WEEK 1: JANUARY 21 - 24
Introduction Presentation
WEEK 2: JANUARY 27 - 31
Semester Proposal and Calendar
WEEK 3: FEBRUARY 3 - 7
This week I have spent several hours in the studio working on these two large paintings. The first two images are of a piece I have been working on since the start of the semester, and is about 70% done. I have some more focal points to paint in, then it's just resolving the overall painting. The other two images are of a piece I started on 2/4, and is about 50% done. I have to paint in smaller details and darken the edges, then the last detail is taking a window screen material and creating a halftone effect. I am feeling more confident in my workflow and ability to build on certain techniques.
WEEK 4: FEBRUARY 10 - 14
This week I've spent more time collecting and curating reference images. I have also been spending more time researching CMYK and Riso printing in order to start utilizing the techniques in my work. I am at a point where I need to start actually experimenting with these techniques. Other than doing research, I have finished my first painting of the semester! It took me 2.5/ 3 weeks of consistent work to finish it. I am hoping that moving forward my works take a maximum of 1.5 - 2.5 weeks a piece to complete. I have also revised my calendar to hopefully make 14 collective artworks by the end of the semester, instead of my proposed 8. Moving forward, I hope to work on 2 - 3 paintings at once, utilizing different sizes.
WEEK 5: FEBRUARY 17 - 21
Affinity Artist Research
Libby Barbee
Barbee is a collage and print based artist working in Denver, Colorado. Her colorful collages and interactive sculptures address the construction of our landscapes and the frontier myth of the American West, with a nuanced attention to the psychological and cultural implications of a place. She is fascinated by the human ability both to manipulate and be manipulated by an environment.
She has been an artist I have been looking at for the last few months. Her collage landscapes especially catch my eye and makes me wonder how color and shape can rebuild familiar landsapes. I am awed at her use of color, and how she utilizes bright, vibrant colors without distracting from the overall landscape. Her work also makes me reconsider my thoughts about collage and it's significance within painting.
"The figures quickly fell away in my work, and the landscape became the central actor."
Emma Webster
Webster is a painter based in Los Angeles, California. Her paintings teleport viewers into the otherworldly. The places she depicts, convincing and hallucinatory, merge spatial expectations with mystifying fantasy. She creates landscapes through a collage of recognizable forms, to build ethereal dreamscapes. Her paintings forge new relationships between the artist and the artwork, artwork and the viewer, and between humans and their surroundings.
Her imaginitive and inventive landscapes which she builds in VR, then paints are mesmerizing and eye catching. Her paintings are of fake landscapes, inspired by real landscapes, and brought to life from her knowledge of lighting and color. I hope to use her process to supply my own references in the future and add another controlled level of distortion within my work.
“Working from within the still-life is more akin to how we go about the world. There can be no ‘outside.’”
Jason Anderson
Anderson is a full-time artist based in Dorset, UK. His use of color combined with his distinct impasto strokes builds texturally complex landscapes, complimented by a simplistic composition. His eye-catching art is inspired by the varied landscape of his coastal surroundings and his experience as a stained glass artist. To create his paintings he only uses a palette knife, a process inspired by the Impressionist movement.
Throughout the years, I have stumbled upon his various works and have been drawn in by his use of color, light, and space. His paintings have this distinct source of light that seems to emminate from beneath the canvas. Moving forward, I hope to do more research on his practice and utilize his skill to recreate my own process of light and life within a painting.
"I’ve found that if the colors and tone are right, the form isn’t that important."
Darren Waterston
Waterston is an abstract painter who lives in Kinderhook, New York. Within his works he always adds an art historic reference or motif. Within his work his subject matter is mostly of the sublime or of the fantastical or surreal. As an artist he says it's his role to continue the narrative others who have come before him have carved. He says most of his paintings are a psychological response to those he admires, that while making his work he 'dances with ghosts'.
His work and process inspires me to think about my landscapes on another level. Not just what they are and how it looks, but how landscapes are transformative yet static. He talks about past art and artists in a psychological way; how the mind reads a painting, how color and motifs trigger certain emotions, and how humans have always had a complex relationship with our surroundings.
"Always take the long view of your life and career and try to ride the ups and downs with grace and humour."
