Art For Change
Applicant Name: Hailey Messenbrink
Hometown: Willmar
Title: Art for Change
Type: Abstract
Theme: Women
Tools: Acrylic paint
Light
This art piece represents women. The glowing lotus flower in the murky waters is a symbol for women in darkness. Everything around the lotus is blurred and dark except for the three glowing moons in the sky. The three moons stand for the maiden, the mother, and the crone each representing women. Together the three moons form the symbol for a goddess. The maiden represents expansion and new beginning. The mother represents fertility and stability. The crone represents wisdom and death. I wanted this piece to show that women are beautiful in the simplest forms. They have so much light if they shine away the murky waters and dark skies. Women have the power to show her true inner goddess. Women shouldn't feel the need to reduce themselves for the people around them. Having the glowing moons and the glowing lotus shows light, soul, and life.
I decided I wanted to work with a canvas and acrylic paint for a new form of art. I started with a thicker paint brush for the base coats. Painting on the water first I mixed blue with a dab of black making the water look dark and ominous. The color of the sky was the same color form but with a different brush stroke technique making wisps of clouds in the sky. I added three pine trees to the sides of the canvas to pull the viewer into the lotus flower. I made sure no to add a lot of detail to the trees making sure they wouldn't take away from the moons and flower. The moons stick together forming a bright glow in the sky. I also gave a light glow to the lotus as if the moon was sharing the same light. I added light pink undertones to make the flower stick out even more with the dark surroundings. I usually don't prefer to work with paint, but I wanted to have a unique piece.
Hometown: Willmar
Title: Art for Change
Type: Abstract
Theme: Women
Tools: Acrylic paint
Light
This art piece represents women. The glowing lotus flower in the murky waters is a symbol for women in darkness. Everything around the lotus is blurred and dark except for the three glowing moons in the sky. The three moons stand for the maiden, the mother, and the crone each representing women. Together the three moons form the symbol for a goddess. The maiden represents expansion and new beginning. The mother represents fertility and stability. The crone represents wisdom and death. I wanted this piece to show that women are beautiful in the simplest forms. They have so much light if they shine away the murky waters and dark skies. Women have the power to show her true inner goddess. Women shouldn't feel the need to reduce themselves for the people around them. Having the glowing moons and the glowing lotus shows light, soul, and life.
I decided I wanted to work with a canvas and acrylic paint for a new form of art. I started with a thicker paint brush for the base coats. Painting on the water first I mixed blue with a dab of black making the water look dark and ominous. The color of the sky was the same color form but with a different brush stroke technique making wisps of clouds in the sky. I added three pine trees to the sides of the canvas to pull the viewer into the lotus flower. I made sure no to add a lot of detail to the trees making sure they wouldn't take away from the moons and flower. The moons stick together forming a bright glow in the sky. I also gave a light glow to the lotus as if the moon was sharing the same light. I added light pink undertones to make the flower stick out even more with the dark surroundings. I usually don't prefer to work with paint, but I wanted to have a unique piece.
Progress Pictures
Sculpture Invitational
Applicant name: Hailey Messenbrink
Hometown: Willmar
Title of sculpture: Realistic
Sculpture theme: Representational
Materials used: wooden clay tool
I was struggling to come up with a sculpture that would represent a township or community. Clay was never one of my favorite art forms to work with. The clay would almost refuse my design and technique. I started by taking out a chunk of clay then grabbing another chunk and together they looked like a fish on a rock. Pure visual guided me from there.
I smoothed the clay down to form a slender smooth body of a fish. The fish looks as if it is jumping out of the water mouth wide to catch its prey. I left the base of the sculpture more rigged to look like a more realistic rock. The piece was still requiring something. I carved out little teardrop shaped crevices to add scales for more detail. Once the fish was fired in the kiln I decided to paint the piece a simple dark green. When painting I used a technique to show each brush stroke adding more detail to the piece. The rock was left a light grey to contrast with the dark green form on top.
The fish represent a lot of townships in Minnesota because we are the land of ten thousand lakes and thousands of people fish yearly. Fishing brings people closer together as a hobby it is joyful and soothing to learn patience. The fish represents emotional healing, and fishing gives you the time and patience to do so.
