Final Blog Posting

1.    Which assignment did you ENJOY working on the best? Why?

   I really like the assignments that encourage me to try and do art myself.  The color wheel,    the self portrait and others.  Those brought a challenge and put the books to real work. 

2.    Which assignment did you ENJOY working on the least? Why?

   I enjoyed the video assignments the least only because they were so time consuming.           Maybe if the videos were only 20-30 mintues each it would have been easier to manage        with a busy schedule. 

3.    How did you like using BLACKBOARD?

   I think blackboard is a great tool.  Much better than Angel.

4.    What is your opinion of the Discussion Groups in this course?

 The discussion groups through blackboard are a great way to interact with teacher and    other students in a distance learning class. 

5.    Did you participate in any of the extra credit projects in previous modules? If so, what was your opinion of them? (mandala, elgin marbles, culture, art critics)

    Everytime I saw the extra credit projects I wanted to do them but simply didn’t have the         time to do it.  With my busy schedule, if I’m given the opportunity at something being             optional I’ll have the greatest intentions to do it but when it comes to managing the time to     actually get it done, I always opt out because it’s optional.

6. If you had the opportunity to change this course:

What would you keep?  

      I would keep it all.  The class really touches a lot of different angles and keeps us       involved. 

What would you remove?  

       I wouldn’t really remove anything, maybe less video assignments and add some       different hands on ones.

What would you add?  

      I really like the videos that we got to see artists actually doing the work, hands             on.  Rather than a lecture style video, these were better to look at as it seemed to       be more relatable to what was read in the book. 

7.  Would you recommend this course to your peers?

             I would definitely recommend because this is a great learning experience.

8. Please list any other comments you would like to share.

I am definitely overall satisfied that I took this class and I learned a lot.

Final Module - AED 200

   1.       What were you expectations for this course and where they met?
          My answers to this question at the beginning of the year for both the blog and the discussion               were the same, I just said I want to learn more about art.  To me art is something you hang on a           wall if you like it.  Making art is something that takes talent that I don’t have so I never really             worked at it.  And art appreciation is something I never understood and didn’t know how to                 break down a piece of art.  These expectations were met.  I can now look at a framed picture on           the wall and know what they style was and how to better interpret it.  I can understand the color           and lighting of it.  Same with sculptures and other forms of art.

  2.       Now that you've been through this course, What is art? How would you define it now compared          to your intial posting?

         I characterized art as something that is a picture.  A drawing, painting or graphics.  After this              course I realize that art is much more than that.  Art is all around us.  The styles of buildings,              both ancient and modern is art.  Things on TV and radio is art.  Almost everything around us              has some art to it, not just the things you see at a art gallery.

  3.       Who was your favorite artist in your original posting and who is your favorite visual artist now?          If there is a difference, why do you think so? If you have the same favorite artist, why do you              think so?

         Initially I had confessed that I really did not have a favorite artist at the beginning of the                      course.  Having gone through the course I realize that I still cannot say that I have one that is              my favorite still.  Having kind of just looked into art for the first time I can honestly say that                they all attracted me.  All the styles and artists.  Having never even thought about it before I                now know that I like it all.  The only thing that attracts me more is ones with color that is bright          and well blended.

  4.       Now that you've completed this course, how do you feel about taking an online course? Is your            answer the same as it was in your first posting? How is it the same or different?

         With my work schedule I really prefer online courses.  It’s a great way for people like me, in my          40’s, to have the opportunity to work and further my education at the same time.  I have one                class left to take and it will be a 6 year journey for a Bachelors degree but I would not be able to          do it without online classes that I can work around my schedule.

Module 15 - Self Portrait

My three inspirational choices:

Artist: Rembrandt
Title of work: Self Portrait with Velvet Beret
Media: Oil on Oak Wood
Date: 1634
Size: 47.5 x 58.3 cm
 Source of picture (URL): https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/u/0/user-gallery/pwLCl2yb0RpEKw?projectId=art-project&position=0%3A4

Artist: Diego Rivera
Title of work: Self Portrait
Media: Watercolor on Paper
Date: 1954
Size: 261 x 295 mm
 Source of picture (URL): https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/u/0/user-gallery/pwLCl2yb0RpEKw?projectId=art-project&position=0%3A4

Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Title of work: Self Portrait, 1887
Media: Oil on Artist’s Board
Date: 1887
Size: 41 x 32.5 cm
 Source of picture (URL): https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/u/0/user-gallery/pwLCl2yb0RpEKw?projectId=art-project&position=0%3A4

Artist: Walter Sidor
Title of work: Self Portrait,
Media: Lead on Paper
Date: 2016

1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces?

I picked the 3 inspirational pieces because this is what I think of when I think of a self portrait.  I

think of a painting version of a what a picture would look like.  Also, just the head to torso, not the whole body and nothing behind it other a background. 

2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?

I picked pencil on paper because, like the answer to the first question, this is what I think of as a self portrait, a picture that is drawn.  For reasons of my personal skill set, I choose to keep it black and white and not use paint or other medium.

3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?

My biggest and really only challenge was to draw the portrait to look like myself.  Drawing facial features has always been a skill to elude me and I never agree that it actually looks like what I want it to look like.

4. How does this piece represent you?

I think it represents me well.  I usually wear a hat of some kind so I choose to take the picture with me wearing a hat.  My facial features I did to the best of my ability.

5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?

I used shading with the pencil to have different levels of black to show different shades of myself.  I used line to show where my eyes were directing the viewer.  That is what I believe I used.

6. Did you enjoy working on this project?

I did enjoy this.  As I’ve said a few times in this response and other blog postings, I have always struggled drawing faces and the practice and taking my time help me work on it and get a little confidence.

7. What do you think of your final artwork?

I’m certainly happy with the final product, it’s something I can look back on in the future.