Project Five - Suffocating
Title : Suffocating
Medium : acrylic paint on mdf board Size : 2 ft x 2 ft Date : November 2022 (i need to take a better final image) Exhibition Text :
Inspired by the work of Valeria Duca, I created this painting to show how anxiety often manifests in ways that feel suffocating and stressful. Oftentimes, the root of anxiety comes from illogical places, things that would normally be viewed as calming or peaceful. This is represented through the use of flowers seemingly "drowning" the subject, inspired by Duca's use of similar imagery.
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Inspiration :
This piece was a part of a portfolio class at MIAD, and we were given a prompt to include a list of items throughout the painting. These items were a distinct phobia, two different light sources, a large plant, something with a shell, and a piece of fabric. I thought a lot about what I wanted the painting to depict, and I ended up wanting to create something surrounding the phobia, specifically claustrophobia. In my personal experience, a lot of my anxiety and stress feels like I'm stuck in a tight space that I can't escape, similar to claustrophobia, and I wanted to depict this in my work. I then went looking for an artist I could use as inspiration, and landed upon the painter Valeria Duca, specifically her paintings "Overwhelmed" and "Overwhelmed II." In both of these paintings, the main subject is surrounded by and being overtaken by flowers while sitting and laying in a tight space. I really loved this imagery, and it would also check off the large plant requirement if I altered a couple things in my work. I was really drawn to the colors as well, as the figures and background consist of fairly basic colors and clothing, while the flowers were more bright and colorful. To me, this represented the way something beautiful can also be the cause of pain, whether mental or physical. Overall, I hope my own piece can replicate this line between
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Planning :
To begin planning, I first had to come up with an idea for the environment and how each of the required elements would be present. I worked through a couple options, such as my bedroom or a closet like in Duca's work, but I eventually landed on a bathroom. This was something out of my comfort zone, but I thought it would portray my message pretty well. Personally, taking baths has always been an uncomfortable experience, as it is something that is meant to feel calming but for me feels restricting, as there isn't a lot of space to move around. I used this idea as a starting point, and continued to work on it. I wanted to create a bathroom environment that clearly is meant to feel calming, but fill it with plants and flowers almost suffocating the figure, as Duca shows in her work. I played around with a couple different perspectives and designs before eventually landing on the final one. I took a picture of my physical sketches and imported them into procreate to use the perspective tool. This helped me to make sure the perspective of the piece was as accurate as possible, and that everything made sense in relation to each other. I then took a reference photo, as I didn't want to attempt to freehand the pose. I set up my phone on a tripod in my bathroom and took a video of me sitting in the bathtub, trying out multiple poses in an attempt to get one that would work out. I find that using a video leads to more dynamic posing, and it is in general just a much faster process. I went through the frames of my video until I found one that worked out well, and traced it into the sketch of the bathroom. Since I wouldn't be working from a direct photo reference, I also wanted to make a color mock up of the piece, so I colored in the sketch roughly and filled in the lighting. Since I needed two light sources, I made sure to contrast the warm and cool light, and made the shadows a purple hue. After this final sketch and color mock up was done, I moved on to the final painting.
Process :
To begin the process of this painting, I first had to prep my surface and sketch everything out. I took a 2 ft x 2 ft piece of mdf board, and applied a layer of gesso on top. I allowed this to dry, and then added a second layer. After this had also dried, I attempted to sand off the brush stroke texture, but was not very successful. I ended up not minding very much though, as the mdf board was very smooth underneath, so I didn't have to worry about any other texture coming through like I would with canvas or wood, and the gesso was still relatively smooth, despite the subtle brushstrokes. Once the board was all prepped, I drew a grid on top using a watercolor pencil. I overlayed a grid on my final sketch as well, and transferred the sketch from my digital drawing onto the mdf board. I went over with a wash of light blue, but found that because I used a watercolor pencil, the sketch smeared everywhere. It was still visible enough to see the sketch however, so I was able to continue on from there.
