Ben Neuman AP Art Studio

In reflection of this year in AP Art, it was a difficult but worthwhile year. Even knowing how slow I am to get art projects done, I took on two art classes. Things were made even more difficult with my decreasing motivation. However, to counteract that, I was able to make a couple friends to help me stay motivated to get work done. I am very grateful for that. It is also because I had two classes that I had enough good art pieces to sent in for my portfolio for college, which got me a really good scholarship. I did get very worn out this year, though mostly my own fault for not getting things done sooner. Apart from increasing skill and knowledge, I have also gotten faster at doing things. I have created the most art this year than I have in any years past.

                                                                                                                                                      

The monsters in a child’s nightmares and imagination are the main idea of my concentration. Some children have an overactive imagination which, though they are likely to be creative, will cause them to imagine and dream about things that instill great fear in them. I was one such child. This remains prevalent wherever they go and causes frequent nightmares. My concentration expresses the different places and ways such a horrific imagination can seep into their conscious.

A different monster is featured in each illustration and usually reflects its environment or a feeling associated with the piece. I used different drawing mediums that were on a grey scale or black and white such as graphite and ink to contribute to the mood.  In image 4, the drawing is about when a child is in a forest and hears noises that originate from what is normally an animal. Catching only a glimpse of the creature as it avoids them, their imagination takes over and they imagine the monstrosity depicted. The creature is a combination of several different animals. This can be seen as their imagination in the moment or the nightmare they have about the experience afterward. Image 12 depicts a child getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or to get a drink of water. As he walks through the hallway, he feels he is being watched and that there is something in the darkness. The Resident Evil inspired black substance of the creature grows across the floor and the walls, creeping up on him. All of its eyes are on him. Not all of the pictures feature a child because it is from the perspective of the child as they look upon the monster, or in one case they are the monster.