After visiting the Walker I found that the work Heavy Sleepers by Zhao Liang captivated my interest. This work depicted the living conditions of workers in China during a construction project. Looking at this piece it gives the viewer a sense of what real life in this community by the size of the projections and the representation created with layout of the gallery space. The impact of this artwork became significant due to the scale and the panning movement of the camera. Another aspect that evoked emotion was the element of relatable objects to real life. Every object conveyed a personable quality, which made this artwork grasp the viewer emotionally. This artwork impacts me significantly, creating a sense of empathy for what some people must endure through life.

Reflection

After these first weeks of class I have found myself gradually gaining back my skills that seemed to be sub-par. For me, my interest has been growing at an exponential rate, but I feel as though my drawing progress has not stayed level with my interest. I do truly believe in the process and procedure that accompanies the class and the drawing methods. Deconstructing the human body is essential for a real understanding. I am a curious person by nature and I always want to know how a thing or object works along with all of its components that make it function properly. By building the model it captivates my attention, not only when I am building it but also when I move and/or exercise. I believe that understanding the human body can make so many other areas of life seem simple, meaning that concepts of human development and function are very sophisticated. A body is relatable to other areas of life as well, such as an organization. A human body in most cases is the perfect organized unit. The body contains so many different systems that work in perfect unison with little wasted space. This is incredible to me and asks me the question of how can something work so perfectly without conscious considered concentrated thought. So to me these past few weeks have made sense about education and art. The basis of a society should be understood; I mean, others and I should understand ourselves (human form) first of all. To draw a human body is the most challenging subject in my mind.

My shell that I have been given to draw is a pleuroploca gigantea, or more commonly known as the horse conch. This shell is found in Florida and is the home to a specific type of sea snail. This shell species is the largest gastropod in waters of the USA. The shell is somewhat fusiform, meaning it tapers at both ends. This shell can form as large as 24 inches long. The body of the snail can retreat into the shell being completely covered for up to three months. The color of the shell changes depending on the age of the shell. The young shell has a bright orange color and as it becomes older it changes into an grayish brownish with a salmon orange color. According to Amanda Miller on the Encyclopedia of Life, "It has ten whorls, and its shoulders bear large, low nodules. The operculum is a leathery brown color, the aperture is orange, and the animal itself is brick red in color." This gives a great physcial description of the shell in a clear concise manner describing the large knobby protrusions. Looking at this subject matter it creates a very interesting interaction for an artist with the detail and perfection created in nature.

Reflection

So far in this course I have been very satisfied with the relationship between anatomy and drawing. This becomes vital to the learning process, especially for understanding my own body better. I take part in bodybuilding and rugby, both very physically demanding sports that make me take my body into consideration. For these reasons I am very interested in anatomy and the human form. Now in this life drawing class I can really relate to the subject and way the body is constructed in real life as well as paper. The idea of starting from the spine and working outward is very crucial to understand body position. I have realized that a solid foundation of learning is key to success, whether its sports or artwork, repetition and practice are key elements. So these exercises that I have completed in class are only tuning my skills better and better.

About Me

I'm from the Milwaukee area, originally attending MIAD, now I am at UW Stout enjoying my time. My major is Art Education with a concentration in Drawing. I am excited for this semester to improve my observation skills. This semester will be interesting to see the difference between the life drawing I have done at an Art school and now at Stout.

Blind Contour

concentrated controlled feeling