Self-portrait Study. Pastel on paper, 2013
The Artist By Jessica McKinney
“Ideal” Tinted Graphite on Illustration board. 2013.
My earliest memories as a child revolve around creative play. Not only make believe with props, but discovery play using art supplies. I vividly recall sitting at our family’s dinner table drawing while my mother made playdough from scratch. I also remember freely expressing myself through watercolors, chalk, even mud. As a child I grew up believing all families had the same experiences with art as I did. It was not until I was older that I realized my knowledge regarding art was unique and my first influences came from my very own family. Growing up in a large family full of artists not only influenced my artistic style but exposed me to a way of life. I attribute a lot of my early artistic development to them, specifically my desire to play and experiment with new styles and mediums. While growing up, my aunts and uncles were developing their own artistic styles which was reflected in my own art. One uncle draws imaginary sci-fi characters and paints murals while another draws every birthday card I receive from him. My aunt creates stained glass pieces and my mother likes to draw with charcoal. Another uncle creates found object sculptures and my cousins dabble with special effects makeup. My family’s love for art passed on to me. However, I am the only one who pursued a career around my passion for art. I learned from them many ways to express myself in art as well as how to experiment with my own artistic style.
“The Storm”. Acrylic on Canvas. 2006
“Fun with Lines”. Marker. 2011
“Pop Art”. Pen and Ink. 2004
“Toucan”. Magazine Collage. 2004
My formal art education was beginning when I entered high school. My high school art teacher saw my passion and recognized my talent. She encouraged me to see art as a serious discipline and to continue growing as an artist. She provided opportunities for exploration and strongly encouraged me in my painting. This is when I realized art would be my future. At this stage of my personal development I was still experimenting with style and purpose. I was unaware of the basic elements and principles of art of and focused on creativity. Once I entered college my perspective changed.
“Me” Oil on Canvas. 1999 My favorite subject to use when I create a work of art is myself. To many this may seem egocentric, but I have found that I have a passion for portraiture and the most available model I know is myself. One of my first works of art in college titled “Me” shows an amateur approach to portraiture. “Me” was created in my first formal painting class with my favorite Professor, Carolynn Ferris. Ferris was herself a successful artist and recognized my artistic abilities. She encouraged my development in formal skill and technique. When I look at the piece today, I immediately think of Feldman (1987) who claims that in order for a person’s performance to improve there will be bouts of an evident decrease. “Me” is a well-executed but a stiff resemblance to how I looked as I gazed in the mirror while painting.
The portrait does not connect emotionally to the viewer. At the time, my artistic goal was to master my materials and show my skill with imitating nature. The execution of “Me” preserves a moment in my life yet lacks an important component needed in all art, creativity. I believe this piece is pivotal in my evolution as an artist. Once I realized I had mastered the ability to imitate life and my drawing skills were strong, I began to search for a more expressive artistic outlet. I wanted to show balance between creativity and skill. This can be seen in the work “I See You”.
“I See You” Graphite on Illustration Board. 2014 “I See You” is a self- portrait drawn with graphite on illustration board. I created the piece after I graduated from college. During this period, I began to turn to simplicity, choosing to use a single medium and a monochromatic color scheme. This work is slightly more expressive in the technique I used to execute the drawing. Although I have not abandoned realism, I have chosen to explore the use of expressive line to evoke a mood. The values are achieved with a variety of hatching marks creating an
implied texture. My face is slightly pointed down while my eyes are looking up at the viewer. The position is intended to make the viewer question if I have been interrupted. Am I looking up to see the cause of the disruption? I chose to represent my hair as unfinished. This choice was meant to add to the expressive nature of the work.
“Discombobulated”. Mixed-Media on Pastel paper. 2014 In contrast to the two self-portraits which still hold on to the qualities of realism, “Discombobulated” is a multi-medium self-portrait. As the title states, the portrait is created with a variety of mediums and misplaced facial features in the style of cubist artists. Pablo Picasso cited by Leeds, states “when I was the age of these children I could paint like Raphael. I have spent many years trying to draw like these children” (p. 100). As I examine my own artistic development I can appreciate this statement more. Art as discussed by Leeds (1978) is thought to develop from our desire to discover the world around us. If our desire is to understand how something looks, how something makes us feel or
think, a well-executed work of art will reflect our efforts. In “Discombobulated” I chose to express my personal feelings of being disconnected, never focusing on one issue at a time but devoting only small parts of myself to many issues simultaneously. I did not represent myself as I truly appear but as how I see myself emotionally. The different mediums present in the work are also representational of an ever changing self. I sliced my facial features into slivers and repositioned them. I chose to change the perspective by fragmenting my features into almost unrecognizable pieces of a whole. Dissanyake’s claims that “art, like play, takes the artist outside of himself and in a relationship with another” (p. 214). This is evident in my most recent self-portrait. While creating “Discombobulated” I tried to focus on questions the viewer may ask about my artistic choices as well as how the audience would feel while viewing the work. This method allowed me to focus on representing myself in an expressive playful manner rather than a realistic one. Kandinsky, cited by Leeds (1989) states, “in every child’s drawing, without exception, the inner sound of the object exposes itself spontaneously” (p. 100). This is a quality I believe artists work very hard not to lose. As an artist I have experienced failures and success. I strive for perfection and acute technical skill. More importantly, I discovered that precise drawing skill is not enough to create a great work of art. Having these qualities may add to the quality of my execution but alone it does not create a work of art. It is my belief that art is an expression of who we are, and by extension, our beliefs, ideas and emotions. If we are to truly create, we as artists must show ourselves through our work and leave photo realism to the camera.
“Self-portrait Montage�. Digital Images. 2014.
“Menu Design”. Graphic Design. 2003
“When I Die”. Gouache on watercolor paper. 2014
“Boots” CD Cover. 2003
References Dissanayake, E. (1974). A Hypothesis of the Evolution of Art from Play. Leonardo, 7(3), 211-217. doi:1. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1572893 doi:1 Feldman, D. (1987). Developmental Psychology and Art Education: Two Fields at the Crossroads. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 21(2), 243-259. doi:1. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3332753 doi:1 Leeds, J. (1989). The History of Attitudes toward Children's Art. Studies in Art Education, 30(2), 93-103. doi:1. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1320776 doi:1