After transferring the sketch, I moved onto the background. I wasn't exactly sure how to go about painting the tiles, so I started by painting the entire wall area one color, adjusting the hues and values based on the lighting. I then added a light sketch of where the tiles would end up with the perspective. I then used a lighter color to add in each of the tiles. I started with a lighter, cooler toned color towards the window, and slowly transitioned into a darker purple color. This technique helped to create the effect of tiling, as the darker original coat of paint showed through in the cracks to give a more 3D effect. I went back and forth throughout the painting, but I did end up using this same technique for the wall on the left side, as well as the shelf in the wall.
Next, I moved onto the sink and bathtub, the more "ceramic" pieces of furniture. I first used a mid tone, somewhat light purple hued gray, and built upon the different values, adding highlights and shading when necessary. This section also included candles as my second light source, so I made sure to paint in the candles in order to get an idea of where the light would be coming from. I looked at the way my own bathtub reflected light, and tried my best to replicate that in the painting, as the more reflective, shiny surface react to light much differently than, say, wooden furniture. I ended up having to rework these sections a couple different times, as it was difficult to get a smooth blend that would occur on this type of surface.
While working on the sink and bathtub, I also worked on the wooden furniture, which is the shelves and side table. To do this, I mixed a purplish-brown color, and used this as the mid tone. I followed similar steps to when was working on the sink and bathtub, following where the lighting and shadows were coming from. I also began to add more of the candles, houseplants, and other clutter, which effected where shading would go. Since the goal of this painting was to look overwhelmingly full, I continued to add clutter until the surfaces looked how I wanted them. I also made sure to map out where each of the candles would be, as these were a main light source. As opposed to the moonlight from the window, which is only in one spot, the candles are scattered throughout the painting, So I made sure to establish early on in each section where they would go. For the things surrounding the candles, I used bright, warm lighting to depict the fire lighting the space. For the light from the window, I used a contrasting cool blue, doing the same thing. I eventually found that colored pencils were another great way to emphasis this lighting, as I would be able to keep consistent colors that would get muddy or blend too much with the paint. It also added a little bit of texture, which I like, since it draws to views to look at each spot with exaggerated lighting.
After finishing up the furniture, I started working back and forth between floral elements and the figure. For the flowers, I began in the sink, lightly sketching out the placement of each one. I wanted them to reflect actual flowers, so I looked up and saved a lot of reference photos that I used throughout the process. Doing this helped me to create much more realistic looking flowers, as I was able to look at them from different angles and understand how different light would effect the form, as opposed to making it up in my mind or basing it off memory. Doing the flowers was by far the longest part of the process, as it was a lot of very small, very detailed elements that covered a large space. I also decided to include ivy vines coming in through cracks in the pipes, sink, and bathtub, just to give more of that sense of deterioration. While painting the flowers, I also referenced Duca's work a lot, paying attention to how she painted them on such a large scale, balancing a busy composition without it being too distracting.
After these initial flowers, I moved onto the figure. Since I didn't have a reference picture for the lighting of the skin and hair, I relied heavily on the color mock-up that I created, as well as my ability to understand the human form and how light reflects off of skin. Since it is a much more complex form then furniture or plants, I worked very slowly in layers to build up the features, almost "sculpting" them in through light and shadow. I did this throughout the figure, again being conscious of where the light sources were coming from, until I eventually had an outcome I was happy with.
At this point, all I really had left to do was add the rest of the floral elements, which again took up the majority of the time. I started with the bathtub, repeating the same process of sketching and rendering based off of reference photos, keeping the candles and moonlight in mind. I wanted to fill the entire space, so I also painted in plants climbing the walls, similar to how vines and flowers climb up the side of old houses.
Experimentation :
The main experimentation that I did was for the lighting. I wanted the lighting to be exaggerated from what it would be realistically, but not so exaggerated that it was overbearing. Originally, I had mixed in the paint for the light with the color of the background, painting them on the same layer. While this helped the lighting to blend with the background, it had a tendency to become muddy and brown, especially with the candles as the yellow light and purple shadows were complimentary. Since this didn't end up working, I repainted the background and tried something new. I waited for the background sections to dry, and then used a wash of yellow/orange to show the illumination. This worked much better, and it gave more of a warm glow as opposed to a muddy, lighter section. I kept this for a while, but as I continued to add onto the entire piece, I felt like it was still underwhelming. I didn't think paint would be able to give me the bright, yet transparent effect, so I tried layering colored pencils. This combo of the paint wash and colored pencil worked super well, and it ended up being the technique I used throughout the piece. I found that the pencil allowed for more precise placement of the colors, and I was able the add small highlight details to the sections that the light was shining on.
