Fall 2010 pt. 3 - Pastel Explosion!

I posted in an earlier entry that in Fall 2010 I would be doing a lot of pastel work for my independent study.  And that I did! Here are some things I created:

 (approx 30x40")

 (19x25")

 

 (19x25")

 (19x25")

 (19x25")

 (19x25")

 The theme I chose to do was "Dealing with Apathy".  It's a pretty universal feeling, apathy.  (or lack of feeling, heh.) 

The first piece has little symbols throughout to represent this state of mind - blinding light coming through the window, a clock with no hands, wallpaper peeling off the walls, a dead hummingbird, pictures and a frame face down. Hummingbirds represent optimism, celebration of life, and wonder.  In this piece, time doesn't matter, beauty doesn't matter, people (who would be in the photographs) don't matter.  The figure is aware of the state she is in; she can see that her hummingbird has died.

The second, with an eye reflecting a dead plant, was intended to represent apathy through the excess of oranges and yellows. When I think of apathy, I think of heat.  Intense heat and bright light to the point of nausea.  This pastel also indicates that apathy is a festering wound.. hence the fly and maggots.

The third pastel is a take on "stop and smell the roses".  The figure, however, is covering her face and turned away from the roses, metaphorically saying that she would rather stay too busy than be forced to slow down and face her surroundings.  The face mask in the background reinforces this.

The empty picnic table in the fourth pastel mainly symbolizes loneliness, or just being alone.  This can also be metaphorical because sometimes you are surrounded by people, well-meaning people even, and you can still feel very lonely in your own mind, whether because of insecurities, poor communication/misunderstandings, or some other reason. 

The fifth piece shows a room on fire - again, I associate apathy with extreme heat. The thermostat is as high as it goes, and the girl is unresponsive to the situation, tuning it out with music.  I meant this piece to be both literal and metaphorical, as the dorm room I was living in was often too hot and seemed to drain my energy quickly.

With the sixth pastel, my intent was to show an exhausted, disconnected, unsatisfied emotion through just a facial expression and colors.  The telephone wires are floating freely, not connected to the other end.  Can no one connect with me because I don't care, or do I not care because no can connect?

My last piece:

 

(30x40")

 This one finishes up the "Dealing with Apathy" series.. and focuses heavily on the "dealing" part.  It's kind of about re-realizing things that you've already learned - the hummingbird was never gone, it only needed to be resuscitated - things like the idea that happiness comes from within and can be attained even if no one around you is happy or understands things about you.  It might take time to fully bloom... but the sun will come up and the snow will melt.

It might also require some attention on making sure that sneaky cat from the first pastel doesn't puncture a little hummingbird lung again.

Thanks for reading/looking!

-Tasha

Pastels!

Although I don't mind if the summer goes on a little longer, I can't wait to do my pastels study in the fall! I'm fairly new to pastels, only first used them about a year ago, so I feel like there's still a lot to learn. Since then I've seen work from a lot of pastel artists that have made me want to get better. One artist's work - Marianna McDonald - I came across at a Lexington Gallery Hop, earlier this year, I think it was, and I just now found out she's actually from Lexington. I really like how a bunch of well-placed scribbles can turn into a beautiful landscape:






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Some people weren't able to be at my art show, so I might put up certain pieces on my blog from the art show, since they can't be seen very well in the pictures I posted of the gallery. And while I'm on the topic of pastels, I'll include this one which I did last fall/winter which I call Autumn Memories.



This is a self-portrait and has a lot of little things that have meaning to me. Some of the meanings I will leave ambiguous, but I would like to explain the symbols. The boots represent travel, which for me was going off to college. On the side is an ocarina for music which I felt was very significant to the time I am referencing. And the tin man is hiding in there behind me, because sometimes I don't have a heart, I am more insensitive than I should be, and that leads to my own demise. The bird I say is there for emotional support. He can fly (freedom) and is there to ensure me that soon I will be free from the emotional things holding me down. And he was right.


All of this is leading up to my newest pastel drawing that I finished today.





Meow.