It has been quite the semester. It is crazy how much you learn about yourself each semester. Bailey took a 2D art class in preparation for an Art Ed degree, but is now officially switching to Marketing and Political Science My plan is still the same, to emphasize in Ceramics for my Art Ed training, but Art History, despite all the memorizing, is actually my favorite. So I added it as a minor!
I've tried a lot of new things this semester. I've been pretty surprised at my decency in oil painting. I've liked oil painting well enough, but I don't think I have the patience to pursue it in my own time. My drawing by observation has improved this semester, and I feel like I'm competent at it. Although I don't like it at all!
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| Sorry bad pictures. Just trying to find pictures of my art on my phone. |
What was most challenging for me was my watercolor class. I'm so used to being fairly decent at everything I work hard on, but I just can't seem to grasp the secrets of watercolor! Right when I felt on the verge of a breakthrough, classes ended. I spent hundreds on materials though, so I probably shouldn't give up yet despite the stress it induces.
Ceramics went okay. I feel like the semester just wasn't long enough, because by the time I warmed up to the wheel we had about a week left for wet clay. But I produced some stuff I'm proud of and was able to experiment with glazes which I love!
I also tried a new kind of clay (Black Mountain) and though it was hard to work with, it looks so gorgeously earthy after it is glazed! I'll definitely buy another bag next fall. It is sad to think that I won't be going back to the ceramics studio until next fall, but I'm hoping to take a workshop or two in Jingdezhen (the Porcelain Capitol of the world!!) in the spring.
Though some were harder than others, I always had fun in 4/5 of my classes (I really could not enjoy drawing)! I made friends this semester, which is something I didn't bother doing last year. It will be nice to go back to school to familiar faces!
Overall I am really enjoying working on my Art Education degree. It is funny how I fell right into the perfect program for me, without ever planning on going into art. Of course, I wanted to be an artist when I was a kid, but by high school the only art I did was photography. So I entered the program focusing on photography, but after taking all of the other required classes, I don't want anything to do with picture taking! There's just something about oil painting while listening to the voice students next door singing opera, or sitting at the wheel covered in mud, surrounded by the smell of dirt (my favorite smell). And who would have guessed I'd be so interested in Art History... I spent the semester in an upper division Italian Renaissance class, and now I'm dying to go to Italy!
Of course, school is on hold for now as we will be in China next spring. But I definitely don't dread going back!
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