Fixed up the body and contour! I'm thinking about adding actual glitter to the highlight but I'm not 100% sold on it …. However, I started adding the facial hair and I couldn't be happier! This is shaping up to be a pretty good painting !

Conquered my fears and started painting! I mess up the body a little bit :(  , but I can always go over it more. I'm pretty happy with this so far, so that's good! I'm thinking about adding a squiggly background design (as per usual, but maybe with some fun materials?). I also need to fix the highlights and add some contours. 

I finally got all of my needed supplies from Plaza! Some replacement paint, glitter, sculpey, and a wood canvas. I think I'm ditching the idea of cellophane for now just because I have no idea how I'd go about it. I also did my sketch and I. Am. In. Love! (So in love that I'm kind of scared to start painting … oof.)

Thus so far I have two ideas for summer projects- both acrylic paintings. I'm leaning towards the first- the drag queen one- because it's more on theme for me AND I have more planning. I'm going to plaza sometime this week to gather supplies for this- wood board, acrylic paint, sculpey, and cellophane (?). I'm really excited to get crackin' on this new project, and I've already started on a small personal painting (which I self-plugged in down below. I won't be turning this in, but it is progress of sorts). 

He's ready for firing! I removed him from his armature today (as seen in that picture of me) and shaped up his body a bit. A chunk of his back fell off, but it's not detrimental- I'll just cover it with a feather boa or something! Overall, I'm really happy with how my endeavors with sculpture are going!

Yoshimoto Nara, born in Japan in 1959, is best known for his paintings of children and animals that don both a tone of sweetness but also sinisterness. The influences of manga, anime, and popular culture are extremely prevalent in his works, however Nara himself has never actually drawn inspiration from manga. Rather, his influences are philosophical, being religion and spiritualism, not manga. He primarily uses elements like bold lines, primary colors, and empty backgrounds. The characters he paints are often pictured with text, knives, plants, or cardboard boxes. Nara is seen as one of the founding fathers of the Japanese Neo-Pop movement- where his works suggest an identity struggle caused by war and rapid modernization.

A Quick CV of Nara:

• 1985: BFA from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music
• 1987: MFA from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music
• 1988-1993: Studied at Kunstakademie Dusseldorf, Germany (German State Academy of Arts)
• 1993: Set up a studio in Köln
• 1993: Completed Meisterschüler from A.R. Penk 
• 1998: Visiting professor at the University of California at Los Angeles
• 2000: Lives and works in Tochigi, Japan
• His art is currently be held at the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Museum of Art in Osaka, and the Rubell Family Collection in Miami, among others

His Career Achievements:

• Blue Chip (Blue chip artists are icons whose works’ value have been decided through consistent years of sales, and confirmed at auction while early blue chip artists are emerging talents who show signs of exponential resale growth.)
• ​Group show at a major institution- Museum of Modern Art and Aliens Center for Contemporary Art
• ​Reviewed by major art publications- frieze, Artforum International Magazine, Art in America, ArtAsia Pacific, Sculpture Magazine 
• Included in a major biennial- Bangkok Art Biennale 

​
The reason why I chose to delve deep into the life of Nara is because I think his art is reflective of my own in some ways. He focuses on one style- a sort of simplistic, doodle-esque style- that I think would lend itself particularly well to my work. His stylistic characters are something I'd love to explore, and his sculptural works are very intriguing as well (as I'm experimenting with sculpture for the first time, I figured it would be good to discover an artist well versed in paint and sculpture). Overall, while I'm not crazy about all of Nara's works, I think drawing inspiration from him isn't a bad idea for the sake of my own artistic future. 

Some of Nara's works (left to right):
Aomori-ken Dog Piggy Bank (blue), c. 2016, PVC
Cup Kid, c. 1998, Color xerox on paper
Fuckin' Politics…, c. 2003, Offset print & paper
Untitled (Portrait Drawing), c. 2000, colored pencil & paper
​
​
​
​ 

So, uh, this fella has completely shifted directions. Initially it was going to be a project about my struggles with anxiety, and then I made him… and he's so loveably ugly? Like endearing? Like Jeff Goldblum in the Fly ugly (spoiler, i love him). Anyways, I have new content! I won't disclose it just yet but it involves obtaining a wig, a bra, and a feather boa. I'm very very excited. I also just need to add a few details and then this sucker is ready to be fired! 

We visited the Try-me Gallery in Richmond a while ago (April 7, and I'm just writing about it now oops!) Honestly I wasn't too keen on the location but that also might be a general disdain for Main St. The inside of it was super neat though. It was super cool to see so much contemporary art presented in such a small area! The idea that the Try-me is an "urban restoration project" is also super radical. The historical location is very awesome as well! Richmond it the epitome of Virginia history, and to preserve an old soda bottling company is both very commendable and very aesthetically pleasing in terms of the architectural layout of the space- that is, very open. Although the lack of security guards worries me (and no, that one sculpture does not count), I'm surprised that the Try-me Gallery is as unbothered by criminals as it is. I wish I could recall of the insurance stuff on the paintings (but honestly, I know it's important but so boring!), but it seems like they have everything on lockdown. I also wasn't too keen on not having any labels on the works. Conceptually that was really cool, but I feel like our tour guide/art connoisseur lacked all of the information. But, I don't think I'd be able to remember every singly art tidbit either, so it's understandable … I just wasn't a fan. But overall, the concept of a private collection presented as a gallery is super cool, and I'm really glad we got to visit because seeing the one lizard-wearing-roller-skates-and-smoking-on-a-dance-floor sculpture was possibly the most monumental moment of my life. (For real, I think that lizard made me believe in God). 

Here's the Try-me Gallery website link! (it's super duper cool stuff!)
www.try-me.org

​

My new project is a sculptural bust! I haven't done sculpture- let alone clay- in a hot while so I'm really anxious to see how this turns out!? I have my visions, but I highly doubt they'll be fulfilled since I'm such a novice in this medium … but oh well, I'm just excited to be doing something new. Today I started my armature, I still need to add shoulders and a chest to this hunk though. 

Here's a higher quality, better image of the final product! Again, I'm super duper happy with it!