted on the canvas. The Buddhism painting had an effect on my work and I was inspired to a similar painting because of my inspiration.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The overall approach the author has a regarding on my topic was religion I wanted to paint something that also defines what my culture is and what me and my family believe in.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Many paintings and other works of art are ambiguous and can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Many artists' works also reflect the culture and environment in which they were created.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research is culture, religions, and beliefs.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
The inferences I made around my inspirational research were Buddhism which my religion and I wanted to explore the different way Buddhism is define and why people believe in it.
CITATION
CITATION IN MLA FORMAT
“Red Buddha.” Keithgunderson.com, keithgunderson.com/works/2992568/red-buddha.
“Wang Fine Art: Buddha Statue with Fruit Still Life Oil Painting Original Contemporary Realism.” Wang Fine Art, wangfineart.blogspot.com/2019/04/buddha-statue-with-fruit-still-life-oil.html.
Editors, History com. “Buddhism.” HISTORY, 22 July 2020, www.history.com/topics/religion/buddhism#:~:text=Buddhism%20encourages%20its%20people%20to.
“Wang Fine Art: Buddha Statue with Fruit Still Life Oil Painting Original Contemporary Realism.” Wang Fine Art, wangfineart.blogspot.com/2019/04/buddha-statue-with-fruit-still-life-oil.html.
Editors, History com. “Buddhism.” HISTORY, 22 July 2020, www.history.com/topics/religion/buddhism#:~:text=Buddhism%20encourages%20its%20people%20to.