The Painting Struggle... I Need Your Help!

After waiting most the summer to re reunited with my paint brushes and paints I FINALLY got to make a few strokes. Now I sit at the awkward point of do I keep adding paint to this piece? OR Left it alone. Being that I'm no longer in school I can't just drag them to class and ask a room of 15 of my peers what they think. SOOOOO like many struggling artist I turn to the internet for opinions, critique, & criticism. 

Tell me what you think.....

Add thicker paint or leave it flat?

Refine the upper body then leave it along or add more?

Except for the unfinished elephant, Should I add a layer on each of those canvases or  only some or none ?

Summertime Fine.

Just some things that I experimented with this summer. I wanted to explore a few things I never had time to try while I was in school and expand on other ideas I had started. 

Staring some heels, A 3D wall hanging in progress, Plastic Bag Experiments, Wine Glass Painting 

Used duct tape to make tiger trips for my Bestie's horn. 

Shirt Dress I made out of my Daddys old dress shirt. Heels in progress. 

Clutch made of old coin wrappers. Junk Clutch 

Took the fake hair and made a dress. Yea its weird, but a good experiment. 

More ELEPHANTS !

Bunch of elephants and elephant related things I made in one of my last collegiate art classes. It was a human figure class but I managed to find a way around that. 

Figure study with an elephant head

More figure studies and little elephants I sculpted 

my portrait bust 

Everything all painted and glazed on the final day 

The Elephant in the Room...

Various paints I have made all centered around elephants. Many ask me why elephants, whats is so great about them? The truth is I have always LOVED elephants, there my favorite animal. As I got older elephants remained one of my obsessions. They comfort me when I'm down and bring me joy. Elephants to me are peaceful creatures. They raise families, the fall in love, they remember. I feel like I am an elephant, or as my bestie would say Lynelephant. 

First Elephant Reduction Lino Print

First Elephant Calligraph (un-soaked paper)

Elephant Calligraphs (un-soaked & soaked paper)

Mounted Elephant Calligraph Print

Second Elephant Calligraph, printed on tie-dye cotton fabric 

Various Elephant Prints, calligraph & lino 

Version II  of Elephant Lino Prints

Version I :Calligraph Pattern & Lino Elephant

Version II: Calligraph Patterns & Lino Elephant

Version III: Calligraph Patterns & Lino Elephants 

FragAd Dress

This dress is made of fragrance ads from all the magazines i'd saved knowing they'd be useful one day. As well as various recycled pieces of fabric to create the structure for the ads. I made to dress to reference the fear I have of smelling bad in public, its one the few things I constantly worry about. The dress's skirt was constructed  to flow away for the body , keeping people from getting close. The dress also smells great.

Wore this as part of my final presentation in my drawing class. 

Close up detail of the top. 

Photos By: Chris A. Smith

Dress By: L. Phillips (me)

The Scavenger Dress

During my final year of college I tapped into something in me that had been there all along, my love for fashion. After being given more freedom with the direction of my work I decided to grab hold and go with it. The result the Scavenger Dress. I started by gathering all the scrap pieces of fabric around my bedroom and all the Arizona drink can I could find and got to work. . . 

Later I got a friend of mine, Nova, to take photos of me in the dress to give its full effect. The dress and the photos go hand in hand as a cohesive piece of work.  

Photos By: Chris A. Smith 

Dress By: L. Phillip (me)

I Graduated from College! ... now what?

    Finally!  I am a college graduate. It feels good to finally finish school and start the next phase of my life. The problem is I have no real concrete idea what this next phase is going to be. 
    I attended Towson University for my 4 years of college and studied art (painting, drawing, and printmaking). My entire final year of school EVERYONE kept asking "what are your plans after college?" or "what do you do with an art degree?". To be honest I had NO IDEA. I just want to make art and be happy but in today's America its easier said then done. SO I decided I was just gonna pray, work, and continue to make art until something happens. 

  That's where this blog comes in to play. I realized I needed somewhere to just put my artwork up for display, discussion, & critique. Also a place to refer people to that was separate from the rest of my life. (if you're only interested in my work you don't you wanna see 300 pictures of my godson while trying to see my work) So this is it, my start to the next phase in my life. Hope ya'll enjoy. 

(My lil Brother Ben & I on graduation day)