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Abigail Behrens

Franklin

Advanced Art Major

19 December 2018

Research Paper

“There is a reason we don’t see the world in black and white.” -- Celerie Kemble

(Picard.)

From a very young age, in any endeavor I have pursued, I have been told to always keep

an end goal in mind. My goal, in doing my senior mastery, is to advance my artistic abilities and

to learn to face my fears and difficulties with a confident mind so that I know that my artwork

has been done with the utmost passion and hard work spilled into it. If nothing else, I will know I

have given each piece my strongest effort. Through my senior mastery, I will use color theory as

my primary tool to make my artwork both eye catching and meaningful. Many mediums are

employed and interwoven within my artwork. Because I have every medium that I could

possibly imagine available to me, this plethora of options makes it difficult sometimes to choose

which type of paint or pencil should be utilized with a certain piece. The wonders of the

outdoors, especially scenes I have had personal connections to, have always inspired me in my

artwork. The people who have touched me throughout my life in one way or another, have also

had vast influences on my pieces as well. I use various principles to create each painting,

whether it be movement, proportion, or unity. For most of my portraiture pieces, I use a realistic

painting style, while my landscapes tend to be more stylized. I gather many of my techniques

from an assortment of influential artists, such as Norman Rockwell, Tracy Turner, Fred Hatt, and
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Claude Monet. In creating my senior mastery, I have learned how to make adaptations and to be

conscious of my time so that all of my deadlines are met, and I am not overwhelmed. I have also

pushed myself in my techniques and use of color, so that I can grow as an artist.

The backbone of my work is color. I have always found color theory to be so fascinating,

because it can be used to determine so many different aspects of a single work of art. It is also

crucial to how a painting will be perceived by an audience. The juxtaposition of complimentary

colors can entice viewers or distract from the main focus of a work. Analogous colors have the

ability to make a work calm and serene, or dull and boring.

The basic color wheel has been around for a very long time. Sir Isaac Newton developed

the first model of the color wheel in the mid 1600s. The color wheel is broken into three

different groups of colors: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The primary colors are red, yellow,

and blue. These colors can not be formed by a combination of any other colors. They are also the

bases of all other colors in the wheel. When paired in different combinations, they form the

secondary colors: purple, orange, and green. Each of these six colors can have a warm or cool

shade, creating the tertiary colors. For example, eggplants tend to have a cooler toned purple,

where a sunset may have a warmer tone of purple. All of this is key to the composition of a

painting. If colors are not harmonious with one another, this can disrupt the balance of a piece

and can bore or distract the viewer. “At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that

the viewer is not engaged. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so

chaotic that the viewer can't stand to look at it”(Basic). This is critical for my senior mastery

because I have to keep my use of color in mind for each piece, so that it does not appear to be

chaotic to my audience. Another ability of color theory is that it can be used to depict various
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emotions. For example, blue tones can give a sad feeling to a piece, or can make the scene

tranquil, while the color red can show anger, love, or violence. I use this to my advantage,

especially within my portraits, to show emotions in the faces of my models. My goal is to create

artwork that draws people in, so that they can relate it to their own lives. If I do not do my part

with my use of color, my intended effect for a piece may be completely misconstrued. “When we

observe and use the descriptive characteristics of color as composing tools, we discover a world

of opportunity for creative and fresh uses of color” (Mize).

Apart from color, style is also a central part of my body of works. I tend to make the

majority of my landscape pieces very bright and stylized. I took a trip to New Mexico this past

summer, which really influenced my outlook on art. Ever since I took art lessons at the age of

eight, I have been taught to paint in a realistic style. However, once I experienced the bright

colors and abstractions of the artwork in New Mexico, it inspired me to really explore the use of

stronger colors in my own works. Many of the landscapes I paint are scenes from New Mexico.