Zoe Walsh
Walsh is a painter living in Washington, D.C. Their technicolor paintings vibrate between formal abstraction and figurative landscape. They use figures from their source materials, and arranges them using a 3D digital software. These compositions are arranged into montages, combining disparate perspectives and moments over time into one layered plane. Their primary process in creating these paintings is by utilizing a silkscreen process to build layered pieces.
Their art resonates with me in a similar way that Anderson does. Their ability to capture light within their work astounds me and leaves me in awe. I am always thinking about their color matrix within each work, how they work together and how they fight. Looking at how they describe their process, I can directly see that within each aspect of their work and I can only hope I can acheive that harmony.
"I believe that the dialogue that art can generate is transformative"
Anastasia Trusova
Trusova is a painter based in Belgium. Her work combines techniques of painting and sculpture in a style she calls 'textured graphic impressionism'. Her subject matter is nature, specifically it's variability and nature. She uses a combination of palette knives and brushes to deftly layer acrylic paints into dreamy landscapes. Most of her paintings are made with a kaleidoscopic palette, where she considers the physics of color and how certain applications and contexts affect perceptions.
For me, her paintings showcase an excellent comprehension of color theory and her paintings retain a realistic sense of light and space even though her paintings retain a high level of saturation. I hope to use her process and art in the future to help me make color choices within my landscapes. I also hope to utilize more impasto techniques moving forward to elevate my surreal landscapes.
"For me art is freedom and experiment"
Jeremy Miranda
Miranda is an artist who lives in Southern Maine. His paitnings are about memory and the landscape, they are complex spatial environments that hover between interior and exterior worlds. He describes his process as a seasonal cycle. Where in spring/summer he does plein air pieces, absorbing every perspective he can, and in the fall/winter he focuses on making pieces that are based within his imagination.
He is an artist whom I feel I relate closest with in terms of subject matter. Non-figurative landscapes that are built on observation. I hope in the future to employ some plein air work, while also documenting the landscapes around me and building an archive of my own to utilize in colder months. His paintings have really shown me the advantage to painting from life, or my own images. I hope to also mimic his quick brushstrokes to bring an energy back to my paintings.
"An attempt to capture brief run-ins with the sublime that are buried in the everyday."
Benoit Paille
Paille is a photographer who lives a nomadic lifestyle in remote Quebec, Canada. His photos are taken from a primal, instantaneous state of living. Within his photos he uses colorful camera flashes to highlight and outline surreal landscapes. He cultivates a fondness for casual people and territory, kitsh landscapes, frontier and liminal space.
In recently finding this artist, I have yet to fully delve into their theology of their photo series and way of life which influences them. I feel my art and library of references can directly be influenced by his portfolio and what he has to say about being a revolutionist living in an over surveilanced, capitalistic realism society. I hope to analyze what they have to say about themselves and their art, how it is influenced and influences our society, and how his photographs adds to the modern dialog in the current art world.
"All of life in the societies in which modern conditions of production prevail appears as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation."
Week 6: FEBRUARY 24 - 28
Last week I was struggling to find energy to come into the studio to actively make paintings. I think this was aggravated by my continued struggle with defining what my art is right now, what I want it to represent and why. I took some time this week to sit down, write my thoughts down about my art currently, and make a cohesive statement that I felt accurately represented my thoughts and research at this stage of the semester. This helped me feel more confident about my art and making future choices about my series as a whole. Midterm critiques are coming up and this makes me more excited to find questions to ask about my work and where it is right now.
Week 7: March 3 - 7
This week has been another efficient studio week. I finished piece #3 (top right photo), although part of it to me still feels underdeveloped, so I am still figuring out what it needs to fully finish it. The piece on the bottom is one I just started, I had to build up the underlayers a bit, but I am wanting to experiment more with texture. Since the reference is a large hill with grass I don't want to or feel the need to paint each stroke so I am excited to see what happens with this piece. I have a few more references set up so I am hoping to start a few more pieces in the coming weeks.
Week 8: March 10 - 14
Artists Now: Hollis Hammonds
1) Describe Hollis Hammonds's body of work.
Hollis Hammonds's work consists of intricate drawings, installations, and mixed-media pieces created with ink, graphite, charcoal, and found objects like branches and chunks of concrete. While her art incorporates recognizable objects, she distorts and fragments them, prioritizing form, texture, and density over literal representation. This effect is further heightened by the way she exhibits her work. Whether two-dimensional or three-dimensional, her installations are often larger than life, towering over or enveloping viewers. This immersive scale overwhelms the senses both visually and physically, reinforcing the themes and intentions behind her work.
