{"id":6604,"date":"2021-04-09T09:52:08","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T13:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/?p=6604"},"modified":"2025-08-23T18:51:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T22:51:21","slug":"three-ways-to-paint-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/2021\/04\/09\/three-ways-to-paint-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Ways to Paint the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Art inspires human beings everywhere. Though many love it, they have not found the time to pursue it on their own. Those who look at art often wonder how the artist created it. Art does not only take mastery of technique. It requires passion and a willingness to make mistakes in the pursuit of perfected expression. At UMPI, some students shared how they pursue art. Get ready for a glimpse into the world of three different art students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Using Any Media<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Miranda Cole is a college junior seeking a bachelor\u2019s in fine arts. She has studied many different art media as well as art history. The type of art she shared, however, was mixed media. She is in a mixed media class this semester. Mixed media art uses any material. Cole showed many of her art pieces, both finished ones and ones in the making. She used paint, paper, dried roses, seashells and more. Her favorite thing about mixed media, she said, is the freedom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For one of her art pieces, Cole used a tiny, old Pegasus toy. She owned it for many years, and it was broken. She glued the broken pieces of the toy to a dark board. The pieces were distributed as if Pegasus suddenly fell from the sky and crashed. When the creature hit the ground, it shattered like glass. For the creature\u2019s blood, she used gold paint. This type of art is an example of surrealism. \u201cSurrealism is presenting a reality that wouldn\u2019t really happen,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Cole\u2019s recent art project, \u201cFamily Dynamics,\u201d showed a variety of expression techniques. \u201cI decided to go with an abstracted representation of the different relationships the subject of \u2018family\u2019 can address,\u201d she said in an essay on the project. \u201cI decided to incorporate general components such as repetitive cutouts of \u2018pebbles,\u2019 as I like to call them, and consistent frames.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Miranda Cole’s five parts of _Family Dynamics.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The artwork consisted of five frames. Each frame contained a group of pebbles shapes, which were cut out from construction paper. Cole said each frame was like peeking into a window. Each of the five pictures used different color backgrounds and had the pebbles grouped differently. The pebbles represented people. The different uses of \u201ccompositional space\u201d for the pebbles portrayed distinct types of families.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Cole explained the one in the center, for example. The pebbles stood in a large group, with one sitting off to the side a bit. \u201cThe various blues and merging brush strokes to the subjects are portraying a unifying loyalty and trust,\u201d she said in her essay. She used \u201ccolor theory,\u201d which means to use color combinations for a special purpose. Different color combinations provoke different emotions and instincts. The colors behind each pebble family are intentional. \u201cThis big family dynamic is built on its reliability of one another to bring in the outliers, no matter how big or small,\u201d her essay concluded. She made the different shades of blue swirl around the pebble family. It expressed how the family members came in from all directions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI kind of want to make a narrative to the viewer,\u201d Cole said. Her passion shows in her work. Both the broken Pegasus and the pebble families tell a story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Latest Form of Art<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Megan Waceken, an English major, is studying a very different type of media. This semester she is studying digital art. \u201cDigital art is anything using pixels that you put time and effort into,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Third piece in Megan Waceken’s _PAC-MAN Art_ series, with shiny affects and blue background.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Waceken uses Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator software to create her art. She said it is frustrating to learn new software. She said, however, the possibilities become endless once the software is understood. The software she uses has many tools and helps her set backgrounds, among other things. She said, \u201cIt\u2019s really user friendly compared to drawing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The use of digital art software is shown in one of Waceken\u2019s art assignments. She shared her art piece called \u201cHow to Kill Time.\u201d To create the piece, she used three different pictures. When she overlapped them, she varied their gradients, which is their gradual blend of color.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Digital art especially provokes the younger generation. That is a main reason it inspires Waceken. \u201cThere\u2019s so many things trying to get young people inspired,\u201d she said concerning digital art. \u201cIt\u2019s being seen more and more I feel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Waceken plays around with digital art even outside of schoolwork. \u201cYou can be messy with it, you can be unorganized and have fun with it, too,\u201d she said. She shared a series of digital art pieces she made called \u201cPAC-MAN Art.\u201d Each piece is a different variation of the same thing. In one, which she gave a pink background, she gave PAC-MAN an interesting texture. If one focuses on the edge of the PAC-MAN character, it looks like ruggedly cut fabric. Waceken described different shapes she used for the texture. She used different tools on the software to advance the texture in various places.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To Waceken, digital art is a pastime full of exploration. \u201cThere is no wrong way,\u201d she said about the type of media. \u201cBut there are so many ways.\u201d She says she might go into digital art professionally or just keep it a hobby. \u201cYou can kill a few hours, you know?\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Back to the Roots: Drawing<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jordyn Gardner, who originally wanted to go to architect school, is taking Drawing II. She recently changed her mind and now seeks an associate degree in fine arts. She enjoyed drawing as a child and doodled in class. As she grew up, she continued to love it. \u201cIt is a way of expressing yourself,\u201d she said. \u201cA way of expressing words without talking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jordyn Gardner’s drawing of a messy shelf, with a soccer ball hidden in the drawing.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For an early art project, she drew a bottle four different ways. She used gesture drawing, cross hatching and scribble gesture drawing for the project. A gesture drawing is a loose, messy sketch. She used cross-hatching to represent the shaded side of one of the bottles. Cross-hatching is making a series of lines across one another. For the bottom center bottle on her project, she used scribble gesture drawing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Drawing is an elemental art medium that many art students learn. The materials are simple, but perfect for jotting down an idea. Then, an artist can use that idea to make a masterpiece with whatever media they want. \u201cIt\u2019s like your first draft in an essay,\u201d Gardner said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For another drawing, she drew a messy shelf with a soccer ball on it. For the previous assignment, she drew the soccer ball up close. For the next, she had to hide the ball in a drawing. Hence, she hid the ball on a messy shelf. It took hours to draw. \u201cMe and drawing have a love-hate relationship,\u201d she said jokingly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Gardner also drew an extreme contrast drawing with compressed charcoal. The charcoal\u2019s extreme black against the white paper really made the drawing pop. For that specific assignment, the students were not allowed to blend the charcoal. So, Gardner used another method to express the transition between shades on the objects. She used rough, uneven marks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For Gardner, art is also an inspiration. \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve always done things trying to impress others. So, like, doing my own art is inspiring to myself. It\u2019s just something for me,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Art is a world in itself. Yet, art is the pursuit of something already true. No art is an exact copy of something found in the real world. The goal of art, however, is to capture something from imagination or reality. Then the artist makes something out of it to find its true meaning. Concerning what she learned in drawing class, Gardner said, \u201cYou get really nitpicky, really detail oriented. But you also see a lot of different things and different perspectives from other artist\u2019s views, which is really interesting, because you cannot live anyone else\u2019s life. So, seeing it through someone else’s eyes is spectacular.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Confronting Fear<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Art is essential to humanity. It helps people search for the truth and the meaning behind life. Not everyone knows how to paint the world, but there are still so many artists. Cole, Waceken and Gardner are just a few. Everywhere, people are learning to paint the world in new ways. Remember, also, that the three artists who shared their inspiration were not only born with talent. They had to step out, experiment and practice. We all can have the same inspiration they have. If you want to begin creating art, don\u2019t be afraid to try!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Art inspires human beings everywhere. Though many love it, they have not found the time to pursue it on their own. Those who look at art often wonder how the artist created it. Art does not only take mastery of technique. It requires passion and a willingness to make mistakes in the pursuit of perfected […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":233,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7381],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/233"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6604"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8281,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6604\/revisions\/8281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}