series of seven

Now that I'm out of school and done with my BFA I can show you guys some other work I've been doing besides that for my BFA project! All while working on my big project I did have other classes I was doing work for. I was in Watermedia 4 with Marcus Vincent... and it was a little class with just four of us in there. I loved it. We mostly got together once a week and hung out (that is when I showed up)! Marcus was so understanding about my BFA taking over my life and let me turn things in whenever I finished. What a gem :)

Our final for that class was to do a series of seven. With this series he wanted us to find something to hook onto to and remember what we are about as an artist. To use what we were passionate about and have the work be about that. Having it be in a series makes it so you can explore your ideas throughout seven pieces, not just one. We got this at the very beginning of the semester... so we could really search, ponder, and pray about it... which for me meant I don't start it till the week before finals... bahaha.. aahhhh. I did have an idea of what I wanted to do.. but I didn't lock it down until that last week. 

My idea came from that book I've raved about on here, The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto. In it he takes photos of water crystals exposed to different words and circumstances. There is a series he did where he wrapped the cups containing the crystals with the word 'thank you' in 7 different languages and took pictures of the crystals. Each photo is a representation of 'thank you' in each language (below). So cool!! So seven thanks you's... series of seven.... it was meant to be. Plus it meant something to me cause I felt like it was my thank you to UVU and the experiences I had there.

Here is the page from the book with the photographs of each 'thank you' crystal (the japanese one had its own page).

As you can see each crystal forms uniquely and different than the one next to it.. but all are beautiful and have a sense of gratitude about them. I love it! So having each picture as a starting point for each of my pieces... I began to create.

I worked on each piece at the same time... so I didn't do them in any specific order. I would do a little on one and while that dried to a little on another. It was fun to jump around from piece to piece! It kept my marks fresh and my brain going!

Let's start off by showing you the Japenese 'thank you' piece. (below)

On the left is Emoto's photo of the crystal that formed with 'thank you' wrapped around it in Japanese, then on the right is my piece inspired by it. I love the rigid edges in the crystal and the green hues. I don't use a lot of green... so pulling out my gem green pastel and playing with it on there was fun! As you can see I didn't match colors or shapes perfect... thats why I say I used the reference photo as inspiration and not as a guide to copy. I wanted to make it my own while still giving a nod to Emoto's photo and the idea of it being about thanks.

Thank You (Japanese)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015

As I worked I kept my book open and continually glanced at it making sure that my pieces had the same energy as the crystals. That's how to crystals formed... through good energy. So to try and generate that same energy was a freaking challenge! Another challenge... I gave myself. Before I started these I challenged myself to NOT use collage... aahh! I collage on everything. I'm obsessed with it. I really don't know why I told myself I couldn't use it... I guess I thought I was being all cool and 'thinking outside the box'. I put way to much pressure on myself for this project when I only had a week to do it... haha.

While I was working one night Austin came in to check on me... and he caught me in a moment of frustration cause I was just pissed... haha. I felt like it wasn't working.. my idea was dumb.. I was dumb.. and my life was over... haha.. I go through these phases a lot. But he of course was bias and said I am amazing and I will make it work... while in my head all I could hear was 'bla bla bla'! But bless that boy he was right and I'm freaking awesome! hahahah.. I did end up pulling through and surprised myself with what I could do. With not being able to use collage I had to solve problems in a different manner which made me do things I normally would not have done. It was fun to see the outcome and see what I can do!

 

Thank You (English)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015

Thank You (Chinese)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015

Thank You (German)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015

Thank You (French)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015 

Thank You (Korean)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015

Thank You (Italian)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015

Doing these pieces sure gave me a lot of closure with my time at UVU coming to an end. It was good for my soul to be able to say thank you. Thank you to all the wonderful people that I met in the art program and my professors. Thank you for the support of my family and friends. Thank you to my Heavenly Father for putting me on this path to becoming an artist. Thank you to my incredible husband for being my biggest fan and punching bag when I'm frustrated ;)... and thank you to my little hands for showing me I can do things I never knew I could.

I have lost and found myself in art. I am forever grateful.