Henry Wise Wood Student Work Gallery
I create artwork for myself mainly, but also for other people to interpret on their own. Many, if not all of my art, is built off of an idea of fantasy and surrealism. I generally try to avoid realism; I take things I think are pretty from real life and put my own spin on them to make them my own. Most of the time, however, I spontaneously paint out my artwork. By showing my artwork, I hope to show people how fantasy can be just as impactful as any other kinds of art. I also want to show how use of colour is significant in art. Most of my pieces, such as Golden Horns and Separation have bold, solid colored backgrounds; it allows for the main subject of the art to pop. These bold backgrounds also help show my style, and push that feeling of mystery by using abnormal colours. This contrast helps present my artwork better, as it will catch the eyes of the audience, and cause them to stop and look deeper into the work. I hope by showing off my artwork, people look deeper into the meanings. On the outside my art is simply an expression of my compassion for fantasy, but I really draw them to describe real situations, mainly about mental health. This is why I draw fantasy; it shows an escape from reality, running from the real problems of the world.
Fantastical elements, contrast, humanoids, bold colours, and clean linework is a consistent motif through my art, it shows confidence in my style and skills. Something that I'm keen on working on is making my pieces look more 3D. One of my later pieces, Cut Up, shows how I have improved on this. When comparing this charcoal work with my previous charcoal drawings, the strokes show how I have created a deeper understanding of drawing in 3D. Something I’ve also been putting more effort into is backgrounds; I have a few artworks that are mainly focused on the landscape to help with this. These works consist of Reality Undefined and Eternal Growth. Many real-life experiences have helped influence my work and how I express myself. Just like a lot of people today, I have struggled with mental health, especially starting in grade 9-10. Video games were one of my escapism mechanisms, and that spilled into my art, as I usually play open world games that have beautiful landscapes and worldspace. I’ve been doing art ever since I was little; I began with paper and pencil, and then became very focused on pencil crayons. Eventually I moved onto digital, using a mouse for about a year until I got a tablet. Digital art is the media I used for much of my artwork now. It was not until recently I used paint and charcoal media.
I would like to set up my exhibit very naturally. I’d like it to look like a little room set up in a corner, my clay log-bowl on a pedestal in the center, with easels and a foldable wall to hang up paintings around the corner, encasing the display into a little room. From the easels, I’d hang a string of fairy lights in between them and the foldable wall. The reason I’d set it up this way is simply because I like the aesthetic and it would match with my semi realism and fantasy-oriented style, giving a feeling of security as peacefulness when viewing my artwork. My art also has hidden meanings of many real-life situations, showing that even in the safety of our rooms, there are terrible things going on outside. I would also position my artworks in a way that shows how my style progressed, or group pieces that go together in terms of meanings, colour, media, etcetera. I want my audience to appreciate my artwork, I want it to appear pleasing to the eye, therefore people will look into my work for a longer period of time, and interpret their own meaning from it, even if it isn't the same as what I intended it to be.
Fantastical elements, contrast, humanoids, bold colours, and clean linework is a consistent motif through my art, it shows confidence in my style and skills. Something that I'm keen on working on is making my pieces look more 3D. One of my later pieces, Cut Up, shows how I have improved on this. When comparing this charcoal work with my previous charcoal drawings, the strokes show how I have created a deeper understanding of drawing in 3D. Something I’ve also been putting more effort into is backgrounds; I have a few artworks that are mainly focused on the landscape to help with this. These works consist of Reality Undefined and Eternal Growth. Many real-life experiences have helped influence my work and how I express myself. Just like a lot of people today, I have struggled with mental health, especially starting in grade 9-10. Video games were one of my escapism mechanisms, and that spilled into my art, as I usually play open world games that have beautiful landscapes and worldspace. I’ve been doing art ever since I was little; I began with paper and pencil, and then became very focused on pencil crayons. Eventually I moved onto digital, using a mouse for about a year until I got a tablet. Digital art is the media I used for much of my artwork now. It was not until recently I used paint and charcoal media.
