Blog Post #1

This fine week of May, I have begun my Capstone Project, which is to create art in nature. This entails any medium and venturing to the various botanical gardens and hikes in and around Portland, as well as slightly farther afield. Regarding my choice of this project, I wanted to get out of the house and into nature--as well as give myself the time, space, and focus to make art. I also wanted to choose something that I wouldn’t get tired of or lonely when doing by myself. The freedom also appealed to me: I can experiment with techniques and styles and respond in any kind of artistic way. So that’s been exciting! I’m thinking that, over the course of the project, poetry, acrylic (and maybe even oil!) painting, watercolor, drawing, photography, “found art,” and others will make an appearance :) And lastly, I thought this project would keep me engaged and motivated, with the end goal of assembling a portfolio or chapbook of my work.

I’m working solo on this project. My inspiration for this project was mainly: staring longingly out my window during long hours of asynchronous screen time when learning remotely. But also, I’m just really enthusiastic to dedicate concentrated time to my art. My favorite subject in my art is nature, and so I figured that I could really get a chance to indulge and improve that work here. Also, there will be flowers at most of the locations, which is fantastic. I also am rather looking forward to people-watching, especially at the busier Portland gardens.

Because I chose an independent Capstone project, there were not a whole lot of loose ends or communications needed to pull it all together. However, my main work in organizing and planning this project has been to scope out the sites and the times when I will visit them. I needed to gather various art materials from wherever I had them stashed in my house and make a trip to the art store as well. Also, since some of the places I’m still considering going to are more in the hour or hour-and-a-half range, I’ll have to figure out the best day for me to make that drive to be most efficient. I also have sports commitments, so I’ll be fitting the longer trips in pretty intentionally. The more local locations are easier to schedule.

Here are my three goals for my project. One, I will experiment with lots of mediums and techniques, which will allow me to expand my technical horizons and the versatility of my artmaking. Two, I will continue my work to develop/identify my artistic style. And then, of course, explore how I can break and deviate from it. And three, I will assemble a portfolio or chapbook of my work as an end-product (perhaps with the final plan to self-publish! The logistics and likelihood of that are still in the works).

Thank you for reading!

 

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