Project #1: Old Work/New Ideas

Old Work

This is one of the drawings I created for my Junior IS last semester. It is part of a series entitled "Unsaid," in which I investigated the concept of story and storytelling. In creating this series, I examined the art of illustration, and looked at illustrators Chris van Allsburg and Shaun Tan, as well as contemporary artist Robyn O'Neil. I sought to create story through image alone, and in doing so explored the power of a single image to stir thought and emotion without the accompaniment of text. The images I created were isolated windows through which a fragment of story could be glimpsed. Neither a beginning nor an end was given, and thus the story was dependent upon the imagination of the viewer. Within these fragments, I sought to explore the idea of introspection, using perceived depth in space as character and setting solitary figures within empty rooms and landscapes. I wished to express these stories in a quiet way, and so made small, intimate pieces that required close viewing for their effects to be fully felt. Notions of loneliness, sadness, and nostalgia are suggested in each piece. I hoped to tell stories that resonated with the individual viewer and left space for contemplation. From here, I will be entering into Senior IS. I would like to continue working in this basic theme, of storytelling through image, but I want to switch from drawing to painting. I plan on working in acrylic, and of the images themselves, I think I will move away from depicting solitary figures and more toward groups of figures in space while still retaining the important role that space played in my Junior IS.

New Ideas

This is an illustration done by Arthur Rackham, a British illustrator of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, entitled A Fairy. Many of Rackham's other illustrations are for well-known literary works, such as those of Shakespeare and various fairy tales. He dealt often with such fantastical subjects as fairies, goblins, and mermaids. Rackham exhibits incredible detail within his work, which I would like to carry into my own. I enjoy finding little things within the illustrations that may escape notice at first glance, but that contribute to the work as a whole. I believe this pulls the viewer deeper into the image, forcing him or her to look closely and therefore form an intimate connection with it. Rackham's use of color also serves as an inspiration to me; his illustrations range from having a more muted palette to being quite colorful. There is something deep and haunting about Rackham's work, and this tone is clear in this Fairy example. Rackham's illustrations draw out a narrative, something that I find important in my own work. His way of telling story through image inspires me; within this Fairy image, there is a narrative being expressed, yet it is not quite clear what this narrative is, exactly. The viewer, then, must put together the pieces of the story provided and try to understand what story is being conveyed. One thing that I will do differently than Rackham is keep my own pieces apart from text; while many of his works are meant to literally "illustrate" a story told through words, I want my paintings to tell a story on their own.