Two crops
Abstract Composition
‘Contrast and Contact’
Ash
2024
Acrylic on Card Stock
My intention in creating this piece was to emphasize contrast without overwhelming the eye of the viewer by creating an overly “busy” piece. I was immediately drawn to the thick, wet, emphatic lines found in the original composition in the bottom right corner of the piece and used this as my muse for the rest of the composition. My intention was to grow the line work into the white space without loosing the movement created by the line work. The texture created by the brush strokers were particularly pleasing to my eye so I repeated this effect throughout the work.
Grey Scale
Self-Portrait studies
Self-Portrait
‘Ease forward, strong back‘
Self Portrait
Acrylic Paint on Paper
Ash Houghton
This was a particularly challenging exercise for a first painting project. While portraiture work is something I’m quite familiar with, doing so without a paint brush was a new exercise. It gave me an appreciation for the tool and made me realize the subtle details that I take for granted, such as surface area and the ability to hold moisture. I started this piece using Bracken Fern leaves, and then quickly switched to using my hand to get the form of the figure onto the paper. Then as I trying to build up a more even surface I realized I needed something that could hold moisture, so I moved to a wetted rag. While this helped creating the blended forms, I needed some more defined lines which required a more precise tool. This is when I brought in the sticked used in previous drawing exercise. I was more familiar with these tools thanks to a study completed in another class. Throughout the process I switched back and forth between all four tools.
The intention in this piece was to create a self image that is looking towards my vision with a sense of gentle contentment and self assurance, not haste or stress. I chose the image of myself on a serene beach for my reference and then did my best with the time permitted while juggling my 5 courses. I left the piece without any refinements from the class critique to keep the spirit of the image – releasing stress and bringing my lessons forward into my future endeavours.