Relationship Paintings: Spring 2006

During the spring of 2006, I was simultaneously working on two bodies of work. The first body of work contains the oil pastel drawings/paintings on wood that I displayed in my previous post. The second body of work was darker than the first, both literally and figuratively.

Through these pieces I explore my relationships with others. These pieces attempt to voice what I cannot articulate in words: the sadness I feel as a relationship comes to a close; the complex feelings I harbor towards my own family; the sadness I experienced at my grandmother's death. My feelings are not always pretty, in fact, they are often dark and disturbing. This body of work accepts these feelings as valid; I do not mask my thoughts in pleasant colors or imagery. My palette is black and white, as the only instruments I use are charcoal, gesso and graphite.

This body of work is an interesting blend of different mediums. They blur the line between painting and drawing, and they also my first attempt at working from photographs. While I usually work from life, I had no way to access the faces of those are far away or deceased. I hope to continue this body of work this fall when I am in New York.

---

AriTodd

AriTodd, 2006, graphite, charcoal on canvas, 60" x 60"

Charcoal and Pastel: Spring 2006

From June 2005 to June 2006 I worked as an intern for the Dartmouth Studio Art Department. The internship was a great experience and I particularly enjoyed working in the classroom with Dartmouth professors and visiting artists. During the initial months of year as an intern, I floundered around a bit, trying to figure out what kind of art I wanted to make.

Halfway through the academic year I developed a passion for Greek mosaics and other ancient depictions of horses. The Alexander Mosaic of Pompeii (now in Naples) still resonates with me.

In the spring of 2006, I was still using charcoal and oil pastels in my pieces, but the subject matter had somewhat changed. I returned to self portraiture after a year of hiatus from the subject (I had gotten somewhat burnt out from my senior seminar thesis). I also turned to my older pieces for inspiration: I chopped up the wooden pieces into smaller "canvases", which I in turn coated with oil pastel reproductions of Philip Guston, Fra Angelico (inspired by Enrico Riley's painting 1 assignment), self-portraits and rather expressive collages. Enjoy!

Self Portrait Graphite, 2006

graphite on canvas, 24" x 24"

Dartmouth Senior Seminar: 2005

While a student at Dartmouth College, I majored in Studio Art and minored in Art History. During my senior year (2004-2005) as a Studio Art Major, I concentrated on painting but also incorporated aspects of collage, drawing and sculpture into my work. My early pieces explore the interaction among oil paint, paper, wood, gesso, nails, glue, trash and found objects. As the year progressed, I continued to use a variety of materials in my paintings while limiting the subject matter to self-portraits.

Stage 1: CollageIn the winter of 2005 I experimented with collage. I used trash, found objects, photographs, paper, wood and scraps from other paintings to create my pieces. The primary objective of these pieces was an exploration of materials. I wanted to express myself without limitations: I did not narrow my subject matter.

Images, 2005
paper, glue, trash, 5" x 8"

Italy Series: Summer 2004

I made these pieces the Summer of 2004 while studying at the International School of Art in Montecastello di Vibio, Italy. At the school, I had the privelege of working with such great teachers as Ying Li, Martha Armstrong, Dan Gustin, Eric Holtzman and Richard Lytle. My subject matters of choice were the Umbria countryside, our wonderful model Andrea, my own self, and the backroads of Montecastello di Vibio.





sumi ink on paper, each 12" x 16"

Andrea Series (from left to right): Andrea and His Stool, Andrea Sweeps, Andrea with Hand Behind, Andrea Leans to Left, 2004,

Dartmouth Paintings and Drawings: 2002-03

Emily, 2003, oil paint on canvas, 48" x 48"

Horses and More: Winter 2006

During the winter of 2006, I turned to the Greeks for artistic inspiration. The Alexander Mosaic particularly caught my attention. I first saw this mosiac in the Museo Archiologico in Naples. Even then I was struck by the emotion, the absolute horror expressed in the horses' faces. Many of my works from this period are reflections on these horses. I also played around with pastels, my new favorite medium, and picked up images from other Greek artwork.

Screaming Horse, 2006, oil pastel and oil paint on canvas, 11" x 11"

A Picture of Yours Truly: Dartmouth 2004-06

I don't know what's up with my profile editor so I'm just going to post here for now. Soon I'll be showing my pieces, but it's 4:25 AM and I'm kind of tired.

Nathan Oliviera - Head of Man

I really love this painting "Head of Man" by Nathan Oliviera. It blurs the boundaries among drawing, painting and sculpture. Ghostly and beautiful.