Beauty is Everywhere

This month, I have decided to put together a review piece on a once very popular television show that I watched in my youth. I can remember turning on my box television, and seeing the curly haired man with his huge palate ready to paint. He talked to the camera like it was a real person, and held a conversation with it, making my young self feel as though he was talking directly to me. He painted beautiful landscapes, and I watched in awe. This man was the famous Bob Ross. I decided to revisit this show from my childhood, and find out if the curly headed man could still capture my imagination with his beautiful paintings.

Bob Ross, doing one of his famous landscape paintings.

For this review, I have chosen episode 15 from season one of Bob's show, called Bob Ross: Beauty is Everywhere. This episode is entitled "Tranquil Dawn".

The first thing I notice is that this show would be hard to follow for someone who had very basic knowledge of  painting techniques. The way Bob paints is very nonchalant. He does not provide much detail on how to paint, only the colors is he using and basic placement. Bob also works at such a pace that he completes a full painting in only thirty minutes. This would make it hard for painters at home to keep up, or to even hope to produce a similar result.

The thing I love most about this show is that it encourages creativity and imagination. Instead of telling viewers exactly what to put onto the canvas, Bob encourages viewers to make their own decisions about the painting, and to create something that is unique to them. I think that this is such an important aspect of art. Bob is also very good about giving helpful tips about brush cleaning, as well as brush loading, which is how paint is deposited into the bristles of the brush. He also has such a great personality, often telling stories about his personal life. In this episode, he speaks about young squirrels that he keeps in his home, and even provides a clip of one. This makes viewers, myself included, feel more connected to him, and it makes him more relate able.

Overall, this show is just as great as I remember it being. It still amazes me that some paint and brushes can create a beautiful picture that looks as though it came straight from the mountains. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is entertained by art, or is looking for a show that will help them paint by example. It may take some pausing, but I think that it's a great way to watch what is possible with painting.

Thank you for reading this month's post, and I hope you enjoyed my review of Bob Ross: Beauty is Everywhere. I hope you will visit my page again next month!

Art Throughout the Ages

Throughout the thousands of years that humans have walked the earth, art has been present. From the earliest of our ancestors drawing in caves, to the modern paintings of the present, we can see the creativity of the human mind. This post will cover the biggest periods of art throughout history, from the very beginning until today.

Prehistoric Art 30,000 BC- 539 BC
This era in art history featured cave paintings. Early humans used rocks and minerals to scratch drawings of people, animals, and meaningful symbols into the walls of the caves in which they lived. A strong theme is prehistoric art is the feminine figure. Many believe the pieces featuring women are representative of fertility. Every day, more and more of these paintings are being uncovered, and many efforts have gone into restoring them. Art from this period is quite primitive, but can teach us about the ways and thoughts of the people that came before us.

Egyptian Art 3100 BC- 30 BC
Egyptian art is well known by many, especially the great architecture. The paintings and sculptures that the Ancient Egyptians made were highly stylized and symbolic, often representing religious figures. These sculptures were placed in the tombs of the dead to help "guide" them to the afterlife. Paintings were often made to show the head of a person or animal from a side profile, but have the body facing forward. Egyptians used materials in their paint that could withstand strong heat and sunlight, so people still enjoy their art today.

Medieval / Renaissance Art 500 AD- 1550 AD
The Middle Ages was an era dominated by Gothic art. Art was dark and gloomy, and often featured religious matters, as this was the time of the Crusades. Many cathedrals, castles, and other looming structures were built during this time as well. The Renaissance was a period of rebirth, in which many new famous artists came to be, including Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, and many others. Renaissance art was more life like than art of the Middle Ages. It showed depth, perspective, and details that captured human beauty and the pleasures of life.

Baroque Art 1600-1750 AD
Baroque Art was rooted in the time of the Thirty Years War between the Catholics and the Protestants, so art from this period featured very religious images. Art was often used as a sort of weapon between both religions, sending powerful messages about the splendor of God and the afterlife.

Romanticism 1780-1850 AD
The Romanticism period was an era of immense imagination and creativity, taking place during the French Revolution. It placed emphasis on such emotions as apprehension, horror, terror, and awe. Artists were praised for creating works out of their own heads, creating "something out of nothing". Works from this period often featured the beauty of nature, or heroes.

Realism 1848-1900 
Realism also began in France, but rejected the exaggerated emotion and imagination of Romanticism. It focused on working class men and women, and works were often rustic and plain. Artists of this time attempted to represent subject matter truthfully, avoiding supernatural and exotic elements.