I would like to set up my exhibit very naturally. I’d like it to look like a little room set up in a corner, my clay log-bowl on a pedestal in the center, with easels and a foldable wall to hang up paintings around the corner, encasing the display into a little room. From the easels, I’d hang a string of fairy lights in between them and the foldable wall. The reason I’d set it up this way is simply because I like the aesthetic and it would match with my semi realism and fantasy-oriented style, giving a feeling of security as peacefulness when viewing my artwork. My art also has hidden meanings of many real-life situations, showing that even in the safety of our rooms, there are terrible things going on outside. I would also position my artworks in a way that shows how my style progressed, or group pieces that go together in terms of meanings, colour, media, etcetera. I want my audience to appreciate my artwork, I want it to appear pleasing to the eye, therefore people will look into my work for a longer period of time, and interpret their own meaning from it, even if it isn't the same as what I intended it to be.
Golden Horns
Acrylic Paint on Wood
30.5 cm x 25.5 cm
The black dripping from the eye represents the corruption tainting her soul, she pulls her eyelid down to try and drain it out; however, her expression shows that it has already taken a toll. The eye shines a bright blue, affected by the corruption inside, the horns of this humanoid begin to shine and sparkle, giving off the opposite signs of what would be considered dangerous, attracting more to the corruption inside her.
Acrylic Paint on Wood
30.5 cm x 25.5 cm
The black dripping from the eye represents the corruption tainting her soul, she pulls her eyelid down to try and drain it out; however, her expression shows that it has already taken a toll. The eye shines a bright blue, affected by the corruption inside, the horns of this humanoid begin to shine and sparkle, giving off the opposite signs of what would be considered dangerous, attracting more to the corruption inside her.
Separation
Oil and Acrylic Paint on Canvas
30.5 cm x 40.6 cm
The red background embodies the feeling of danger, yet desire. The girl floating in this background is separated by a bold, white outline, isolating herself from the danger; although this also isolates her from her desires. We cannot avoid all dangers, without also avoiding a lot of what brings us joy. The ‘potion’ bottle represents medication to escape but ends up separating herself entirely from reality. This was first painted with oil, then touched up with a layer of acrylic.
Oil and Acrylic Paint on Canvas
30.5 cm x 40.6 cm
The red background embodies the feeling of danger, yet desire. The girl floating in this background is separated by a bold, white outline, isolating herself from the danger; although this also isolates her from her desires. We cannot avoid all dangers, without also avoiding a lot of what brings us joy. The ‘potion’ bottle represents medication to escape but ends up separating herself entirely from reality. This was first painted with oil, then touched up with a layer of acrylic.
Eternal Growth
Acrylic Paint on Wood
32 cm x 33 cm
This shows a creature growing a sapling from a forest of leafless trees. This art reflects how the human population, represented as the glowing green creature, can create something out of nothing. The destruction around us, the dead forest, isn’t entirely our doing, however, the power of all of us needed is to resurrect something out of nothing. The green glow gives the feeling of renewal, the pink blossoms off the sapling showing love. This was inspired by the flame atronach in the game Skyrim.
Acrylic Paint on Wood
32 cm x 33 cm
This shows a creature growing a sapling from a forest of leafless trees. This art reflects how the human population, represented as the glowing green creature, can create something out of nothing. The destruction around us, the dead forest, isn’t entirely our doing, however, the power of all of us needed is to resurrect something out of nothing. The green glow gives the feeling of renewal, the pink blossoms off the sapling showing love. This was inspired by the flame atronach in the game Skyrim.
Reality Undefined
Digital
88 cm x 88 cm
This piece consists of mainly blue colours, and a cave like environment. The blue represents tranquility. The towering stalactites, and the enclosed cave space, represents safety; or confinement. A bright light washes over the cave, specifically on the creature in the center. This light is breaking the false feeling of peace, and shining on the true reality, the ‘glitching’ creature; representing the corruption in all of our false realities. This piece was inspired by bioluminescence.
Digital
88 cm x 88 cm
This piece consists of mainly blue colours, and a cave like environment. The blue represents tranquility. The towering stalactites, and the enclosed cave space, represents safety; or confinement. A bright light washes over the cave, specifically on the creature in the center. This light is breaking the false feeling of peace, and shining on the true reality, the ‘glitching’ creature; representing the corruption in all of our false realities. This piece was inspired by bioluminescence.
Cut Up
Charcoal and Acrylic Paint on Multimedia Paper.
