Newman

 Note: replace #5 with ellex

  Materials: digital art Processes: sketch and layer blocking colors, underpainting and shading then rendering Ideas: a girl surrounded by milkweed flowers, which certain butterflies are raised on as caterpillars so they will be poisonous to predators later in life. I wanted to symbolize how certain things you are 'fed' in childhood can affect you later negatively or positively and show growth through blooming flowers.

 In my artwork I explored the question of how I could depict childhood memories being distorted over time, exploring maturity and the corrosion that affects us all gradually. I used bugs to represent these themes as well as rebirth and growth. Bugs are often used as a symbol of mistakes, so I wanted to highlight the beauty that is sometimes found in these "imperfections". I first explored the topic by sketching my ideas before painting them with acrylics–in order to build up layers over time, as my personality is gathered from the material around me. Throughout my pieces I began transitioning to digital tools and even revising an old piece digitally, finding that this medium added a new layer of distortion that transcended the physical. I revisited my original paintings to revise them through layers of mixed-media: cut-paper and magazine collage, layers of childhood mementos, drawings, old letters, and old maps while using paint to meld them to their environment. My investiga...