Within them, I embed side profiles of humans within the sky rays, and pair complementary

colors against one another to create contrast and excitement. These pieces are where I can truly

express my appreciation for nature and branch out of my typically realistic comfort zone. In

contrast, my portraiture pieces tend to be of a more realistic style. However, I also saturate my

colors within the portraits so that the figures stand out against the background. The

implementation of complementary colors allows for a more intriguing work of art. My goal in

my portraiture pieces is to make my audience ask questions about the stories behind each

person’s life. I want them to evaluate the emotions in my pieces, which are formed with both

color and facial expressions. The majority of the people that I paint have influenced my life in
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some way. This pushes me to make my pieces more meaningful by channelling my love and

appreciation for each person within the emotions and colors I use for the painting.

The most important part of a piece of artwork is the process that leads up to the final

product. There are various methods by which an artist can begin a work. I always gesso my

canvas so that it has more of a grip on the paint. The next part is where the creativity can begin--

determining the placement, balance, and movement of the subjects to create a complete

composition. Ideas can flow quite rapidly, which creates a need for photo references and

sketches so that designs can be laid out clearly and precisely to ensure the best quality in the final

product. While creating these sketches, keeping perspective, light direction, and proportion is of

the greatest priority. “Once we have decided on a subject that moves us enough to want to put it

down on paper, observation of light is our most important consideration” (Wade). When painting

realistically, it is necessary to shade the parts of objects where light would not be seen, based on

the light source, to create shadows and give them a three dimensional look. Once a light source is

determined and the sketches have been placed onto the canvas or material of choice, I apply an

underpainting. An underpainting is just what it sounds like- the first layer of paint which serves

as a base for the subsequent colors that will be placed on top of it. Continual layers of paint are

applied until I am satisfied with the saturation of colors and total look of the composition.

All artists have a source of inspiration for their works. Four artists that have inspired me

are Norman Rockwell, Fred Hatt, Claude Monet, and Tracy Turner. In the fifth grade, I was

introduced by my former art teacher to the work of Norman Rockwell. Rockwell was born in

New York City in 1894, and knew by the age of fourteen that he wanted to be an artist. He went

on to create covers for ​The Saturday Evening Post​ for 47 years. His pieces depicted images of
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people throughout hard times in history, such as famous court case ​Brown vs. Board of

Education.​ He was able to entice people with his detailed expressions. I fell in love with those

colors and expressions he implemented into his paintings. “Though Rockwell is often regarded

for paintings that addressed serious issues occurring at the moment of their creation, a great deal

of Rockwell’s oeuvre is reflective of his sense of humor and natural playfulness” (Art). This

realistic style in combination with exaggerated emotions really draws the audience in and brings

light to difficult situations. When planning my artwork, I too, would like for my pieces to look

like I had fun while creating them. I want my audience to be drawn in and for my art to transport

them to another time in their life where they can reminisce. I also strive for my expressions to be

clear and enticing in my portraits. I hope to continue to grow as an artist as well so that I can

implement as much detail as Rockwell did.

Another inspiration for my portraiture is Fred Hatt. “Born in 1958, Fred Hatt is an artist

working in figurative drawing and painting, body art, and performance, exploring light,

movement, energy, and the emergence of beauty from chaos” (Hatt). Although he is more of a

colored pencil artist, his use of color and movement in the faces he draws is absolutely exquisite.

He juxtaposes cool and warm colors together with line work to create the contours of the face.

The use of colors creates so much more dimension in the skin tones than if he had simply used a

fleshy tone. These bright colors really capture the expressions and undertones of color in the

skin. Because the photo references I use for my portraits are taken with normal colored skin

tones, looking at Hatt’s work helps me to see how I can implement complementary and

analogous colors to provide undertones in the skin, which really brightens up the composition.
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As for my landscapes, my first inspiration is Claude Monet. Monet was born November

