These paintings are a series from my Fall 2008 Watercolor Studio I. The theme centers around the gay contemporary culture and the cultures of one's familiar home-life/up-bringing.
The first Piece is titled "Mending". It is an abstract piece that was inspired from a poem about watching the heart mend from failed relationships. (Details Included)
The second painting is titled "Prude." The piece focuses on uncomfortable feelings derived from talking about sex in groups of friends. The discomfort links to the way one is traditionally raised not to speak openly about sex in front of others. (Details Included)
The third piece is Untitled. It was an experimental piece created to practice my watercolor skills. (Details Included)
For my early field class we were required to create a tunnel book sculpture that reflected our experiences from in the field. I had chosen to do a performing arts piece, creating a video for the project. The following is the artist statement submitted with my work:
Welcome to the World
When reflecting in my journals about my field experiences my primary focus centered on my management of the students’ behavior. Of all the challenges an early field student faces with maintaining organization, having a strong basis of the lesson, projecting their voices, and performing as a professional, behavior management was by far the most difficult challenge.
During my teaching experience there were moments where I had to raise my voice to get the student’s attentions. Nothing makes me feel guiltier then when I feel I’ve lost my temper or have lacked compassion for others. Although these moments are not my preferred behavior management technique, at times they seemed necessary but it is not something I wish to continue practicing.
My tunnel book sculpture is a dramatized reenactment of some of my most important experiences and discoveries from the field. The film explores tunnel/portals representing the different dimensions of the student and teacher experiences of behavior challenges. Title pages appear throughout the film with insights into the experience. My tunnel book sculpture is a performance piece to demonstrate my beliefs and ideas about behavior management.
