Saturday, June 26, 2010

Family Photo

Family Photo
Here is my "fun painting", I worked on when I needed a break from my other ones. I thought it was of a photo of my great grandparents, Ralph and Jean, but apparently there is only one photo of the two of them in existence and this is not this one. these are some of my other relatives that lived in the 1930's.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Pain

Pain
I was not sure if I wanted to share this painting with all of you. I usually like to make things that make me happy but this painting is a total bummer. It is of my former room mate who passed away in May. Just like I was talking about with the energy in the previous painting, I felt like there was a lot of pain and guilt still lingering in this world even after his death. For me, the painting is a monstrous manifestation of those things. After a certain amount of time of working on this it started getting to me, and I dreamt one night I talked to him. He said I should have painted a black man instead. I couldn't bring myself to finish it.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Organic Abstract

Organic Abstract

another abstract piece. this one has a lot for freedom in it, and with it more abstract ideas. my thoughts behind this painting are that energy moves through out the world and universe, humans receive this energy (rather then create it ourselves) and have the ability to bend it and turn it, and this expression is who on naturally expresses their identity.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Homoius

Homoius
The exercise for this painting was to adapt a famous work into a grid like painting similar to Mondrian in appearance. I chose a Bosch painting "Christ Crowned in Thorns". Working in such an abstract manner gets me thinking about very abstract ideas. My Christ figure was originally all white, in consistence with Christ being "homoosia" - meaning that Christ and God are of the same substance. Not wanting to rock the boat that was established at the Council of Nicaea in 325CE.

But after a fierce theological debate with my professor, I finally admitted that Christ was "homoiosia" - meaning of like substance, but not the same as God. block to half white and half putty colored , showing that Christ is part divine and part man, falling in line with Arian heretics and satisfying the exercise requirements for my painting course.

In today's world the difference between homoosia and homoiosia might seem arbitrary as such a subtle ecclesiastical nuance. But in the forth century it was quite a hot issue, even among the common person on the street. There were several riots in Alexandria over it.

Christ Crowned in Thorns by Bosch

Monday, June 21, 2010

C Minus

C Minus
I thought this week I would blow off making comics and post some paintings I had worked on over the past six weeks. If you know anyone who has taken a painting class at the University of Pittsburgh, then you have probably seen one of these. I have titled mine "C-Minus". I did not get a C minus on the painting, but I feel the title evokes the true sentiment of the piece.