Beautiful

Beautiful: Medium: Acrylic, mini paint roller, stencils, construction paper

This particular piece is one of the most personal stories that I have created. Originally when the assignment was given I had no idea where it was going to take me. While taking basic design 2, we were given a story. The first time we read it we were to take the reading and come up with a photo that represented what we read, simple enough. The second time was different, after we read the story we were to transform it. Yet again we were to create an erasure. This form of art has been seen throughout my work, and I was so excited that I was getting another opportunity to do it again. 

I had recently separated from my fiance of 8 years, instead of trying to deny what I had been through I channeled it though my work. Coming up with the story was easy enough, words seemed to melt right on the page and into my notebook. I was so pleased with myself, because in this really clever way it all made sense to me. The really hard part I hadn't even began yet. The rubric for the  given assignment was extremely challenging for me. For someone that was so use to painting with a paint brush, using heavy detail, my loving relationship with my paint brush for crying out loud; all these tools were to be chucked right out the door. Not only couldn't we use a paint brush, no detail. We had to use only stencils, that we made ourselves. We had to use at least four and the color we choose had to be touching in two places. All these elements we had previously used earlier in the year, was now being put to the test; literally. This was our final assignment, which also meant we needed to spend at least twenty hours on it. Spending the twenty hours to create a piece of art was not hard for me, I in fact spent way more time than that. The difficult part was combining all the skills we had learned that year, and then telling myself to let go. Working with acrylic is one thing, cutting out tiny little stencils was a whole other demon. We also had to use a mini paint roller to apply the paint, and the paper was super fragile. At the end of it all I was happy with the work that I did. Mostly because this piece had a lot of meaning behind it. Regardless of what the class took from it, I think I needed to release that hurt from with in me. This is the main reason why I like to use my own personal baggage in my art. It gives me the opportunity to explore my situation, create something meaningful, share it, and then ultimately close the door. Creating art is just good for the soul.