Choice Project:
Title: "Spill Your Guts"
Size: 14"x18"
Medium: Canvas Board
Completion: Feb. 2023
Size: 14"x18"
Medium: Canvas Board
Completion: Feb. 2023
Exhibition:
My piece; "Spill Your Guts" is heavily inspired by my absolute most famous band I've loved since childhood called "Bring Me The Horizon" specifically their album; "Suicide Season" For my choice project I decided to use inspiration from the album cover, from Robert Erod, and 'Famous When Dead.' The symbolism behind my art piece has more than one meaning. The saying; "Spill Your Guts" means to tell someone about yourself, specifically your problems. I painted me, "Spilling My Guts" because it's extremely hard for me to open up to people about my problems, specifically when I have been depressed. It was extremely hard for me to ask for help and speak openly to my parents and my therapist. I also painted me seriously spilling my guts as a way of me trying to kind of open myself up to people, to the world, and the extreme challenges that really has to me since I feel more comfortable dealing with my problems on my own and not asking for help. I put tape to cover my face (inspired by Famous When Dead) because after I have a depressive episode or a bipolar lash out, I tend to feel numb and unsure of who I truly am anymore because of how numb I begin to feel.
Inspirations:
"Bring Me The Horizon" - "Suicide Season"
Suicide Season is the second studio album by the British rock band 'Bring Me the Horizon.' It was released on 29 September 2008 in the United Kingdom and Europe. The album commonly consists of heavy metal/rock songs that mostly symbolize Grief, Sadness, and Depression and trying to fight those feelings and overcome them. I chose this album specifically because the songs in this album; (Chelsea Smile, Diamonds Aren't Forever, and Suicide Season) were mainly songs I listened to when I was fighting depression throughout middle schools/High School and these songs plus album truly helped me get through my hardships and personal problems.
"Famous When Dead"
The artist goes by "Famous When Dead" Not too much information is given about the artists but he creates strange and intriguing artworks. He was born in the industrial, pottery city of Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, England. His artworks are heavily influenced by popular culture, street art and graphic design. There are no obvious themes in his artwork although the reoccurring subjects of identity and social anxieties are noticeable in his more recent works. For my inspiration I used his piece; "Faceless | Number 02" because it portrays that confusion of self identity.
Robert Erod
Robert Erod Robert loves to paint portraits and figures with Intense emotion and psychology seem to predominate his art, with soulful eyes and lost expressions. The Piece that I choice as my inspiration for the background of my piece was Robert Erod's; Modern Blue Mood Mid Century Modern after Rothko Painting" I chose this piece because the symbolism of my artwork is mainly about Depression, Anxiety and Confusion of Self-Identity. Using the dark navy blue, teal and cobalt blue for the background with a black frame was a good way to really give off the vibe of the more sad mood I was going for.
Sketches and Planning
To be honest, after my last painting; "Cyclothymia" I realized that painting was a very huge challenge for me and painting in general is very challenging for me. So, I took my choice project as an opportunity to try and get better at it and practice painting. To start off with, I began to sketch out what I exactly wanted to put on my canvas board. In my sketchbook I fully sketched out my body and used paints to color code what color I needed everything to be.
After doing so, I began laying out my color palette with all the colors I really needed. On another page in my sketchbook I began to really practice the gradient of Robert Erod's painting before I actually completed it on my canvas board. After, I then practiced the guts because painting human guts was more challenging than I thought it'd be so I practiced in my sketchbook first.
Process
To start off with, I began by painting the gradient of Robert Erod's acrylic painting onto my canvas board and kind of figuring out what I needed to paint first, and last. I knew I needed to do the background first, so I started off by doing that. On the right I had placed out the colors that I would need for my color palette and began by mixing those colors together to really get the same colors as Robert Erod.
After doing the background, I then began to sketch myself onto the canvas. While doing so, I was laying out what I needed to paint first and section everything out. When sketching myself onto the canvas, I realized I needed to paint my skin first, my dress and then my hair and lastly were the guts since they are supposed to be prominent message in my painting so I needed those to stand out the most.