14, 1840, in Paris, France. His work dealt more with light and form, rather than realism. Because

of this, his work gave a title to the art movement called “impressionism.” I have always grown

up seeing and hearing about Monet’s landscape pieces, but it wasn’t until I had the unique

experience to travel to France and visit his house and gardens that I truly had an appreciation for

them. Seeing the water lily gardens and beautiful flowers that were stretched across his entire

property showed me how an artist can take his surroundings and create something beautiful. "For

me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment;

but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life - the light and the air which vary continually. For

me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere which gives subjects their true value (Monet)." Even

though he saw those flowers every single day, he never became bored of them, and continued to

construct the most beautiful artwork. His paintings are about the feelings and emotions he felt

while immersing himself within the nature instead of just painting his exact view of his

surroundings. His light and airy brush strokes highlight the impressionistic view he had on the

world. This is my goal with my own landscapes. Where others may see a simple sunset, I see so

much more. Combining my emotions in that moment with my surroundings gives me the

opportunity to incorporate brilliant colors and a tremendous amount of movement.

My final inspiration for my landscape paintings is Tracy Turner. She grew up in the

western part of the country, which inspired her use of vibrant colors and surrealistic movement.

She reflects her appreciation for the beautiful landscapes around her into the pieces she creates.

Her use of nontraditional colors for highlights and shadows has inspired me to emphasize color

in my artwork. I really admire her ability to capture the charm of the land formations, while still
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keeping some detail. I actually had the opportunity to view her work in person while in New

Mexico, and it took my breath away. I wish to use my senior mastery as a platform to delve

much more into the elegance of color.

Although this is not an artist, my main source of inspiration comes from my family. They

have taught me more about life than I could even imagine was possible. Whether it was my dad,

taking me to concerts and art shows as a little girl, or my mom encouraging me to take art

lessons, all of it has had such a large impact on my life. Without the ability to create, I would be

lost, and I owe it to my family for always pushing me and having faith in my talents and abilities.

They see in me what I cannot see in myself.

Art is a way to take all the hardships, fun times, and personal experiences I have ever

had, and combine them to create something beautiful. It is where I can release my emotions on a

paper or canvas. Having the ability to take personal events and feelings and transform them in

this way is like a superpower. Others may not know you have it, but once it has been released to

the public, they are amazed by what you can do. Painting has gotten me through some very tough

times in my life, and these instances make my artwork shine so much brighter, because I know

everything that went into them.

Creating my senior mastery has allowed me to explore new mediums and techniques,

while enhancing the ones I already knew. I have also been introduced to less realistic styles of

painting, which has enabled my personal style to grow and develop.Most importantly, I have

learned so much more about art elements and principles, artists, color, and techniques. The art

major has increased the size of my artistic tool kit, and for that, I am forever grateful. I am

looking forward to creating even more complex and interesting works so that I can evolve in my
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painting abilities and establish a substantial and professional body of work to present at my

mastery.
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“Claude Monet.” ​Biography.com​, A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017,

www.biography.com/people/claude-monet-9411771.

Logic, Color. “Basic Color Theory.” ​Blue,​

www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory.

Mize, Dianne. “The Role of Color in Art (or, How to Use Color to Enhance a Painting).” ​Almost
Nothing: A Look at Minimalist Art​, 30 Dec. 2008,
emptyeasel.com/2008/12/30/the-role-of-color-in-art-how-to-use-color-to-enhance-painting/.

“Perceptive Observation and Light.” ​Painting More than the Eye Can See,​ by Robert A. Wade,
North Light, 1990, pp. 2–3.

Picard, Caroline. “15 Quotes That Celebrate Every Color in the Rainbow.” ​House Beautiful​,
House Beautiful, 2 Feb. 2018,
www.housebeautiful.com/room-decorating/colors/g15954761/color-quotes/.

“The Art of Norman Rockwell - Norman Rockwell Museum - The Home for American
Illustration.” ​Norman Rockwell Museum,​ www.nrm.org/collections-2/art-norman-rockwell/.

“The World's Leading Online Art Gallery.” ​Saatchi Art​, www.saatchiart.com/fredhatt.