Final Exam This has been a very enjoyable semester. I did not keep up with the amount of paintings I had hoped for, but I still think I used the time well. The moose-painting took probably rather longer time than I expected. In my case, this amount suits me better since I have limited of space in my suitcases. My favorite piece from this semester is the street scene I am working on right now. Despite that I at the moment still have a few more hours of work to do, I can tell that it is going to be awesome. To paint a street scene has been a lots of fun (and frustrating). I knew from the beginning that it was going to be a challenge. Though, I did not expect it to take this long time and this much energy. I do not necessary want to know how much I am about to spend in this piece. Right now I just want it to be finished. What I do like about the process is that you do not need to think. I made my kind of challenging sketch and then I have just spend the rest of the time filling it in. The filling in-part can sometimes be very satisfying to paint. Some colors in this piece go excellent together. Especially the balance between the dusty blue color and the bright green/yellow umbrellas. The persons do also contribute to its exciting process. All the people differ from one another and of course they make you wonder; who is this? What is he or she thinking at the moment? Did you know that that little girl you saw in the corner of your eye took a picture which she later on decided to paint? I personally believe the last wonder is interesting. The people I painted on this canvas have no clue at all that I painted them. The griller does not know that I spend plenty of minutes to get his but as realistic as possible. Since I am not done with the painting I do not know what I would have done better. Maybe realizing in the early beginning what a long journey that waited… I would say the least successful project from this school year is the moose-painting. I was excited for the upcoming project first. After a few realistic pieces it felt revealing to the theme to something more abstract. I believe my main idea was great. It was a mysterious story that laid behind the three moose. Overall I love the point to use the three primary colors. I have no idea what went wrong. I feel I used too many colors and the deficient amount of details did not suit the size of the canvas. My favorite parts of it are; the bottom right corner, the yellow moose and how the red and blue and turquoise dots go along together. One day this piece will give me a horrible nightmare… My self-portrait turned out very well. My favorite parts of it is the textures of the clothes. It was fun to starts with a base color and later on ad the shades and highlights. I do also like the eyes. They feel very real. Although I do not think it is awesome. Mainly since it is a zoomed-in painting of my face painted by me. More selfish than that can it not be.
I have learned plenty this semester. I have realized that abstract art is much harder than realistic. When I return to Sweden I will buy myself some art supplies and start to improve the abstract part of me. I have also learned to work more independent and to be more secure when mixing colors. And, I would also say that I am proud of myself that turned my final project into a challenge I never would have accepted last semester. This has been a wonderful journey. Never would I have guessed that painting would be such a big part of my exchange year as it turned out. I have been capable to do things I never even would imagine 10 months back in time. Back then, had I only worked with some water color. It feels pleasant and odd to discover a talent like this from out of nowhere. Thank you so much for being my teacher this year and for that you helped me let out my passion for art!:D