….my Fantasy Art and You
I can’t believe that I actually got this done on time. I’m not sure if I’ve hit the mark or am completely off. I’ll find out in the next couple of days when I get my mark back.
Close-ups:
My artist statement:
Artist Statement
by
Carol Cormier
Assignment: Fantasy and You
Title: My Life
My art work consists of acrylic paint, India black ink and collage done on hot press watercolour paper, 140 in weight.
In this piece I am trying to create a series of images that convey the path my life has taken. The left side of the paper is backed in lighter colours of yellow and green, representing the the happier periods in my life while on the right side the mood is definitely more somber. The top half represents the first 20 years of my adult life and the bottom half is a portrayal of the last twenty years and the years yet to come.
I’ve always felt that throughout my life someone has been watching out for me, either physically or spiritually. My early life was filled with children and pets as I did a balancing act between work and home and trying to keep everyone else happy.
At forty I experienced a very dark period in my life when death took my mother from us at the age of 61. For the next five years the ‘tentacles’ of death continued to take away very close friends and family members.
The bottom right hand corner represents the cancer that my husband has been fighting with for the last 3 years. The arrows represent the chemo trying to fight off the bad cells and the tiger jumping through the TV represents my husband’s remission.
I used to look for quick fixes for my weight problem for most of my life, hence the pill bottle. It’s only been in the last year that I’ve discovered that a healthy me involves healthy eating and exercise and a healthy mind is nourished with books and on-line courses. I’ve never been happier or healthier and I look forward to exploring the world, now and in the future.
Your input is always appreciated.
Cheers!
Mama Cormier 
I give you an A.
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You’re too kind. I’m not sure my professor will be as generous.
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OK. You asked me for feedback, so I am going to give it. By no means do you need to listen in any way, but I love when artists take the time to really tell it as they see it. It doesn’t mean it is true, it is just another persons vantage point.
Before even reading the blog, I looked at your work. Without a doubt, the most gripping and eye catching area was the bottom right for me. It also happens to be the area that is less collaged. I then read your blog and was amazed at one, the story of your life and two the symbolism and careful thought of those collaged items. What I would like to see from you, is more of the right side and less of the left. I feel like there is way more emotion and visual interest from the area that came from your own mind and hand. Trust yourself more and put that side out there for the world to see.
The roots, the arrows, the male and female symbols. They are so strong. I just want to stare into your psyche without even knowing you. Instead of seeing a cut out of a woman exercising I would rather you paint an area about how exercise makes you feel. That may just be a color or a symbol of movement that only your soul knows. To me, I would learn more about you and feel more from your work.
I am barely holding together my 365 challenge, so I do not really have the spare time to browse too many blogs. You sent me a message to look and that is exactly what I need! Send me a message about something you want me to look at, and I am there! Please send me a message about your next work and can you direct me to the post that would tell me what “First Art Assignment” means? Is it a personal goal, a class? I’d like to know more about why it is titled “first”. I love first…first means there will be more!!!
Keep up the amazing work. It sounds like your soul has a lot it would like to express. It is very difficult to “put yourself out there” from an ego-perspective. I don’t know which is greater the fear of others critique, or the fear of one’s own! But once you let go and put it out there regardless, you leave room for a LOT OF UNKNOWN! I want to see the unknown!
Thanks for making me a part of your journey! -M
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Thanks for the critique. This assignment is part of a university course I’m taking on-line from Coursera (www.coursera.org). It’s an entry level course in art and part of it involves being critiqued by other students. I will be paired up with one or two students in the next day or two and they will look at my work and I get to check out theirs. I appreciate your honesty and agree that the right side is more interesting. I enrolled late and really only had one day to complete this piece from conception to final product. Even after I was ‘finished’ I wanted to add more detail. Carol
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Hi Carol,
I love art and feel very privlidged that you shared your work as well as the meaning for you. It is very deep and spiritual. I love the medium of art and writing to express ourselves. What a great way to grow and learn about ourselves. My first impression of your piece, “How interesting”. The eye caught my eye then the top right corner. Almost like ‘beauty in the eye of the beholder’. The piece really drew me in to depths of your life and wonderment. thank you for sharing! Trish your cottage friend.
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Thank you Trish. I really appreciate you taking the time to comment on my work. I actually enjoyed writing the artist statement more than I thought I would. I’ve never approached art like this before and it really opens new doors for me.
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Wow, the story of your life!
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There’s so much more to my life but it’s funny how the sadness in my life was so much easier to paint and I think was the more interesting part of my piece.
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I think we tell people about the good things, the things we’ve enjoyed. Whereas many of our feelings about the sad stuff get bottled up, hidden deep down somewhere. Painting or writing lets these repressed feelings and emotions come to the surface, often I find when least expected, and gives added depth to what we do. Just my thoughts anyway.
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