Connect Me Not
Digital Art
?cm x ?cm
Exhibition Text: My piece Connect Me Not was inspired by the works of Hal Koenig. I made it in hopes to express that one must not be held back by from moving forward and that it's okay to sometimes get a bit reckless along the way. Much like Hal Koenig, I wanted to [paint a bridge as the subject of the painting because Koenig believed it to be the archetype that enables man to to inhabit river valleys and ports. The bridge itself that I painted is known as the Erie Street Swing Bridge and is currently abandoned.
PLANNING
Artistic Inspiration: HAL KOENIG
"Turnbridge"
Oil on canvas 18 in x 24 in |
"Red Keeper"
Oil on canvas 36 in x 48 in |
Hal Koenig became a full-time artist in 2012 following a 30-year architectural career in southeast Wisconsin, and has been practicing seriously as an artist since 2005. He is a painter of urban landscapes, natural landscapes and portraits, done primarily in oil. He lives in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is resident artist and owner at Oil Gallery in Milwaukee's Third Ward. Koenig has participated with development teams as a seasoned architect that have cleared the way for new innovative projects and worked for preservation efforts for restorative measures on others. His works are about 75% of the time painting in oil and most of the rest in acrylic, with some exploration in charcoal, pastels, and latex house paint. Koenig shows a huge interest in painting in the open air and capturing natural light. His experience in architecture and rendering in watercolor markers and pastels make studies on paper and one-hour pen-and-ink sketches some of his favorite pastimes. Hal Koenig synthesizes an art passion with a history of working relationships in the community. He has a strong regional sensibility gleaned from many fulfilling years living in one place. This highly influences Koenig to paint urban landscapes. Hal Koenig most often uses bright colors to add highlights to the buildings in his paintings, giving them a surreal feeling. Koenig highly depicts the different qualities of light and atmosphere in each of his scenes. In the Red Keeper, Koenig chose the intense magenta/red color to contrast the strength of the ironwork of the bridge. The bridge is the subject of the painting because Koenig believes it to be the archetype that enables man to to inhabit river valleys and ports. Hal Koenig often explores specific social, economic, and environmental issues that underpin the reality of a place while capturing the subject's regional character in his paintings.
Planning Sketches
Experimentations
Initially, I wanted to do a painting with acrylic paints. However, it proved to be difficult when it came to blending techniques. I decided against a painting and decided to explore the world of digital illustrations. Even then, once I finished my final piece, I played around with the saturation and contrasts until I found one that I liked. The stars and polka dots were not originally part of the sketch I had in mind. I added them to add a touch of uniqueness and prove that this painting, while influenced by Hal Koenig, was done in my own art style.
PROCESS
To start off the illustration, I completed the background first using a watercolor brush. I blended a light purple into a pink, then an orange, and lastly into a yellowish white. The blending was much smoother compared to the one I did using acrylic paints. Once I was satisfied with the background, I began the sketch of the bridge using a picture of it for reference. After the sketch was completed, I colored in the sketch outline to give it a more vibrant look. Then came the task of coloring everything in. I started with the stop sign and blended shades of red-brown and purple hues into each other. I then colored the bridge using hues of purple and pink. For the wooden bridge, I decided to keep the grayish colors in order to create a contrast against the colors of bridge. This would help in giving more attention to the steel bridge, as it was the mos important subject in my illustration. To color in the grass, I discovered a "Thorn" brush setting in Fire Alpaca and experimented with the colors. Its resemblance to grass blades was what led me to believe that I could use it to color in the dried grass at the beginning of the wooden bridge.
REFLECTIONS
Meaning
My piece Connect Me Not was inspired by the works of Hal Koenig. I made it to express that one must not be held back by obstacles from moving forward and that it's okay to sometimes get a bit reckless along the way. The bridge itself that I painted is known as the Erie Street Swing Bridge is located in downtown Milwaukee and is currently abandoned. The white stop sign is strongly emphasized in its color because it holds a deeper meaning. The stop sign suggests that you need to stop what you are doing and rethink about a certain situation before moving forward. You need to proceed with care and caution. Alternatively, a stop sign could also signify barriers and difficulties in your path. If my viewers were to envision running a stop sign, it could indicate that they are not considering the consequences of their actions in life and refer to their reckless habits. The railroad is devoid of any vibrant colors, allowing it to stand out against the steel bridge. The reason for painting the railroad tracks as well instead of cropping them out was so that I could demonstrate that a railroad in could indicate that you have laid out a set track towards achieving your goals. Alternatively, railroad tracks can symbolize an individual as being too linear and rigid in their thinking. The railroad leads away from the vibrant steel bridge. Having done the steel brisge in warm colors creates a warm invitation towards it. This was done to symbolize that sometimes in life, you need to go off track and explore other possibilities and destinations. One must go against the path that others have laid out for you sometimes. You are doing your own thing and not what others want or expect of you.
Compare & Contrast
SIMILARITIES:
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DIFFERENCES:
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ACT RESPONSES
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork
Much like Hal Koenig, I wanted to paint a bridge as the subject of the painting because Koenig believed it to be the archetype that enables man to to inhabit river valleys and ports. I thought that was a creative way of thinking about bridges.The bridge itself that I painted is known as the Erie Street Swing Bridge and is currently abandoned. Based on the comparison of our works, I'm pretty sure we painted the same bridge without even realizing it. I loved Hal's way with warm colors and the intense magenta/red color he chose for the bridge to contrast the strength of the ironwork of the steel bridge.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author of the research was the artist himself, so one can assume it's full of biased information. Hal Koenig talked of his works formally and in vivid descriptions to get people to buy his works.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Throughout this whole project, I reflected on my own personal obstacles in life and realized that I shouldn't my "stop signs" deter me from achieving what I want and limit my creativity.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
I made it in hopes to express that one must not be held back by from moving forward and that it's okay to sometimes get a bit reckless along the way.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
While researching more about Hal Koenig, I discovered that he synthesizes an art passion with a history of working relationships in the community. He has a strong regional sensibility gleaned from many fulfilling years living in one place. This highly influenced Koenig to paint urban landscapes.
Much like Hal Koenig, I wanted to paint a bridge as the subject of the painting because Koenig believed it to be the archetype that enables man to to inhabit river valleys and ports. I thought that was a creative way of thinking about bridges.The bridge itself that I painted is known as the Erie Street Swing Bridge and is currently abandoned. Based on the comparison of our works, I'm pretty sure we painted the same bridge without even realizing it. I loved Hal's way with warm colors and the intense magenta/red color he chose for the bridge to contrast the strength of the ironwork of the steel bridge.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author of the research was the artist himself, so one can assume it's full of biased information. Hal Koenig talked of his works formally and in vivid descriptions to get people to buy his works.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Throughout this whole project, I reflected on my own personal obstacles in life and realized that I shouldn't my "stop signs" deter me from achieving what I want and limit my creativity.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
I made it in hopes to express that one must not be held back by from moving forward and that it's okay to sometimes get a bit reckless along the way.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
While researching more about Hal Koenig, I discovered that he synthesizes an art passion with a history of working relationships in the community. He has a strong regional sensibility gleaned from many fulfilling years living in one place. This highly influenced Koenig to paint urban landscapes.
Bibliograpghy:
- Koenig, Hal. “Events and Retail Locations.” HAL KOENIG, www.halkoenig.com/