"Summertime Sadness"
Exhibition Text:Samantha Loontjens
"Summertime Sadness" 17.5 cm x 12.5 cm Dry point October 20, 2017 The piece "Summer Sadness" is a dry point piece that was inspired by the two pieces Yankee Point from Gibsons Beach, Pt. Lobos and Tetons from Snake River by Tom Killion. These two pieces inspired my work by the specific detail in the water and trees and focusing on the layout as a whole. The meaning of this piece is to connect to memory and focus on moments in one's life where they find happiness. This is where "Summertime Sadness" plays a specific role in my life representing the Peshtigo River.
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Artist Inspiration:
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Yankee Point from Gibsons Beach, Pt. Lobos by Tom Killion
Planning Sketches:
- This is three planning sketches that I created based off of the Peshtigo River, trying different perspective points and including different views of the river that would give the best effect once printed. I chose the second sketch because I felt like I could add the most detail to the piece, connecting well with my inspiration but also still have a strong connection once the piece is complete.
Process:
Materials Needed:
Making Process:To start off this piece I when into my sketch book and chose the sketch that I wanted to use for actual dry point. Once I knew what sketch I wanted to do I grabbed the inscriber tool and place my dry point plate onto my planning sketch.
Printing Process:Below are multiple prints of my dry point trying to print the piece with the least amount of smudges and ink printed outside the border. You can see that the more I printed my piece, the better it looked with each piece. This meaning I increased in craftsmanship and was improving in creating quality work. Once the piece was printed, I chose the best piece to continue with and add watercolor paint onto.
Critique:When creating my piece I was inspired by Tom Killion and his two pieces Yankee Point from Gibsons Beach, Pt. Lobos and Tetons from Snake River. From the piece Yankee Point from Gibsons Beach, Pt. Lobos I imitated the style of the waves and used the same technique, making the waves look as if they are crashing. I also tried incorporating a similar style when etching the trees creating a swirled affect. In Tetons from Snake River I used a similar layout by having the perspective point be slightly located off the middle of the piece and following through with trees on both sides. When creating my piece I based my layout on Killion's piece but also used a photograph of the Pishtigo River to include some of its qualities. By viewing Tom Killion's pieces and comparing it to my piece you can see how similar aspects are shared from the overall layout, to the details in the water.
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Etching Process:To start the etching process I placed my dry point plate onto the sketch that I wanted to use for my finally piece. Then I use the inscriber to go over my sketch tracing every line as accurately as possible. Below are photos of my etching process and how the design I chose is turning out.
Experimentation:
Reflection:When creating my piece I fund that making detailed sketches of what I wanted my final piece would be like was helpful. This is because When I decided which sketch to use, I was able to place my template directly on top of my sketch book and start the etching process. What I thought turned out well was my finally dry point print because there was barely any smudges, it was centered onto the paper, it was a dark print with no fading and a clean border. This print was one of the last prints I did, due o creating several of them to get the best print possible. What I also thought that that went well was experimenting with the multiple prints, using the watercolor paint. By using the watercolor paint, caused my piece to stand out more and allow the viewer to really envision the piece. One is able to image the scenery due to the watercolor rather than the viewing it without color. If I were t do this project again I would fix the detailing on the rocks because I tried adding a shading effect to show more detail but when I printed out the piece it was a dark spot, looking like the ink blended a bi together. I think this was due to having the lines too close and not being able to get the extra ink from in between each line.
Meaning:The meaning of this piece is to connect to memory and focus on moments in one's life where they find happiness. I personally connect to my piece as its a representation of the Peshtigo River which is located up North in Crivitz, Wisconsin. This particular river means a lot to me because growing up my great grandparents lived up there ad this river was basically their backyard. From the back of the house you can view the sun reflecting off of the water and you were able to walk out into their backyard and go straight to the river bank. Whenever I do visit I always get flashbacks of when I was younger playing in the river and kayaking down it. This piece is tit;e "Summertime Sadness" due to the fact that the leaves are changing and you are going to have to wait until next summer to be able o visit again. Overall this piece is suppose to allow viewers to connect to a memory of their past and focus on moments that made and continue to make them happy throughout their life.
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Connecting to ACT:
1. Identify cause and effect relationships between your inspiration and your artwork.
I was inspired by Tom Killion and his two pieces Yankee Point from Gibsons Beach, Pt. Lobos and Tetons from Snake River. I included to same techniques by imitating the waves and overall layout of the piece.
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Tom Killion focuses on creating prints that are detailed and applies color to make the image stand out.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
A generalization that I can conclude from my piece is connecting my artwork back to a special memory of when I was younger and would visit my grandparents by the Peshtigo River.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The theme of my piece was to focus on my craftsmanship and include as much detail as possible to really make the image stand out.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
When doing my research I found out that Tom Killion tends to travel a lot and he created and produced an illustrated book. He combined his experiences from traveling into his wood cut print making.
I was inspired by Tom Killion and his two pieces Yankee Point from Gibsons Beach, Pt. Lobos and Tetons from Snake River. I included to same techniques by imitating the waves and overall layout of the piece.
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Tom Killion focuses on creating prints that are detailed and applies color to make the image stand out.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
A generalization that I can conclude from my piece is connecting my artwork back to a special memory of when I was younger and would visit my grandparents by the Peshtigo River.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The theme of my piece was to focus on my craftsmanship and include as much detail as possible to really make the image stand out.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
When doing my research I found out that Tom Killion tends to travel a lot and he created and produced an illustrated book. He combined his experiences from traveling into his wood cut print making.
Citations:
About. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2017, from https://tomkillion.com/about/
Tetons from Snake River. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2017, from https://tomkillion.com/80s/the-tetons-from-snake-river
Yankee Point from Gibsons Beach, Pt. Lobos. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2017, from https://tomkillion.com/70s/yankee-point-from-gibsons-beach-pt-lobos
Tetons from Snake River. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2017, from https://tomkillion.com/80s/the-tetons-from-snake-river
Yankee Point from Gibsons Beach, Pt. Lobos. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2017, from https://tomkillion.com/70s/yankee-point-from-gibsons-beach-pt-lobos