2) What are the goals of Hammonds's work? Why are they making this work?
Her work raises questions about the impermanence of material possessions, the fragility of memory, and the ways in which disasters shape personal and collective histories. She critiques excess and waste in society while also evoking a sense of beauty within ruin. Her work encourages viewers to reflect on their relationship with consumption, disaster, and the ephemeral nature of life.
3) How does Hammonds seem to be connecting with the audience? How does the artist relate their concerns to the viewer?
She connects with her audience by blending personal narrative with universal themes of loss, destruction, and consumer excess. Her drawings and installations pull viewers into chaotic, layered worlds filled with familiar objects, which she transforms to symbolize both excess and impermanence. This familiarity fosters an emotional connection between her and viewers, blurring the line between personal and collective memory while evoking nostalgia, discomfort, and reflection.
4) How has Hollis Hammond's work changed over time? Why has it changed?
Her work has evolved from personal narratives of loss, to broader critiques of consumer culture and environmental degradation. Initially focused on individual drawings of destruction and debris, her practice expanded to large-scale installations and mixed-media works. Over time, she has explored themes of waste and impermanence, using both personal memory and societal concerns to challenge perceptions of materialism and environmental collapse.
5) What in particular about this artist’s work resonates (or does not resonate) for you?
I admire how she utilizes the power of scale to enhance the meaning of her work without relying on added detail or material. I also appreciate her use of a monochrome or muted palette, which challenges viewers to engage more deeply in deciphering the contents of her pieces. This creates a similar experience to being in a space that is either destroyed or busy, where the environment itself demands a closer, more thoughtful inspection.
Critiques
On 3/11, I had my critique for Painting Studio. While it wasn’t as long as I had hoped, I received some valuable feedback that helped me clarify a few questions I had. Much of the critique focused on the level of abstraction in my work and whether it helps or hurts the pieces. Many agreed that my red stoplight painting, with its subtle detail, is my strongest work, even though I find it the most abstract. The consensus was that my pieces would benefit from adding more detail to the environments, helping them feel more dynamic and better convey my message. Moving forward, I plan to use this feedback to guide my reference choices and motivate me to explore new techniques that can add detail without slowing down my process.
Week 10 : March 24 - 28
Midterm Reflection and Portfolio
This semester, I’ve had a surge of creative energy. I’ve spent time sourcing images to develop my ideas and researching techniques and aesthetics to strengthen my paintings. I’ve genuinely enjoyed creating each piece and am learning to let the painting tell its own story, rather than forcing it to fit a narrative I had in mind. In both of my critiques, I’ve been surprised by how differently people interpret the work and the overarching narrative of the collection. I’m still unsure whether this means I’m successfully selecting scenes that invite interpretation—or missing the mark altogether. Thinking towards the end of the semester, my goal is to complete between 6 and 12 pieces—six larger works and at least six smaller, experimental ones. The smaller pieces will give me space to explore new materials and compositions, while allowing me to focus my time and energy on bringing as much detail and effort as possible to the larger paintings. Looking ahead to summer break, I’m excited to explore material processes and techniques through my internship with Shane McAdams. I also hope to continue expanding my thesis collection with works in more manageable sizes and mediums.
Week 11 : april 1 - 4
This week I have been focusing on two main paintings. One I intend to complete next week, and the other the week after. Outside of the sudio I have been working on expanding my reference archive for future works.
Week 12 : April 7 - 11
This week I finished my fourth painting! I am proud of how it turned out, it's my favorite one yet. I hope to finish my fifth painting next week. I have started the process of redoing another painting from this semester, the red stoplight one. I was unimpressed with it and though I could remake it with more luminosity. I know redoing it won't change my opinions on it too much, but I wanted to 'fix' it and revisit basic painting techniques like using linseed as a medium instead of gamsol. --__--
Week 13 : April 14 - 18
This week I finished my fifth painting! I am satisfied with the foregound elements, not as happy about the background but that's the consequences of painting. I think this piece is the strongest thematically in this series and has made me excited about adding other elements than telephone poles and roads. I hope to finish my third painting by week 15 so it is dry(ish) by crit.