44.5 cm x 40.6 cm
The missing legs and arms on each subject represent trauma, showing how trauma and mental health-although it can’t physically be seen-feels like a disability to the person. The yellow background contrasting against the black charcoal shows the battle between the darkness of depression and hope of health. The black shapes in the background show the ‘hope’ being blotted out by our own thoughts. The smudged shapes show how they seep through these feelings of happiness.
Charcoal and Acrylic Paint on Multimedia Paper.
44.5 cm x 40.6 cm
The missing legs and arms on each subject represent trauma, showing how trauma and mental health-although it can’t physically be seen-feels like a disability to the person. The yellow background contrasting against the black charcoal shows the battle between the darkness of depression and hope of health. The black shapes in the background show the ‘hope’ being blotted out by our own thoughts. The smudged shapes show how they seep through these feelings of happiness.
Modern Nature
Clay and Acrylic Paint
22 cm x 7 cm x 26.6 cm
This was made to show how nature is being destroyed to make our little trinkets. The stump shaped as a bowl represents how all these things in nature are used to hold all of our desires and wants at the expense of the health of the environment. There is also a heart carved into the side with initials, exposing the fact that people say they care about the environment, but are doing more harm than good. During the process of painting, subtle gold highlights allowed the roots to pop.
Clay and Acrylic Paint
22 cm x 7 cm x 26.6 cm
This was made to show how nature is being destroyed to make our little trinkets. The stump shaped as a bowl represents how all these things in nature are used to hold all of our desires and wants at the expense of the health of the environment. There is also a heart carved into the side with initials, exposing the fact that people say they care about the environment, but are doing more harm than good. During the process of painting, subtle gold highlights allowed the roots to pop.
Snake Tattoo
Linoleum carving and Printmaking Ink onto Multimedia Paper
28 cm x 21.5 cm
This work expresses the essence of self-taint, and the importance of self-improvement. The snake, permanently ‘tattooed’ on the back of the girl shows how our toxic choices leave everlasting effects on ourselves and will be something stuck on us for our entire life. Self-improvement, represented by the leaves along the sides, shows how we can grow and develop as a person and leave our toxic traits behind.
Linoleum carving and Printmaking Ink onto Multimedia Paper
28 cm x 21.5 cm
This work expresses the essence of self-taint, and the importance of self-improvement. The snake, permanently ‘tattooed’ on the back of the girl shows how our toxic choices leave everlasting effects on ourselves and will be something stuck on us for our entire life. Self-improvement, represented by the leaves along the sides, shows how we can grow and develop as a person and leave our toxic traits behind.
Unigirl
Charcoal on Multimedia Paper
47 cm x 32 cm
This was originally a fanart of a character known as Soraka from League of Legends, but in the process evolved into something different. The grey scale contrasting against the yellow shirt and eyes, shows how we all have conflict within ourselves. The piercing yellow eyes show a warning to outside, as well as the horn atop the head, which could be seen as cute like a unicorn, but is really used as defense against the world. We are all fighting a battle against ourselves and our environment.
Charcoal on Multimedia Paper
47 cm x 32 cm
This was originally a fanart of a character known as Soraka from League of Legends, but in the process evolved into something different. The grey scale contrasting against the yellow shirt and eyes, shows how we all have conflict within ourselves. The piercing yellow eyes show a warning to outside, as well as the horn atop the head, which could be seen as cute like a unicorn, but is really used as defense against the world. We are all fighting a battle against ourselves and our environment.
Parted
Digital
88 cm x 106 cm
This piece explores the condition dissociative identity disorder. The character comes from a game Mystic Messenger, who has a separate personality which sparked the idea. The glowing string represents the tie the 2 personalities have, and how one will always have their hands on the other. The 2nd personality, in the black suit, represents the one who hung onto all the trauma experienced by the host-the one in the purple. The flowers show the few happy memories that the host still has left.
Digital
88 cm x 106 cm
This piece explores the condition dissociative identity disorder. The character comes from a game Mystic Messenger, who has a separate personality which sparked the idea. The glowing string represents the tie the 2 personalities have, and how one will always have their hands on the other. The 2nd personality, in the black suit, represents the one who hung onto all the trauma experienced by the host-the one in the purple. The flowers show the few happy memories that the host still has left.