Self PortraitSize: 3 ft by 3ft
Medium: acrylic paint on canvas Date of Completion: May 2, 2024 Exhibition Text: I wanted to represent more than my appearance through this self portrait, which is why it is not closely focused on the face like a typical self portrait. I thought that a fun way to implement lots of detail and images of things that represent my internal dialogue would be billboards, and there is no better location for this than Times Square. I created contrast by placing myself on a horse that is completely out of its element. I was inspired by Mark Maggiori's art because of his old western focus. |
Artistic InpsirationFor this painting, I wanted to connect to one of my comparative study artists, and chose Mark Maggiori because he often paints the human figure in a natural landscape. I have used his artwork as inspiration for lots of my portfolio because of his connection to my theme, Exploration of the Natural World. He focuses heavily on photorealistic detail, and often exaggerates colors and clouds to be larger than life.
I chose the untitled painting to the right because it is a square aspect ratio, and the figure is framed in a way that is effective for a portrait. Instead of the time period accurate location in the original painting, I wanted to juxtapose the antique cowboy with a modern environment. I used the image below as my guide for the background. This painting also pays homage to my illustration project from last semester. In a way I combined the two paintings into one to accomplish the same theme.
PlanningAt first, I wanted to use a different Maggiori painting as a reference, and used Photopea to create a reference with my face instead, as shown on the right. Later I decided against it because it was essentially the same as the original painting but with my face instead.
After selecting a different reference, I created this image using Photopea again. I liked this one much better because it is framed nicely by the buildings in the background, and it is a cool detail to have modern cars driving past a stationary horse.
Then, I translated this image onto my canvas by projecting it, and tracing the details in the projection. This process was difficult because my canvas was tightly stretched but still bent under slight pressure from my hand, which distorted the projected image every time I tried to trace it.
ProcessThe first paint I put on the canvas was the night sky and moon. I didn't want the black sky to be a complete void so I mixed Mars Black with a small amount of grey. Then, I painted the torso all green. Using a mix of grey and green I went back over it and added details. I painted the face, but was unsatisfied with the result so I covered it with a skin tone blank slate so that I could revisit it later.
I finished the horse by adding a saddle and hooves. For the saddle, I copied the reference and created multiple layers. The first uses blue, grey, and white. The second layer has thinner stripes of blue, yellow, brown, and red. The third layer uses only brown because it is the main saddle. Then, I mixed brown and a small amount of orange to add leather reins.
I added another less detailed taxi cab and moved on to the street. For this, I had to use lots of grey, so I did not mix it into a different color otherwise I would spend ages mixing. Instead, I mixed other shades to use as cracks in the street, painted lines, and shadows.
Next, I started the skyline by painting two generic billboards on the middle building. I did not put any distinct brands on these because I wanted to save those for the larger billboards. I painted the office building by mixing brown and grey, and then adding dark grey windows. I also scattered some yellow windows in there so that the city would look lived in instead of empty. I also replaced words on a neon sign from the original image with my name as a unique way to sign the painting.
I finished off the right side of the painting with some more billboards with simple designs and a bare facade of a group of stores. Above the stores I added signs with generic symbols like "Food" or a small burger. In the center, I added a large sign that says "World Famous" with a globe, because it connects the consumerism aspects of Times Square with my theme of exploration of the natural world.
I saved the face till the final step, and used a small round brush to add these details. I used brown, green and red, then added slightly darker skin tone for shadows around the edges of the face.
ExperimentationThroughout this painting, I used cardboard sheets as my palate because I could dispose of them when they became full. I probably used more paint on these palates than the painting itself. Although I was not very efficient with my use of paint, it was beneficial because I experimented a great deal to find colors I preferred, as you can see in the image to the right. For example, by counting spots on the palates I used at least 15 different shades of grey, four types of yellow, eight browns, and countless other colors. I had a large collection of acrylic paints that allowed me to create countless mixtures to find the perfect hue.
CritiqueMy artwork is similar to Mark Maggiori's in my use of detail. I tried to implement every detail found in the man and horse, and took the same level of detail into the background. This meant that it was a very ambitious painting, but I finished it in two weeks. They are also similar in aspect ratio because his is equally tall as it is wide. They use the element of space similarly because my figure occupies the same amount of space as his.
My artwork differs from my artistic inspiration in the background. I wanted to contrast his in multiple ways, including nature/urban and day/night. The bright lights of the city billboards contrast the colors of his dirt ground and mountains. They are also different in medium, because he uses oil paint while I used acrylic. ReflectionOverall, I am very satisfied with the final product of this painting. It was a very enjoyable process from start to finish because I got to stretch the canvas, meaning the entire product was my creation! The 3 foot scale meant that I was able to add lots of detail with little finesse, which caused my concept to be lots of work. This painting relates to my inspiration because I modeled the main figure after it, but the rest including the face were my creation. If I were to change anything, I would have started with the face since I left little time for it at the end. I could not experiment with it much so the end result differs somewhat from my real face. I think it looks much more like my same-aged cousin.
Bibliography |
Next, I used black and brown to recreate the horse. I found it was difficult to create the shadows and shiny spots at first, but I focused on the main colors first and then added the details second.
Next, I used a neutral grey for the shadow and painted two cars on the left. For the yellow taxi, I started with a base layer of a yellow orange mix and then added white lines over the top to show its movement. I also blurred parts with detail into grey smudges to help show that it is moving. The van however, is parked on the side so I did not use the same technique for it.
I added a modern looking car on the right to add to the overall modern scene. I am proud of this part because I think I accurately represented the reflections and relationship with light that it would have in real life.
I painted some blank billboards to fill space and then added a small design that resembles the American flag. I added this because it represents the role of politics in consumerism. I also put a large billboard that resembles the Coca-Cola advertisements, because I wanted a recognizable brand without adding real brand names. The sign below it says "World Retail" because I wanted to add something with a brand name, while relating to my theme. It sounded nice because it is a plausible brand name while not having correlation to real corporations.
On the left side, I first added a office building with simple black and white window designs on the edge. Next to it I added a sign that I based on the "Radio City" sign shown to the left. Then, I painted brands that I thought had nice logos that would add to the painting including Pepsi, BMW, and Adidas. I also painted generic billboards for sunglasses and fragrance brands. The rest of the wall of billboards I made signs with simple designs or bare facades.
ACT QuestionsClearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
I used his horse and man as models for mine, and I copied his except for the face. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration? I chose Mark Maggiori because of his correlation to my theme. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration? My painting represents themes of consumerism, modernity, and contrast by representing an out of place object in a modern environment. What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?. Exploration of the Natural World |
- “Original Paintings.” Mark Maggiori, www.markmaggiori.com/paintings. Accessed 5 May 2024.
- “Discover.” New Mexico Museum of Art, 9 Nov. 2023, www.nmartmuseum.org/discover/.
- “Mark Maggiori Biography.” Medicine Man Gallery, www.medicinemangallery.com/blogs/biographies/mark-maggiori-biography. Accessed 5 May 2024.