SW+03+-+Metamorphosis+and+Self-Portrait

Metamorphosis and Self-Portrait **Description:** This is an attempt to combine both optical illusions and realism by having a metamorphosis-inspired background and self-portrait in the foreground. In the background, I attempted to have the red negative space gradually become a figure to what looked like a bird. The background was painted in gouache and the foreground was painted in watercolor. **Analysis:** **What were the artistic and/or cultural influences for this project?** **Who/what influenced either the composition and/or the style.** I had two artist models -- Jean Pederson and M.C. Escher. I tried to incorporate cultural aspects to this piece as well, so I used a tracing of a cat's picture that I have taken to include in the background. Cats were practically worshiped in ancient Egypt. Jean Pederson's "Harlequin" significantly inspired the composition of this piece. In her work, she had a checkered pattern in the background and a watercolored portrait in the foreground. I substituted the checkered background with a background that is influenced by metamorphosis. **What materials/media/processes did you use and or experiment with, and how?** For the background I used gouache and for the foreground/self-portrait I used watercolor. Previously, I wet the entire paper with water, as Jean Pederson does with her work, and then painted the portrait while the paper was still wet. However, this caused the paint to bleed into areas that I didn't want the paint to go to. After taking some advice, I decided to wet the part I would be painting and only paint over the wet area. This prevented the watercolor from bleeding outside the desired areas. **How do you think you have responded to advice and criticism during this project (and during the term), both from fellow students and the teacher. Did you actively seek advice? If so, was it useful?** I sought advice on how to paint in watercolor and personally, I thought it was useful. Also, after this piece was finished, many people did not see the background as a metamorphosis, which is a dreaded weakness that I did not want to come across. However, this obviously shows that I need to research much more on metamorphosis and tessellation, which is what I will be doing in the next project. **Clearly explain the weaknesses/areas for improvement -** Throughout this project, I had to research three different things -- metamorphosis, the face and the media. I think that I should have researched more on metamorphosis as it was the most difficult part in the piece. Also, the self-portrait is painted in a very light wash of watercolor, which is something I did not like about this piece. Eventually, I will be painting over this wash to add more contrast to the face. **Clearly explain the strengths of the piece –** I think the composition was a strength because the self-portrait is in a place where the background would still show. Also, I think that at the end, both the background and the self-portrait were focal points. None caused more attraction than the other, which I consider a strength because I still want the viewers to notice the background. **What could you take through to the next project and develop further? This could be anything, from a technique to an idea, not neccessarily just the theme.** Because metamorphosis was extremely unsuccessful in this piece, I would like to develop and expand my research further to create a more successful piece. In the next project, I will also be researching printmaking and I am considering woodcut, however, I still need to be familiar with the rest of the techniques. Home Voicethread SW 1 - Distorted Reflection SW 2 - 25 Drawings SW 4 - Cat with Wings Tessellation SW 5 - Self-portrait Painting