November Critique

I am focusing on Malaysian culture for my concentration. So this month I did 3 pieces, and I went in a different direction from my other ones. I tried to emphasize color in certain parts of my pieces. I completely forgot to email the pieces to myself so these are just black and white pictures of what two of my pieces were based off of.

The Suzuki Family Loves Art

Walnut, Honey, and Goat Cheese Crêpe

This is one my favorite crêpe recipes. Enjoy while looking at your favorite piece of art! 
Also Sophia introduced me to this, so thank you :)

Ingredients:

• Basic crepes, cooked (see recipe below)
• Goat Cheese
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Honey
• Walnuts, chopped and toasted

Directions:

Add crepe to skillet over medium heat.  Dot with small chunks of goat cheese.  Allow to warm through for a couple minutes and spread the goat cheese out with a knife.  Pour a small amount of cream over the goat cheese.  Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with walnuts.  Fold or roll up and serve immediately.  

Basic Crepe Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2-2 Tbsp sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• pinch salt

Directions:

Add all ingredients to blender and mix well. Let batter stand for at least one hour in the refrigerator for more perfect crepes.  Warm small or medium skillet over medium heat.  Melt a small dab of butter in the pan.  Pour a laddle of crepe batter into the pan and swirl until a thin layer of batter coats the pan.  Cook for about a minute until the edges are light brown.  Flip with a spatula and cook the other side for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Stack cooked crepes on a plate or platter until all crepes are made. 


From the Blue 11 Interior's blog

My Concentration

For my concentration I'm focusing on aspects of Malaysian culture. I'm not done with my first piece yet, but it's coming along! I'm planning on working mostly with pen and watercolor.

Daniel Egnéus

Daniel Egnéus

http://www.danielegneus.com/

Although you might not be able to tell by these artworks, a lot of his other pieces depicted his life in Europe. The ones here look like they jumped out of his imagination. It may seem childish to see squid (octopus?) floating around someone's head (or in his other pictures, he has animals wrapped around heads), but the way he depicts it adds sophistication.

His artworks all seem to tell a story, and that is what gives the pieces a sense of visual coherence. Although the combination of objects in his pieces may look bizarre at first glance, it looks good as a whole.

The way he uses color gives emphasis to whatever object he uses it on. I saw in his artwork that he uses a lot of red, when everything else is black and white. I love his style and the thin, black lines he uses to create shapes.

John Salminen

John Salminen

http://www.johnsalminen.com/

I believe the artist was trying to emphasize realism as he painted these watercolors. By playing around with color and light in his pieces, he enhanced the cityscapes, and giving them realistic effects.

These pieces are all visually coherent due to the perspective of the scene. They aren't paintings of monuments or buildings straight on, but have objects that cover it up. There is a background, middle ground, and a foreground in all of them, and that's what makes it look so united.

The artists's use of color and detailed lines create detailed, realistic landscapes.

Judith Ann Braun

Judith Ann Braun

http://judithannbraun.com/default3.asp

The objective of the artist was to create abstract artwork that emphasized pattern and symmetry. Her works are called "Fingerlings," where she uses her fingers and charcoal to create exquisite designs. I think her motive was to create beautiful designs by just relying on her hands, charcoal, and paper, and no other tools.

The visual coherence in these pieces are created by the smooth lines from her fingers. It is so aesthetically pleasing because the lines are ALL black, or all a faded color. The movement she created allows viewers to appreciate the artwork as a whole.

There is great use of line, value, and shape. The repetitive strokes of her fingers creates an essence that cannot be done with a paintbrush.