My favorite part about painting is capturing the essence of the person but not doing it in a straightforward way. Capturing their persona, but doing it in a way that’s been conventional.
When I stepped into the painting room, I immediately sensed a very fresh and open atmosphere. The white walls and floors gave room to emphasize dozens of colorful paintings scattered across the classroom.
As soon as students entered, they were preoccupied with diligent preparations to start their painting process. It was truly a meticulous scene, from the way they laid out all the brushes, took out tubes of paint to the way they neatly arranged their color palette to match their painting style. Just from the color palette, I was able to observe their unique perspective on the importance of art.
Professor Barrett waited no further and proceeded to work with the model. I could see why everyone in the class seemed so excited the moment she said Hi. She carefully asked the students if the model is sitting correctly and encouraged her students to voice out their concerns. A comfortable environment was essential to a more productive creative process.
As soon as everyone finished their arrangements, Prof. Barrett held up a long brush in front of the students and said, “My favorite ultimate example is Kehinde Wiley. To anyone who has been to his show in the museum. Flattest, biggest, paintings ever painted and done from an outline of brown mixed with white paint moving in gradiation.” Since many haven’t started their painting, Prof. Barrett used a very interesting and engaging way to inspire the students. She was teaching but not really. By pointing out only specific techniques to make a painting more effective, Professor didn’t scratch the big idea each student had in mind, but instead allowed room for endless creativity. As a result, every student approached the task of painting the same model in own manner and time. No one’s was similar to another, ranging from a post-modern skeleton face dipped in rainbow colors to a more vintage, slightly deformed with Earthy patterns. Each reflected a distinct feeling, but successfully captured the essence of the real-time moment.
When asked why they enjoyed painting, one of the talented students, Lisa said, “I believe it would make me a better painter even though I’m not a traditional figure painter. Learning traditional techniques is always good. My favorite part about painting is capturing the essence of the person but not doing it in a straightforward way. Capturing their persona, but doing it in a way that’s been conventional."
As soon as students entered, they were preoccupied with diligent preparations to start their painting process. It was truly a meticulous scene, from the way they laid out all the brushes, took out tubes of paint to the way they neatly arranged their color palette to match their painting style. Just from the color palette, I was able to observe their unique perspective on the importance of art.
Professor Barrett waited no further and proceeded to work with the model. I could see why everyone in the class seemed so excited the moment she said Hi. She carefully asked the students if the model is sitting correctly and encouraged her students to voice out their concerns. A comfortable environment was essential to a more productive creative process.
As soon as everyone finished their arrangements, Prof. Barrett held up a long brush in front of the students and said, “My favorite ultimate example is Kehinde Wiley. To anyone who has been to his show in the museum. Flattest, biggest, paintings ever painted and done from an outline of brown mixed with white paint moving in gradiation.” Since many haven’t started their painting, Prof. Barrett used a very interesting and engaging way to inspire the students. She was teaching but not really. By pointing out only specific techniques to make a painting more effective, Professor didn’t scratch the big idea each student had in mind, but instead allowed room for endless creativity. As a result, every student approached the task of painting the same model in own manner and time. No one’s was similar to another, ranging from a post-modern skeleton face dipped in rainbow colors to a more vintage, slightly deformed with Earthy patterns. Each reflected a distinct feeling, but successfully captured the essence of the real-time moment.
When asked why they enjoyed painting, one of the talented students, Lisa said, “I believe it would make me a better painter even though I’m not a traditional figure painter. Learning traditional techniques is always good. My favorite part about painting is capturing the essence of the person but not doing it in a straightforward way. Capturing their persona, but doing it in a way that’s been conventional."
Lisa McCarthy has been a full-time student and has also been working at an advertising agency in downtown Boston. “Becoming professional artist is my next career path I would want to take,” she further noted.
Despite differing purposes on why they paint or even do art, these students still fascinatingly put their utmost effort and concentration in their work and were really willing to help out each other. Each painting represented their unique talents, but the fact that it was a similar passion and the level of importance of art that gathered these diverse personas under the same roof. Painting to me is a hobby, a way for me to escape from reality and feel peace. I started drawing since a very young age, and painting was the next step. It just stayed there in my life up until now. - Lynette |
“I see myself absolutely professionally doing art. That’s why I’m here. For my long-term career, I want to go for tattoo artwork and illustration. I want to develop as a tattoo artist, get apprenticeship. So I’m gearing my portfolio towards that. - Victoria Some students hope to turn their strong passion into a long-term career. Victoria Mowschenson, a senior student at SMFA and an aspiring tattooist expressed her skills and wishes for her future:
“I’m about to graduate. I’m BFA so that allows me to explore everything. Mostly, I’m illustrator and painter. I dabble in photography too. It helps having the foundation skills that college taught me. Being able to use those skills in a unique and interesting way is really nice. There’s also that self-expressive aspect to it too. If I’m feeling down, it helps to just paint it out. Doesn’t solve all my problems obviously but it helps.” She then continued, “I see myself absolutely professionally doing art. That’s why I’m here. For my long-term career, I want to go for tattoo artwork and illustration. I want to develop as a tattoo artist, get apprenticeship. So I’m gearing my portfolio towards that.” |
However, for others, the incorporation of art into the future career might not be as clear. A sophomore from Shanghai, China doing a dual degree at both Tufts University and SMFA, Lynette Bian shared her view on how since art has become part of her life she cannot easily let go of, she’s still not certain about her future art development. Lynette said, “Painting to me is a hobby, a way for me to escape from reality and feel peace. I started drawing since a very young age, and painting was the next step. It just stayed there in my life up until now. Although I’m passionate about this medium, I’m not certain whether I want to have a career as an artist, but one of the paths I’m exploring at the moment is design. I want to try out and explore different things before I decide.”
I once again pondered on questions of why someone devotes lots of time to art? How do they determine whether they want to progress it into a career or just keep it as part of their daily life routine? It’s not just a matter of self-expression; it’s also a motivational factor. Some might feel that art helps them take a trip down the memory lane and bring out the imaginative worlds within their minds. Others might say otherwise. Although the answer might be “you never actually know”, I’m still glad that through this small visit, I was able to expand my curiosity and have come to appreciate the kind of sincere dedication each of us puts into our own “artwork” individually to produce something meaningful collectively.