Project by: Molly Voit (12th Grade)
Project Advisor: James French
Student(s)’s Advisor(s): Jacqueline Baker

I wanted to explore different techniques and methods of composing and crafting images in studio art. I enjoy making art and have had a lot of improvement in the past year in terms of my skills; I wanted to actively continue expanding my skill set. This project has helped me to feel more confident in my artistic abilities and with more tools to help me construct an interesting image.

Trimester 2 Reflection: 

Throughout the second trimester I have been focusing on composing an image to tell the story of Olga the Great. I have done countless rounds of thumbnails and have beeb studying the works of Hieronymus Bosch, medieval art, Breugel, tripics and altar pieces, Little Nemo in Slumberland, and Mike Minyola. Looking at these artists and different time periods in art history has helped me determine the best way to compose my image now. I am now preparing to paint my composed image on a big canvas (72×32), which I will complete during senior project.

Trimester 1 Reflection:

Throughout the first trimester, I have been working on composing images based in different themes. My first project was to compose an album cover for Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. I did many rounds of thumbnails with rough sketches of different ideas. To design an album cover I had to think about art that symbolically evokes emotions that the music does too. For example, I thought about how New York City, where Bob Dylan recorded, can reflect the heartbreaking lyrics. My next project was to compose various images based off a single word. Given the word “Fire,” I spent two weeks thumb-nailing. I tried to generate six vastly different ideas with three different compositions for each idea. This exercise was immensely helpful in strengthening my ability to come up with fundamentally different images from a single theme. One of my ideas that emerged from the Fire project was to create images about Olga of Kiev, a saint who sought revenge after the murder of her husband by burning villages to the ground. For the past two weeks, I’ve been exploring different images having to do with various aspects of Olga’s story. Most recently, I’ve been working on working symbolically instead of using heavy-handed imagery. I am continuing this into next trimester so I can keep exploring composition. I hope to use one of the images I design as inspiration for my next painting in Studio Art class.

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PROJECT PROPOSAL

Please write a description of the project you are proposing. Why do you want to take this on, and what do you hope to learn?

I want to do an honors project where I am introduced to different techniques and methods of composing and crafting images in studio art. I enjoy making art and have had a lot of improvement in the past year in terms of my skills; I want to actively continue expanding my skillset. I hope to end this project feeling more confident in my artistic abilities and with more tools to help me construct an interesting image.

Critical thinking, creativity, citizenship and courage are essential LREI learning values. Explain how you’ll draw on at least one of these values to complete your proposed project?

I will be drawing on both creativity and courage because I want to work on trusting my instincts when it comes to art and not working within my own judgments. Doing so takes courage because I have to be open to failing to risk my growth. I will also be using creativity because I will be utilizing techniques I am not familiar with, so have to think creatively to figure out how to use them successfully.

What is your proposed outcome? How will you be able to demonstrate successful completion of this Project? How do you plan to share your learnings with the larger LREI community (e.g., exhibit of work, poster of learnings, performance, etc.)?

I plan on demonstrating my completion of this project by compiling the work I complete over the trimester on to a poster with an explanation of my process.

Please provide a general outline that indicates your work plan for the trimester? What are some of the key project benchmarks (i.e., goals that will help to ensure that you finish the project)?

I hope to get drawings done for every week’s meeting.

When do you plan on meeting?
Monday lunch