Student Statement

As I am a senior in high school and I am going away for university, this will be the last year to spend quality time with my little brother. I wanted to spend time with him so I could learn more about him and also explore his world through an artist’s eye using different perspectives. For my Concentration, I decided to do portraits of my brother’s energy level and activities while focusing on texture, light effects, and perspective. 

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I started with something simple, like showing my brother putting on shoes (#3). However, it still didn’t show what kind of person he is, so I came up with activities that showed his energy; for example, swimming (#1) and riding a bicycle (#12), which gave the most neutral looks and revealed his joy of being outside. Then I played with the light effects that showed contrast on the face (#10, #12), where the darker areas were layered by using blue and orange.  The glow off the iPad (#8) and the light effects in the pool (#1) were challenging but enhanced the compositions.  I also experimented with bird’s eye view to get a new perspective of his body and created depth on the background of the DVD portrait (#6) and answering the door (#11). I challenged myself by using different textures through collage on the swimming pool (#1), the sleeping portrait (#5) and the bicycle (#12).   I also used salt to create rough texture on the closet doors in the iPad portrait (#8). As I went through this Concentration, I also noticed changes in my brother’s appearance. Even though it was just a few months, he grew a lot.  Happily our relationship also grew too.