After my process of painting my body I finished it all of by painting the guts and in all honesty, those took my the longest in the painting because I was trying to make it as vibrant and as realistic as possible so It can really stand out from the black, white and blue.
Critique
Similarities:
Some similarities between my painting and my inspirations is the fact that the overall "gut spilling" is very similar to the album cover of Bring Me The Horizon. The same pose and same dress color. Another similarity is the background. I was able to really make the gradient background color be highly similar to Famous When Dead's painting and I think that has to be the greater similarity between my painting and his.
Some similarities between my painting and my inspirations is the fact that the overall "gut spilling" is very similar to the album cover of Bring Me The Horizon. The same pose and same dress color. Another similarity is the background. I was able to really make the gradient background color be highly similar to Famous When Dead's painting and I think that has to be the greater similarity between my painting and his.
Differences:
Some differences between my piece and my inspirations are mainly the painting of the guts. Although I did try my best to make it as realistic as possible, it wasn't exactly all that realistic. Including the fact that the girl in the album cover; "Stephanie Byrd" doesn't have her face covered like I do and in my painting I have myself more personalized-wearing a necklace I always wear which is Guadalupe "The Virgin Mary."
Reflection
Overall, my choice was extremely fun to make in my opinion. It was something I truly enjoyed and I didn't have any rules of having to make a specific thing with specific rules. I was able to freely make whatever I really wanted to which made me extremely inspired to start working on this project almost immediately. I really enjoy the projects where I'm able to have fun with it and do artworks freely without any rules and specifics. Although it was fun, and enjoyable, it still made me emotional because of the meaning behind my art piece. While making the piece, I was really thinking about the meaning of it and I think remembering the meaning behind my piece made me even more motivated to work on it because I really want my audience to understand that they are not alone and that they way they are feeling, other people feel too. While in a dark mindset people (myself included) tend to believe that they are alone and they are the ONLY one's feeling the negative emotions they're feeling even though it's false. This piece also really helped me get my emotions out and feel almost a sense of understanding.
ACT Connections:
1) Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork? The effect of my inspirations, primarily the Bring Me The Horizon album cover is clearly effected in my art piece and is really evident.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration? I feel as though all of my inspirations would highly love my art piece because they have the same meaning as I do.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration? I have noticed that many artists who have created very well and pretty artwork aren't that famous, I wish all artists could be famous because all artwork is amazing.
4) What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research? More about self identity, anxiety and depression are the main core themes around my artwork.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research? I inferred when beginning my project and looking for inspirations that I wouldn't make my project good enough will all of my inspirations combined together onto my canvas board.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration? I feel as though all of my inspirations would highly love my art piece because they have the same meaning as I do.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration? I have noticed that many artists who have created very well and pretty artwork aren't that famous, I wish all artists could be famous because all artwork is amazing.
4) What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research? More about self identity, anxiety and depression are the main core themes around my artwork.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research? I inferred when beginning my project and looking for inspirations that I wouldn't make my project good enough will all of my inspirations combined together onto my canvas board.
MLA Citations
“Famous When Dead.” Famouswhendead.com, famouswhendead.com/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2023.
“Bring Me the Horizon • Suicide Season.” Вrιng Мe Тнe Нorιzon, www.bmthofficial.com/.
“Modern Blue Mood Mid Century Modern after Rothko Painting.” Saatchi Art, saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Modern-Blue-Mood-Mid-Century-Modern-after-Rothko/299791/9307873/view. Accessed 13 Feb. 2023.
“Bring Me the Horizon • Suicide Season.” Вrιng Мe Тнe Нorιzon, www.bmthofficial.com/.
“Modern Blue Mood Mid Century Modern after Rothko Painting.” Saatchi Art, saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Modern-Blue-Mood-Mid-Century-Modern-after-Rothko/299791/9307873/view. Accessed 13 Feb. 2023.
Feb. 2023