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Description
My project is a reflection of “foreignness” in America. It is a collection of ten portraits, all of whom are women that has touched my life in some way. The project consists of two portions, the first portion is fragmented, the second portion is whole. I will reference to this throughout the essay, but it is my take on Aristotle’s famous words “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” The chosen medium is oil, half of which are done on canvas and the other half on wood, consistent with the two portions of the project. I chose to focus on portraiture because this is the easiest way for me to convey emotions and feelings to my audience. As an international student from China, I am constantly reflecting on my foreigner background and my artwork. This project has helped me achieve a deeper connection between my friends, society and myself. It is also important to note that while I was working on this project, the world was plunged into one of the biggest pandemics in modern history. As I write this, California is in a state of emergency and SDSU has been hut down. Covid-19 has altered some of my original ideas and has made me realize a deeper meaning in the term “foreigner.” The portraits are mostly deprived of bright and loud colors, the overall tones are more neutral, with lots of white, gray, beige, brown, navy, and olive. A portion of the project utilizes the natural color of wood as the basis for skin tone. I used highlights and shadows to form the features of my subject. I embrace the flaws of my wooden panel and incorporate the discoloration instead of trying to cover it up. My artwork flows around the canvas, by purposeful placement of my subject within the panel. For example, if I see a darker section on the panel, I will try to make that area my subject’s forehead as a natural shadow. With this technique, my canvas serves as part of the artwork instead of only a medium for the artwork.
