Would They Cry

14 x 17"

Ink and Acrylic on Paper

This piece is about suicide. It shows the reaction of the important people in my life, including myself, if I killed myself. I focused more on the emotions and less on the perfection of the human bodies. This also represents how I do not view all people's bodies as 'perfect.' This piece is an embodiment of the depression that can sometimes consume me.

Unify
8 x 10"
Acrylic on Board

This is a spiritual piece about unifying the light and sound currents of the world, as well as the unification of the two sides of myself. It was fun to do a painting that was completely from my imagination.

Morning

Acrylic on canvas

9 x 12"

This was a painting of a figure from the North Boulder Figure Drawing class, but I added in the background. This painting is about a prostitute after her client have left. I wanted to empathizes the feeling of loneliness and despair.

Almost Remember

Ink, marker, colored pencil, acrylic paint. 

12.5 x 15"

This is a comic page that I made though I decided not to add words because they would take away from the piece. This project took me a long time to make, but I am now very proud of it. This piece is talking about a passed life that I believe I lived in Russia. It can match the song "Once Upon a December," which is about trying to remember aspects of a girls past.

The Beauty of Imperfection
Tempera Grassa and oil on canvas.
11 x 13.5"

This painting I made during an art seminar taught by Philip Rubinov Jacobson. This is a still life of broken shells that I found, but still are incredibly beautiful. I used the technique of Tempera Grassa used by the Italian masters that Jacobson taught.

What I See (The Dragon Tree)

20 x 24"

Graphite on pencil

This drawing is about how I do not see normal trees or mundane objects, I see dragons, fairies, and magic every where. I also wanted the dragon to blend into the tree slightly in order to make the viewer look deeper into the piece.

One with the Earth and Sky

Egg Tempra and oil on board

12 x 20"

This was a self-portrait I painted with the traditional dutch style of egg tempura. This is technique that uses an egg varnish to create a glow in the painting. This painting is showing where I am happiest: alone in my field when the sun is shinning.

Nature Morte
11 x 14"
Acrylic on canvas

I made this painting in less than a week, which poised a difficult challenge to me. I tried painting with a pallet knife, but towards the end of the project I used a paintbrush for detail. It is not my favorite piece since it is more impressionistic. Still it was good to try a new technique.

Gandalf the Gray
Grafite on Paper
15 x 19"

I am a nerd. I love the Lord of the Rings, especially Gandalf. This drawing shows the transition from Gandalf the Gray to Gandalf the White. Unfortunately this piece was highly influenced by a no-origenal photograph so I will not be able to submit it to the AP board, but it is still one of my favorite pieces.

Wyeth in the Wind
Color slides, paper and wire
16 x 22"

I wanted to try something different and simple. I liked the way slides look in the sun and thought they would make an interesting mobile. I decorated the slides and added my favorite symbol of paper cranes to put my 'signature' on it.

Figure Attempts
14 x 17"
Graphite on paper

I went to the North Boulder Figure Drawing class in order to practice my figure drawings. These were my first attempts with live figures. I focused more on shading the people instead of getting their proportions correct. I also did not like working in pencil since it was harder to mass the figures. I learned a lot from these drawings and have improved greatly, but I will not submit these to the AP test.

Holding the Lock
6 x 9"
Grafite on paper

This was a still life I drew of my hand holding a lock. It simply shows my technique.

The Secret Mill
Oil on canvas
8 x 10"

This was a painting of a mill my sister and I happened upon in Ireland. I originally was aiming for a realistic painting, but in the end it looks more impressionistic. It still provides the feeling I was among for.

When Friendship was Born
Colored Pencil on Paper
9 x 12"

This is a drawing I did of me holding my father's Norwegian god son. I have always felt a deep connection to this boy and his family; I wanted to show the happiness I feel with them. Though I drew this freshman year I believe it still hold strong technique.

Lady Crane
14 x 17"
Marker and colored pencil on paper

For this assignment I had to draw myself as a comic character. Lady Crane has the power of flight and she goes through the world helping people's dreams come true. The crane has always been a special symbol to me. It is a symbol of wisdom and good luck in Japanese culture, and I wanted to portray that wisdom, power, and luck in my alter-ego. I am going to continue stories with the character Lady Crane.

The Lady and The Thinker
12 x 16"
Acrylic on canvas

I wanted to practice my figure drawing and I was having a hard time looking at live figures. For both of these paintings I copied them from the book The Dynamic Figure in order to understand how to render a figure properly. From this project I learned that painting the figure words best for me because it allows for the massing of the body.

The Path
12 x 16"
Tempra Grassa and oil on panel

This painting came from a dream I had of a paper crane painting a red calligraphy circle on a mirror. This dream made me feel immensely happy. I wanted this to have a meditative and content fell. It is not completed yet.

Where the Sky Meets the Earth
Oil pastel and colored pencil
8 x 17"

This was made for the Boulder Farmers Market banner competition. The team was farming, therefore I focus on a garden, but placed the flatiron in the shovel to make it more "Boulder." This banner won "The Most Artistic" in the completion.

Fire and Ice
Acrylic and gell medium on panel
10 x 12"

For this painting I attempted to do something abstract. Though I could have made it more abstract. These are iceless during the sunset, that caused them to look as if they were on fire.

Taking Flight
14 X 17"
Graphite on paper

For this project I had to take an object and make it abstracted. I used a statue of a bird. I was extremely heavy so I played with the idea that as the details got lighter, the bird did as well, and it could fly. It also deals with the concept that as we let go of the pains that our holding us down, we too can fly.

Opening the Gates to Avalon 
Graphite on paper.
12 x 13.5"

This is a illustration when the character Moraine opens the mist to avalon from the book The Mists of Avalon. This is a study of a painting I am going to do, in the painting I will add a background. This drawing is suppose to show great strength and magic.