The Middle 3 Paintings

The next set of paintings revolved around more abstract concepts for people in my life, as well as experimenting with color and composition. For these, I made paintings for myself and my friends, Bailey and Brianna.

Mountains in Fantasy, June 16, 2023

Acrylic Paint, Paint Pens

This painting was for my friend Brianna, who is an avid reader and a strong, smart, and passionate friend. It ties in the fantasy elements in its color as well as being blocky and stylized. The red in the painting was to capture her strong energy, as well as being colorful and adventurous, as I feel that she will explore the world after graduating college. This painting was a process of adding in colors and removing them, as I had mixed feelings about the black and red in the painting. If I had to do it again, I think I would limit myself in my color palette and try to convey my messages through color a little more effectively.

Oceanfront, June 16, 2023

Acrylic Paint

In this painting, I made something that I think reflects myself, as well as offering myself a space for experimentation on the canvas. This painting was made from many of the dried up acrylic paint pieces on my palette, and therefore has a wild texture that is far from being flat. I wanted to try this technique and as the painting developed from random colors on a canvas to covered in blue, I decided to make this a beach with as much texture as I could. As the paint dried over the course of days, it deflated and changed texture. I decided to do a different technique for the smoother sand, applying layers of paint to convey the soft sand. I love the beach and all it has to offer, and working on a painting for myself in the midst of making paintings for others allowed for some self reflection.

Hyrule Field, June 16, 2023

Acrylic Paint

One of my best friends from high school has stayed close with me throughout college, and this painting was created out of many memories with her. When in high school, we did many activities together and she loved to play Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While I had no way to play it, she talked about how it was the best game of all time. Recently, I completed the game and wanted to incorporate the art style from the game, as well as focusing on the mountains fading into the background. This painting for her also features an underpainting, something that I had tried before but it never seemed to work out. In different parts of this painting, you can see the pink and orange undertones peaking through. I did this by painting the canvas before I started, and I love how it gives the painting an extra layer of emotion.