Corn Fields and Martini Diver

Corn Fields by Kate Varney

I chose to write about this particular piece because I was attracted by the texture and meaning behind it. There is power in the artist's use of color, choosing only green, black and yellow. Using these colors, the artist is able to emphasize the meaning and feeling behind the work, and also create harmony within the piece. The artist creates texture by using tracing paper, and painting with thick brush strokes. The shape and texture brings the painting to life, and also emphasizes the meaning behind the painting. The tracing paper is used to shape the stalks of corn at the bottom of the painting, which direct the viewer's eye from the bottom of the painting, towards the top. While the bottom of the painting has more defined corn stalks, by the middle of the painting, the artist gives strong horizontal green brush strokes, with subtle hints of yellow to give harmony within the work. The black drips of paint provide emphasis of the painting's meaning, as the black oozes into the painting to support the melancholy feeling of the fields. The corn stalks at the bottom of the painting are aesthetically pleasing, but I find the painting overall to not be aesthetically pleasing. The corn stalks at the bottom are very definitive and full of life and texture, but they are then followed by a sense of sick, dark and blurry fields. I do not think the artist intended to create a painting that was aesthetically pleasing, for her intent was to expose her feelings towards America's overproduction and over-consumption of corn. Varney is an artist who seems passionate about the environment, judging by her artist statement, and the painting truly reflects her viewpoint on the food industry.

Martini Diver by Elizabeth Cramer

I enjoy the detail and realistic technique used in the piece. The humor of the piece also caused me to want to write about it as well. It contrasts well with Varney's piece, yet Cramer and Varney both use black to shape and structure their subjects in each piece. Cramer only uses black and white, and space is prevalent within the work in order to divide and define the work. Cramer used 3 pictures from a magazine and arranged them in a way that produced one whole painting. The 3 images do transition well into each other, as Cramer uses a gray, swirly background between the martini and the diver. This background fades into a solid black background, where the sea monster is located on the right. Where solid black is seen on the far left and far right, space is created in a way. Detail is used wonderfully throughout the piece, relying heavily on black as the only color to shape the subjects. I find the painting aesthetically pleasing, due to its detail and continuous smooth feel to it. The meaning of the piece is to provide a steady transition between 3 completely different images. The arrangment of the piece provides a humorous message, that is not really meant to be defined intellectually. I thoroughly enjoy this piece.