Critique :
Similarities May Include :
Both works include flowers as a main focal point. Through the use of these flowers and plant life, a very cramped, overwhelming, and claustrophobic scene is portrayed. Doing this allows the viewer to feel the same sense of tightness, and understand the feelings that the artist is trying to show. The also carry the same message of things that are often seen as beautiful and peaceful can also be a cause of distress in someone's life.
Both works include flowers as a main focal point. Through the use of these flowers and plant life, a very cramped, overwhelming, and claustrophobic scene is portrayed. Doing this allows the viewer to feel the same sense of tightness, and understand the feelings that the artist is trying to show. The also carry the same message of things that are often seen as beautiful and peaceful can also be a cause of distress in someone's life.
Differences May Include :
One of the main differences that stands out is the color palette. Duca uses a very neutral color palette, contrasted by brighter flowers. In my painting, I used a more colorful palette throughout the work, instead showing contrast through the different light sources.
One of the main differences that stands out is the color palette. Duca uses a very neutral color palette, contrasted by brighter flowers. In my painting, I used a more colorful palette throughout the work, instead showing contrast through the different light sources.
Reflection :
While I did end up really enjoying the process of this painting, it pushed me out of my comfort zone in more ways than one, especially with a lack of photo reference and dramatic lighting. I used the artist Valeria Duca, who used flowers as a way to depict feelings of stress and claustrophobia in her work. The biggest challenge I had, as stated before, was the fact that I didn't use a photo reference. Typically, I draw or paint straight from an image, only changing tiny details or elements. For this piece however, I chose to create my own environment and not rely on a preexisting space or picture. I used a lot of references complied together to create something completely new. After lots of planning sketches, I was able to create something that I was happy with, but it did take a lot of practice that I wouldn't normally have done had I worked directly from a photo. I think my favorite part of this project was creating and using the color palette. Though I struggled a little bit in the beginning to come up with something cohesive, once I did, I had a really fun time. The lighting was a new subject that I'd never really done before, and I enjoyed figuring out how it interacts with the environment around it. Another part that I enjoyed, but was greatly challenged by was the high level of detail in the floral elements. I wanted to make everything accurate to real life flowers and plants, but it ended up taking an extremely long time to achieve this due to the volume of flowers I had to paint. Overall though, I think it benefited me to take that time, as it portrays the feeling of claustrophobia and helps to meet all the criteria I was given.
ACT Questions :
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
My inspiration was Valeria Duca, who creates highly detailed paintings that use floral elements to portray feelings of discomfort. I wanted to replicate this to show a detailed, claustrophobic scene.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Sometimes the root of anxiety and stress is something that seems calming and peaceful on the outside.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
It can be difficult to reach out about mental health struggles when there is no apparent cause, and the stress can become suffocating and difficult to cope with.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
Anxiety is something that one often suffers alone, and it can be difficult to identify the cause due to a lack of seemingly "bad" things occurring.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Contrast between a neutral or muted color palette and a brighter, more colorful one can create very appealing atmosphere that draws the viewer to investigate more.
My inspiration was Valeria Duca, who creates highly detailed paintings that use floral elements to portray feelings of discomfort. I wanted to replicate this to show a detailed, claustrophobic scene.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Sometimes the root of anxiety and stress is something that seems calming and peaceful on the outside.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
It can be difficult to reach out about mental health struggles when there is no apparent cause, and the stress can become suffocating and difficult to cope with.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
Anxiety is something that one often suffers alone, and it can be difficult to identify the cause due to a lack of seemingly "bad" things occurring.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Contrast between a neutral or muted color palette and a brighter, more colorful one can create very appealing atmosphere that draws the viewer to investigate more.
Citations (in MLA Format)
Valeria Duca. (n.d.). Valeria Duca. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from http://www.valeriaduca.com/