The central idea of my concentration is India. I chose to create pieces that are symbolic to me of the country, and tie into the memories I have associated with India, including my visits there and the ways my family has preserved our culture here. I included both widely known national symbols, as well as my own personal experiences and perceptions of India.
Over the course of this semester, I explored using many different media and techniques to gain familiarity with them and to see what each had to offer in terms of value, texture, and color, which helped me find what meshed best with my style and personal preferences. For example, in #3 I used an Tamil newspaper since my language is one of the ways we have preserved our culture. Many of my pieces are centrally focused on the subject such as #7 and #1 because in each, I wanted to draw attention to a particular aspect of India. #1 shows a clock that has hung since 1899 in our family home built by my great great grandfather, so I wanted it to be the focal point. However I do have pieces with varying perspectives, and pieces that go off the page to draw more interest, especially for pieces with repetition such as #8 that shows a banana blossom since my family has banana plantations, and #6 which shows a game like mancala that I use to play with family. In #10 I used visible brush strokes to create movement and interest in the piece while keeping the focus on the auto. The auto’s vibrant yellow color is also something I find iconic of India. Throughout my concentration I used these bright colors because India has a vibrant culture that I have happy memories of, which I felt could only be captured through this use of color.
Over the course of this semester, I explored using many different media and techniques to gain familiarity with them and to see what each had to offer in terms of value, texture, and color, which helped me find what meshed best with my style and personal preferences. For example, in #3 I used an Tamil newspaper since my language is one of the ways we have preserved our culture. Many of my pieces are centrally focused on the subject such as #7 and #1 because in each, I wanted to draw attention to a particular aspect of India. #1 shows a clock that has hung since 1899 in our family home built by my great great grandfather, so I wanted it to be the focal point. However I do have pieces with varying perspectives, and pieces that go off the page to draw more interest, especially for pieces with repetition such as #8 that shows a banana blossom since my family has banana plantations, and #6 which shows a game like mancala that I use to play with family. In #10 I used visible brush strokes to create movement and interest in the piece while keeping the focus on the auto. The auto’s vibrant yellow color is also something I find iconic of India. Throughout my concentration I used these bright colors because India has a vibrant culture that I have happy memories of, which I felt could only be captured through this use of color.