Bethany Houston - Art Education

Entry #13:

Final Art Journal Entry (part 1 & 2) 

May 4th & May 9th, 2022

#journaljourney

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    For the overall representation of my art and educational development this semester, I choose #persistanceiskey . There were many times I struggled to think of a way to approach a series or set of artworks that fit the pace of the class. I also struggled when continuing the series, wondering if I made a good choice… if I was going to be able to pull it all together… if it would even look good and be consistent. I had to trust the process, and believe in my own project idea, and in the end, I am really pleased with the combination of art and meaning.

    

    I thought that utilizing landscape as metaphor would be something I could tackle. I have done many plein air painting hikes, and enjoyed painting quickly and trying to capture the natural world in ink or watercolor. I wanted to challenge myself and do the series at a steady pace, and I think it paid off. I did all of the drawings each week for 6 weeks in a row, and honestly it was fun enough that I could have kept going— but I knew at *some* point I had to commit and work on the painting part. I wanted to do the painting at the end, so I could pick a color palette that worked and communicated a similar feel for the series. The whole process was trying to push myself slightly out of my comfort zone, but still utilizing tools and methods that I knew would work successfully.  

    

    I can see my landscapes as sharing similar themes: Patience, persistence, and mindfulness— all things that I have struggled to do, but know are vital for my own (and student) success. I can also see that at first, I was more hesitant and my lines were less confident, and toward the end, my works were more confident and bold. I think that my education journey thus far has been similar— hesitant and timid at first, but now I feel like I am much more confident in my decisions, even if something goes wrong, I know it will be a learning experience that builds overall. 

 

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    Why did I choose this format to show my art journey? I want my presentation of the artworks to invite others to look through it. I’ve had the chance to hang a lot of my artwork or frame it, but my favorite thing is to look through artist journals or sketchbooks. If I had more time, I would make a whole sketchnote/painting combination and include a little bit of everything, like a scrapbook. The portfolio I’m using looks a little more sleek and professional, but I think there could be a benefit from either type of presentation. I wanted to complete these small series of watercolor landscapes as a way to be able to look back on my time, and think about the mindset I was in, and the new methods or experiences I learned from!

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     I wanted to change a bunch of my creative decisions while I was working on my series, but that was specifically what I knew I needed to stick to. Normally, I have problems committing when a project gets hard, but I knew I had to trust the process, and trust my initial concept, and it really worked out. If I had even more time, I would love to make one giant 22X30 sized watercolor piece, and incorporate little parts of all of my landscapes into a huge intricate landscape. I think that could be really interesting, although it would also be really hard. I only thought of the idea once I was done with my project, but I think it’s really important to always have ideas of where you could change something. It helps inform artistic decisions in the future!

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    The most fun part of this ethnographic project, was seeing the work come together at the end, and flipping back through my own work. It was a good reminder of what I had done in class, and I actually like the way it turned out more than I was expecting. Seeing everyone’s artwork being set up in the gallery really solidified the professionalism and artistry that went into all of our works. It took something private and intimate like my journal entries (that I mostly made for myself,) and made it so that I could share my art and my experiences with strangers— as a way to connect with others in the art building and show them what our Art Education program is all about!

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     I think that this project, overall, encompasses my learning goals and my final hashtag of persistence being the key to success. You aren’t always going to make the best artwork, but as long as you keep showing up and giving it a try, and committing yourself to a project, you will end up with a body of work that brings you pride and a source of confidence. The more art you make, the more you learn, the more mistakes you make— and it takes the sting away from the mistakes. I want to be a good model for my students and show them that even after years and years of art practice, I still make mistakes, and I enjoy the learning process. Life is all about learning and growing and moving forward. Trying to be perfect or be the best artist will never bring happiness or fulfillment —- BUT having a positive outlook and being persistent artist does bring joy as an artist! I want to make my students feel like real artists, and treat them as such. I know that having a good attitude and being a calming and encouraging presence will foster good classroom behaviors. I hope that my landscape paintings give off the calming and introspective feelings that I had when I was working on this project! :)

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