Week 14 : April 21 - 25
Affinity Artist Research Part 2
Angie Renfro
Renfro is a painter who lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee. Her work focuses on everyday mundane objects such as telephone wires, industrial plants, and nature. In her work she is drawn to lonely landscapes, and she thinks about how we actually influence the landscapes we see today.
Looking at how Renfro breathes life into her paintings, it makes me want to take more time in set-up and prepping my canvases so my final painting can be more dynamic. Her use of bright underlayers, then layering paint and scraping it away builds realistic compositions with accents of paint.
Cristoph Niemann
Niemann is an illustrator who lives and works in Berlin, Germany. He has an endless bosy of work that is very diverse. His work has been featured in many magazines, and while his finalized designs are celebrated and published, his travel sketches are artowkr within themselves, as he perfectly captures the energy and moments which he sketches from.
What influences me most about him and his work is his work ethic and attitude around his work. While he has a ton of opportunities to make work for huge companies such as the New Yorker and Nat Geo, he refuses to only take on that work, emphasizing that daily sketches attribute largely to his practice and enhance his finalized works. This makes me think more about my practice, and how doing more studies, experiments, and small works will help me become a stronger artist.
July Guzman
Guzman is a painter from Northern California. His work focuses on the exploration of nature and light through landscapes that convey a sense of calm and contemplative solitude. His paintings feature vibrant color palettes and expressive brushstrokes.
Our paintings reflect one anothers, they share a similar style and I feel that I can learn brush techniques from looking at their works. They develop a lot of fun texture and depth from these expressive marks.
Jason Burgess
Burgess is an artist who lives and works in Los Angeles, California. His work is composed of blurry, nondescript backgrounds with expressive brushstrokes overlayed. The backgrounds depict a certain distant place, and uses the brushstrokes as an interfering present. His work is a visual description of memory, of past moments in a blur, and when we attempt to remember them in the future, its obstructed by what we remember in the present.
His work is extremely thought provoking. Although the idea seems simple, his technique and remix of previous works constantly builds upon the initial idea and amplifies it into it's own realm. Looking at his work makes me realize how different techniques can make extremely pronounced pieces and how depth is quickly built up by painting this way.
Annie Lapin
Lapin is an artist who lives and works in Los Angeles, California. She uses trompe l’oeil forms, photographic blur, and mark making to create dynamic and abstract landscape paintings. The realistic imagery accompanied by abstract forms creates these epic environmenst with insane compositions and color fields.
Researching how she chooses compositons, colors, and elements for each of her works would help inform my process before paint even touches the canvas. It could possibly help me make stronger works that fits in the many categories I want to bring into my work.
Week 15 : April 28 - May 2
This week I finished my last work of the semester. Though I am not proud of it, it allowed me to work on some paintings fundamentals that I have grown rusty of in the last year. It made me reconsider how I am mixing colors and utilizing mediums within my work, I was able to understand basic techniques and their utilization within painting.
Week 16 : May 5 - 9
Self Reflection
I have been comftorable with the work I've made this semester, but not excited. I want to continue to make work over the summer, thinking about composition and technique over color. The critiques I've had this last semester made me look at my process more critically, specifically how I alter color and what it does to the overall painting. I needed to make the work I made this semester, specifically for the feedback. It allowed me to continually evolve my core thesis, and think more critically about the art around me and how it can influence my own work.
Draft Artists Statement
My work is a critique of our modern landscape. With paintings depicting utility poles, streetlights, and roads, they are juxtaposed with natural elements, forming landscapes that, while visually striking, challenge traditional notions of what makes a landscape desirable. Rather than celebrating untouched nature, I am interested in the ways human-made structures impose their own aesthetic and meaning. Looking ahead, I aim to further develop this theme by continuing to create vast, empty spaces where these structures serve as the only focal points—highlighting their role in reshaping the natural world. When people see my work in a gallery, I want them to try to look past the wires, poles, and lights in an attempt to admire a landscape that no longer wholly exists. If they try to do this, I hope in that essence I can get my point across and reshape their constructs of the traditional landscape.
Fall 2025 proposal
Looking forward to the Fall semester, and the BFA show, I am excited to see how my work evolves in the future months. Thinking about how I would present my work for the show, I would like to have 3 - 4 large scale works (36" x 48"), and 6 - 8 smaller works to provide context to the larger ones. I have been thinking of making the larger works with glazing and impasto techniques, making first paintings, then second paintings on top to build depth and allow the viewer to move through the spaces I make.