Update

In my art class we've been studying Robert Rauschenberg and I'm not sure how my work will turn out. My theme for it is "Dreams & The Subconscious". In the year 12 art class (one year above us), 4 or 5 students out of about a dozen are doing Rauschenberg inspired pieces for their HSC works. I'm so scared about the HSC, but I'm planning what I'm going to do. Probably definitely not Rauschenberg. Just two and a half more terms til it all begins! But there's time to discuss that later.

Everything I'm working on at home is in a stagnant state. I haven't been painting much, or drawing. But then again I've had alot of assignment work lately. I've applied to become involved in a community art project in my area called "Art Across the Ages" which will be collabarative work between High School-aged students and retirees (Over 55's). I'd love to be a part of this as it's very open-ended and they provide all the supplies.

I will post some photos of works in progress soon, both pieces created at home and school.

Prima Ballerina

"Prima Ballerina", mixed media on canvas, 14 x 18"

Another canvas for the Tender Age series. This one explores the psychological disorders that can be attributed to the stimuli of childhood. I'd estimate most women (including myself), or their daughters, have attended dance classes as a child, and so I believe the ballet slipper is a good symbol for this concept. To be the prettiest dancer, to be the most graceful and most of all to make Mummy and Daddy proud. Let's not forget comparing our immature bodies to that of our tiny, dancing peers.

Tattoo face girl is surrounded by the roots of negativity, and they've already begun planting themselves in her head as the slipper's ribbons curl around her legs, drawing her into a life of misery. I think it's pretty easy to understand.

The usual mediums; artist ink, black acrylic paint and graphite pencils. Hoorah!

Good Old Visual Arts :)

"The Duchess", mixed media on cardboard

Ah, the first Visual Arts topic/project of the term. Basically we were instructed to collect items over a weekend, just like Andy Warhol, and thus create a mixed media work out of our garbage. I collected all sorts of goodies I found around our house and swapped little pieces from my own pile of crap with friends.

I didn't want to make the sort of pretty things most of the other students in the class were bound to create. Pretty isn't for me. I have a male teacher this year, and being the sort of "artiste" I am, it's a little troubling describing the meaning of my works to him. This is about the sex trade, how violated women go on to sell themselves just so they can survive day to day. The title, The Duchess, comes from finding a ticket to the film of the same name starring Kiera Knightley and Ralph Fiennes which was released in 2008.

I got 10/10, and the same score for a graphite drawing of it which I may post later.

A run through of the crap on this piece of cardboard:
Acrylic paint, a random doll I found at an op-shop (thrift store) I found about a month ago, a piece of foam from a box of soft pastels, an old tape I used to interview a veterinarian for an assignment last year, a holiday photograph, a poem from an old Moon Diary, a paper heart I peeled off the box of a Christmas present, a Joker card, an empty packet of pills, the wrapper for dissolvable paracetamol tablets, Band-Aid packaging, movie ticket, an magazine advertisement for the TV show True Blood, cut-out pictures of meat from Woolworths weekly special brochures, a brochure about customer privacy from FoneZone, and an old makeup sponge. And glue.

Sorry for the crappy photo as per usual. I think I need a better camera. I'm also studying 'Photography, Video and Digital Imaging' in addition to Visual Arts and so I think that'd be quite beneficial. Might post some of my new photos up too :)