Printmaking is the art of carving. Your mind must work backwards to reach its goal of a suitable piece of art. You must first begin by choosing a photo that shows high definition between light and dark, lines and empty space. Then you must painstakingly go through the print making process until you have created the one singular perfect print. Unlike painting or drawing, once you have carved away a strip of block, there is no fixing it, no goingback, no mistakes, no regrets. This is how I have learned to live my life. No regrets.
Studing this art form so redily has helped me to teach others how to print. I have helped no only underclassmen, but fellow A.P Artists.
Creating art this way, for hours a day, for months at a time, changes your perception of the world around you. I have started carrying a camera around with me, noticing interesting facial structures, or perfect lighting situations.
My life now revolves around my art. As I have matured, it has along with me. I started off with simple lines and ideas, out-lining figures forgetting about depth and visual perception. As time has progressed my subjects became rounded and three dimentional, I grew daring with common features, and amplified them to the audience.
I have studied a subjet for so long I can now create several different renditions of the face. I have never appreciated the human form as I do now. Before taking A.P art, I would not like pieces based on people, now I envy the classical Greeks and their perfection of the art process. I have a greater "awe" moment when I step into a museum and see a painting of a woman staring into the distance. I note the perfect skin tone, the brush strokes, the understanding of human anatomy, and the time and effor the artists pu into this singular piece.
I plan to continue creating prints with a higher and higher rate of accuracy and detail. I plan to continue to put myself into my art. I plan to continue to study human structure until I can fully understand how to create man with nothing but my memory. And I plan to provide an "awe" moment for future generations to come.