Happenings in the studio

Just some quick updates on what's been happening in the studio. A couple more larger pieces painted on heavy wood panels have come to fruition. Also a few more smaller paintings all leaning toward my anxiety study, some more successful than others.

Thesis Work

I have been working on my thesis proposal, studying anxiety in its many forms and symptoms. Here are recent works.

Dark emotion

These are works and studies are related to a proposal to convey more raw emotion, directly focusing on anxiety and fear. These went in an interesting direction and I was working with new materials like plywood and plaster. I used the newspaper clippings to incorporate words that represent buzzing thoughts that grow and cause fear and frustration. These studies are just the beginning phase of this idea. 

Related work

These are all from the last few months. The portraits are all based on a proposal to study the face or figure and how it interacts with different backgrounds. Some of them ended up with a fairy tail kind of feeling. The small pieces with the sunglasses and mouth are based on commodity fetishism. 

Malicia Portrait

Malicia
14 x 18 inches
oil on canvas
Amber L Bailey



This is my final piece for the semester. It meets my proposal in that it ties in the portrait with a background. My initial thoughts about using different backgrounds was to achieve some sort of contrast to the face, as opposed to having color backgrounds. What I ended up achieving was also somewhat of a narrative. The backgrounds provide some context to the portrait. This portrait in particular has a dreamlike quality due to the childlike color choices and twinkling lights in the background. The bridge also has meaning, partially of romance but also of crossing over things in life. I like the direction my work has taken and would like to continue on a similar path using faces and figures with backgrounds, possibly starting to play more with different emotions and facial expressions. Screaming, smiling, laughing, are some of my ideas. This piece is 14" x 18" oil on canvas.

"Screw Monday, I'm Wearin' These Heels"

I did this to finish off paint left on my palette and ended up really loving it! I painted it on Sunday night, hence the title, and not wanting to say goodbye to the weekend. It reminds me so much of Warhol's shoes, and that was by accident. Just a fun little piece.

 

"Screw Monday, I'm Wearin' These Heels"

8"x 8"

oil on canvas

Amber L Bailey

"Dreams"

I am really excited about this one, and the potential of this idea for other paintings. I like the portrait with a background idea, particularly the city and the twinkly lights. This is Jennifer again, and I must say, a more successful portrait.

"Dreams"

16"x20"

oil on canvas

Amber L Bailey

It's interesting photographing an oval piece, you kind of have to include the surroundings to reveal its shape. I like the way the oval shape of the canvas creates a different experience/meaning for the piece. It has a fish eye, sort of looking-glass feeling to it that makes it "dreamy."