Progress Photo
Abstract
Abstract is a favorable form of art from many others. Abstract comes in many forms of all different creative thoughts. This art piece was relaxing in a way of just letting go and letting your mind run free. Being able to not worry about the placement of lines or objects and just going for it. This activity was an eye opener for not everything beautiful has to be perfect. Starting with black charcoal lines swirling and curving up and down. Adding color to this piece really added to the simplicity of just lines.
Print Making
Making a stamp that can show an image that you created from just a simple tool is a start to something so creative and inspiring. Making a stamp was a pleasant surprise of venturing into a different state of mind to create art. The ink was something that I have never got to mess with when making a piece. My specialty was using a simple pencil, but using ink, clay, and chalk has really opened up more unique possibility's.
The first stamp that I carved out was the branch from a cherry blossom tree. I wanted my first piece to be simple yet elegant in a beautiful way. When carving out the cherry blossoms I t=struggled maintaining the shape of the petals. Not satisfied with my first stamp I carved a second one. The sun was another piece that I wanted to be simple yet aesthetic feeling from the stamp. Still not satisfied with the way the second stamp turned out I carved a third. I decided with my third one that I would try to carve out more to try to get rid of some of the black space. The wave patterns and the triangle showed up well on the paper, but the circles above the boat were not my favorite. My fourth piece is a flower with petals and leafs flowing out the sides of the bud. Wanting no black on this stamp I attempted to carve out everything surrounding the flower. In the end I enjoy all of my stamps that I made.
The first stamp that I carved out was the branch from a cherry blossom tree. I wanted my first piece to be simple yet elegant in a beautiful way. When carving out the cherry blossoms I t=struggled maintaining the shape of the petals. Not satisfied with my first stamp I carved a second one. The sun was another piece that I wanted to be simple yet aesthetic feeling from the stamp. Still not satisfied with the way the second stamp turned out I carved a third. I decided with my third one that I would try to carve out more to try to get rid of some of the black space. The wave patterns and the triangle showed up well on the paper, but the circles above the boat were not my favorite. My fourth piece is a flower with petals and leafs flowing out the sides of the bud. Wanting no black on this stamp I attempted to carve out everything surrounding the flower. In the end I enjoy all of my stamps that I made.
Value of Words
Many people can come of with value that are meaningful and unique to them personally. When viewing art people can find and relate to the piece personally. With creating my piece I choose to combine my vivid imagination and write a series of stories all relating to the object that I was tracing with words.
Doing this actually allowed me to have more flow with my art. Also, I found it easy to write about my art. The stories that I wrote went with the aurora I wanted my art to convey. I wrote of humanity and are weakness of death. A cherry blossom branch is seen in front of the view of a mountain. The bloom of the cherry blossom tree is at its end, and as you follow the edges of the branches you can also read about humanity's end. When I wrote the outline of the mountain I wanted to give the feeling of grunge and man. Man would not stop at anything for the excitement of danger and entertainment. These are the two main stories about the piece that provide the most important aurora I wanted the viewer to see and feel.
When I first started with this project I found it difficult to create a well seen story and definition of objects in my piece. Also, the size of my writing was dissatisfying in some places and did not display the image I wanted. Once I started shading with words and adding lines over lines it came together more and more. It was a type of art that was different and enjoyable. This art truly could hold a special value.
Doing this actually allowed me to have more flow with my art. Also, I found it easy to write about my art. The stories that I wrote went with the aurora I wanted my art to convey. I wrote of humanity and are weakness of death. A cherry blossom branch is seen in front of the view of a mountain. The bloom of the cherry blossom tree is at its end, and as you follow the edges of the branches you can also read about humanity's end. When I wrote the outline of the mountain I wanted to give the feeling of grunge and man. Man would not stop at anything for the excitement of danger and entertainment. These are the two main stories about the piece that provide the most important aurora I wanted the viewer to see and feel.
When I first started with this project I found it difficult to create a well seen story and definition of objects in my piece. Also, the size of my writing was dissatisfying in some places and did not display the image I wanted. Once I started shading with words and adding lines over lines it came together more and more. It was a type of art that was different and enjoyable. This art truly could hold a special value.