Impressionism 1865-1885 AD
Impressionism is considered by many to be the first modern art movement. Art of this period is characterized by thin, yet visible brush strokes. Artists accurately captured light, often showing it over the passage of time, such as in a sunrise. The artists also used research of the physics of color, so they could capture a more exact representation of tone hue. Most works from the Impressionism period are outdoor scenes.

Expressionism 1900-1935 AD
Expressionism was a modern art movement that originated in Germany in the 19th century. Art of this point was very subjected, and distorted from the artist's point of view in order to evoke emotion or mood. Artist's aimed to evoke emotion, rather than actual reality. This style can also be seen in the architecture, theater, and literature of this time.

Abstract/ Pop Art 1940's-1960's AD
Abstract Expressionism was very American- spirited and romantic in mood, and expressed a very rugged individual freedom. The Pop Art style exploded in the 1960's, when artists used images that were very commercially recognizable for their art. Possibly the most popular artist of this period is Andy Warhol, who is famous for his renditions of Marilyn Monroe and the Campbell's soup cans.

Deconstructivism 1970 AD- Present
This art movement encourages freedom of form. It focuses on open interpretation and complexity rather than typical style and conventions. It is often described as one of the most visually striking and complicated art styles.

It is obvious from the timeline above that art has been prominent throughout all of human history, and will continue to be such until humans no longer inhabit the earth. Over the years, generations have come up with new styles and techniques to represent various emotions and imagery. It is clear that art has a profound impact on people, and is important for creativity and expression. I hope you have enjoyed this month's post, please let me known what you think in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

Happy Fall, Y'all

With Halloween already far behind us, and Thanksgiving just around the corner, it is safe to say that fall is well upon us. This means tons of yellow, red, and orange, and all things nature. The aesthetic of fall is so universally known that just searching the word conjures up thousands of images of pumpkins, turkeys, and fall trees.

Often, people bring the feeling of the season into their own homes with decor and furnishings that scream "It's finally fall!". They fill their houses with artificial leaves and pine cones, and pretty much anything pumpkin spice.

These decorations are beautiful, and completely evoke the feeling of the crisp, cool autumn season, but are often expensive, and are only used for a short amount of time before Christmas decorations start flying off of shelves world wide.

So, why not bring fall into your home without spending tons of money? DIY decor is so fun, simple, and such an easy way to add a personal touch to any space

In this post, I will show you how to create a simple yet beautiful watercolor that is guaranteed to bring the feeling of fall into your home. It is quick, easy to do, and is sure to have anyone who sees it feeling the fall time spirit! I hope you enjoy and try this DIY at home for yourself!

1. Gather Your Materials. For this project, you will need the following:

• 1 piece of watercolor paper
• A roll of masking tape
• Watercolor paints- green, yellow, red, orange, and brown
• Brushes
• Black acrylic paint or a sharpie for lettering
• A bowl of water

2. Put down masking tape on the paper so that there are lines of negative space scattered randomly.

3. Lay down a light wash of colors over the whole paper. This will serve as a foundation and will make blending later easier. Make sure your paints are plenty wet.

4. Continue layering and adding colors to the paper. This will add dimension and depth to your painting. This is the step where you can choose how subdued or how intense you want your color saturation to be.

5. When you are satisfied with your result, give the paint a few minutes to set so that it is not runny, and then remove the tape, revealing your negative space.

6. Use a pencil and write the words, "Happy Fall, Y'all" on your painting. You may choose any font or saying that you would like. This is just the one I chose for this tutorial.

 7. Trace over the writing with black paint or a sharpie, and enjoy your DIY fall craft!

So it Begins...

Honestly, when my English teacher told me I'd have to create a blog and regularly post on it until the end of the school year in May, I was less than thrilled. I have had little to no previous experience with them, other than clicking the occasional Pinterest link. When asked to come up with a theme that my blog would be centered about, I had no clue what I wanted to write about. But then I got to thinking about subjects that I could easily write about and not get bored with after a month. And then it hit me. I would write about art.

Besides the one hour class I take four days a week, I don't have much time for art in my free time. There's no time for sketching, shading, and painting when you are an athlete, student, and generally very involved in more than just showing up to school every day. Between school, games every weekend, family and friends, I hardly have two hours to myself to just sit down and let the creative juices flow.

So, I'm going to use this blog as an excuse to take time out of my busy life to do one of my favorite things- create. It will give me a valid reason to step away from all of the duties of my every day life.

This blog will be used as a way to better my artistic abilities, explore new techniques, and share my hobby with other people who share my passion for pretty things.