Absolutely Fine Art

Arts Explorer #3: Fine Art Critique

 

Tom Thomson (1877-1917), Canadian artist, Group of Seven

The Art Gallery of Ontario has always been an interesting place to see and learn. I have been to the AGO many times and have noticed some of the same paintings and sculptures which have caught my attention each time. These particular eye catching paintings are those of the Group of Seven. Specifically the Canadian artist Tom Thomson has always been one of my favourite artists as his paintings are very intriguing and visually appealing. In high school I had taken an art course in which I observed various paintings by Tom Thomson and was instructed to sketch a replica of one of his paintings. I had chosen to sketch the painting labelled, “The West Wind”. After sketching it, I had asked my teacher if I could paint over it to try and capture the exact colour and mood of the painting. After doing so, my painting was posted on the bulletin board for everyone to see. That felt really good!

 


Tom Thomson- "The West Wind", 1917

 

Tom Thomson's painting has incorporated many vibrant colours which are used in a unique way to bring about texture in his artwork. Texture can be defined as "the surface quality" (Schirrmacher & Fox.144. 2009) which is seen in any type of atwork. Tom Thomson uses his paint brush to add various textures to his painting, especially in the water and clouds, which give off a smooth feeling. The instrinsic detail within this painting allows the viewer to imagine just how the water, clouds, rocks and leaves would feel to the touch. 

This particular painting has always fascinated me due to the uniqueness of the colours Tom Thomson has used. The water and sky are very detailed in that every wave and movement can be seen. The colour of the tree and the angle at which it is bending shows the severity of the wind, but yet a sense of peace. The warm colour tones gives off a summer-like feeling with a warm gust of wind blowing past. When first seeing this painting, I had noticed the tree leaves as well as the base on which the tree is sitting on. The rocks under the tree also seem to have some leaves on, which I think represent the change in season from summer to fall. Tom Thomson’s painting of “The West Wind” is very interesting in an awkward way. The positioning of the tree and the vibrant, yet warm colours used to highlight the sky and water, show the motion of the weather which is what makes this painting come alive.   



Schirrmacher, R & Fox J.E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children. Delmar: Cengage Learning. 

Sculpting with Colours

Arts Explorer #2: Instant Sculpture

As I was looking around my house for random items to sculpt with, I came across a box of pencil crayons. For some reason, when I saw them, I stopped and thought about the variety of colours and how interesting it would be to form some sort of multi-coloured structure. I picked up the box and ran to my room and began to stack the pencil crayons. Although they kept rolling and sliding off one another, I kept going so I could build a three-dimensional, multi-coloured, squared structure. It definitely took a lot of patience and stability to stack them but in the end, I was able to get at least four rows of pencil crayons on top of each other.

Colour is what initially sparked my imagination when thinking of which household items I could work with. I believe colour is what gives a picture, painting, drawing, sculpture, etc, its life. Colours catch viewer’s attention and engage them into the artwork. I believe that colour is a very important element of art because of the many creations that can be designed with it. In my perspective, colour adds depth and feeling to any sort of artwork. Colour can be defined as “the visual sensation of light caused by stimulating the cones of the retina” (Schirrmacher & Fox.136, 2009), but can have so many more meanings as to how colour can make us feel. I have also created the shape of a heart using the tips of the pencil crayons.  In my sculptures, I feel that the importance of colour is seen to visually attract attention to the stimulating pattern/design.

                   
             Colour adds life to artwork 




Designs and patterns made with colours are the most visually appealing type of artwork that I am interested in, which is why I came up with creating a shape with the pencil crayons. I think it is eye catching and unique. The use of the just the pencil crayons tips to form the shape, and the rest of the pencil crayon facing the outside of the heart, gives a more defined and stimulating appreance created by the colourful lines. 







          Schirrmacher, R & Fox J.E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children.
Delmar: Cengage Learning.
 

       
       

Creativity is something of beauty

Arts Explorer #1: My Creative Inspiration

What does creativity mean to me?

Creativity comes with the appreciation of beauty in all its form.

I believe the word creativity can have very different meanings to every individual, but one thing which can be said with confidence is that, creativity is a belief of inner beauty and the ability to portray that in a meaningful way. Whether a person has a passion for painting, drawing, building, creating and/or much more, I believe their inspiration derives off of their inner beauty, as well as their thought and spirit. Creativity is not just having an artistic talent or ability, but being able to draw upon the depths of a person’s inspiration in order to translate that into a product of art. Being able to appreciate beauty in all its form means to accept and embrace one’s unique characteristics. I believe every single person is creative in their own way, no matter how, or in which way they express it. I also believe that children are the most originally creative people by far. Various things can intrigue and spark a child’s imagination, which can then be constructed, drawn, designed etc. Some people can be inspired by a very important aspect or event that has occurred in their life and some can slowly develop an interest, which can turn into a passion.

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.  Art is knowing which ones to keep."  -Scott Adams

My inspiration comes from the colour and design techniques seen in the Science of Beauty. Although I did not adapt this throughout my childhood, I have been interested and embraced the uniqueness of makeup artists throughout my teenage years. Not only am I able to pursue this as a hobby, but I can also be my own teacher when experimenting with the variety of colours, designs and patterns. I am known as the “official makeup artist” of my house which feels pretty great! I hope to continue this type of art throughout my adulthood and inspire others in the same way that I have been.