focus

Painted as a project for My Painting Environments class: https://skl.sh/32Khrti I am studying and working on my environment paintings, focusing on building textures and painting with light. This was submitted as my project for a Painting Environments course. If you have any advise, tips or comments on this painting I would love to hear from you. Thanks! Epic Valley Project parameters: - Hugh, expansive valley with mix of grassy and rocky terrain - Haunting, dramatic sky with rays of light beaming - Stone formations

An article/rant/annotation to an illustration. A #Hackney bar and its flies. This picture is not as sad and blue as it might at first seem, I promise. It is early in the week and the pub becomes the territory of the most outspoken drinkers. Raised somewhere between Churchill and Harold MacMillan, a night such as this is time for them to spin out a yarn of nostalgic fantasy. Encouraged by the lack of a crowd and with space to fill, statements start to fly. In the opening rounds the barman athletically hits back with factual blocks and reality-check haymakers; statistics and personal experiences are given. Two histories cross examined, one where 1982 means Thatcher and the Falklands, the other renders Reagan and the AIDS crisis. Stoicism and national pride vs mental health and realism. In the latter rounds the barman is fatigued, swaying on the backbar, glasses begin to stack up as form begins to drop. The older men seem stronger than ever. The barflies come in close now, they scrutinise his generations work ethic and make wild political comments on poverty, immigrants and the minimum wage. The barman is close to sheer bloody despair, he maintains his defence and focuses on breathing while maintaining his professional stance. But at the end of the night the barman knows HE will ring that bell, they will politely leave and they will return again in a week and maybe, just maybe there will be a change, common ground or maybe at least polite silence. But what these interactions have given despite the salt in the eye is community and an exchange between generations, culture and class of those participating. No home is ever straight forward, no relative without their good and bad traits and in a world where we often slide into echo chambers online or in our physical environments, the pub is still a place where society is family, face to face, pint to pint. Or maybe it's just a room with alcohol on tap?

Peter took His Eye off Jesus and began to sink. Medium: Acrylic on canvas Size: 11”x 15” Date: 2019-2020 This illustration is one of nine, in a mural about the ministry of Christ. This image is block number 7. This painting illustrates Jesus rescuing peter, as he start to sink in to the sea, because he lost his faith when took his eyes off Jesus, and focused on the violence of the winds and waves of the storm. Matthew 14:22-33 New American Standard Bible (NASB) Jesus Walks on the Water 22 Immediately He [a]made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 24 But the boat was already [b]a long distance from the land, [c]battered by the waves; for the wind was [d]contrary. 25 And in the [e]fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out [f]in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!” When I did my research, I Found very few biblical accurate illustrations of the event. Very few captured the darkness and valiance of a stormy sky taking place at 3:00 am in the morning (which is the forth watch of the night. Many illustrations I found, their skies were too bright and calm. I found that the seas in these illustration had the same lack of movement and violence, the sea would have in a storm that was so strong the disciples were not able to make any headway in their crossing the lake. I notice that all illustrations of Jesus walking on water, show the viewer His feet. In reality the waves would most likely block the viewer from seeing his feet on top of the water. The unavoidable black eye in most of these illustrations of Jesus walking on water, is the ridicules and unrealistic possess they have Jesus in, of Him rescuing Peter. You know the ones where He is making some kind of sign with one hand, as it is held up toward the sky, and one hand reaching down to peter. What was I trying to accomplish in my illustration? I want to be careful, to being accurate with costumes styles, and colors worn by the poor people of Galilean society. I wanted to be accurate in illustrating a storm on the sea of Galilee. I looked over numerous photos on line, of storms taking place on the Sea of Galilee. To understanding how the water and sky behave during a storm I studied the colors of sky, clouds, and water, during these conditions, in this location of the world? Showing movement in the air and the water. I used stylist brush strokes, to create movement in the sky and in the water. I am hoping to make people feel the storm’s violent energy. Showing power of the wind blowing against the bodies of Jesus and peter, through the movement of clothes, and hair. Showing the anxiety of Pete, with his body swallowed up to the waist, his face looking up to Jesus to rescue him from drowning. Showing that Jesus offers security to Peter, from being swept away by the wave of the sea. By his secure grasp of Peter’s back arms. He is able to lift Peter out of the water. The message I want my view to receive, is that everyone who comes into the world will experience trials and tribulation. We can overcome our fears and be filled with courage, to enable us to battle our ways through these storm in life. When we place our trust in the one who has authority over the power of the storm, who is Jesus a member of the trinity of God that created all things. Written by Stephen J. Vattimo 3/16/2020

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I drew a braid today I said to myself that I was going to start doing more painting and graphite work I showed it to my brother and he immediately saw it to be a braid so I was happy about that. I was sketching braids out a lot yesterday and now I’m trying to work on my shading and value tones for this piece. I think the shading came out OK I do think it can be better. I’m thinking about taking one or two days off from work just so can I really focus on more art.

So yeah, I will color this image and add a word bubble. But um, this was my honest reaction to season two of Hazbin. Soooo, I will continue the roller coaster ride, but my ears will burn from the singing and my eyes will be scratched out due to the content in which I am forcing them to focus on. I might even go see a therapist and question all my life choices.

I think It's none other than my heart that covers one's eyes. To see, hear, think, and speak as the mind pleases. Mistakes can happen, and some people focus only on themselves and say things they shouldn't say to someone. When someone doesn't live blind anymore and one day can see the real world with one's own eyes, will feel deceived and feel anger and futility etc. I wanted to say that if look at the world with the eyes of heart, Can't see the reality.

For this series, I'm trying to hone my beginner skills by focusing on the architecture of each strange creature through reference photos, while also using it as a log for interesting animal facts.

This is my first full landscape project that I painted for a skillshare course. It was frustrating at times but I really enjoyed working through the multiple steps of this painting. I wanted to see what I could do it I pushed myself and I am happy with the final painting. I need to focus some more study on trees in the future, I like how the foreground tree came out, the forest edge was much more difficult. I attached the progess photos of this painting from sketch to final piece I painted this as my project piece for course on Skillshare: https://skl.sh/2O4p8Gp Here are my progess photos: https://www.skillshare.com/projects/Sacred-Valley/209235

I did this artwork for a public art exhibition called "Home is where the Art is". Initially the drawing was supposed to just be a open mouth with a snake coming out of it but I felt that it lacked a story and a strong enough message so I drew the other snakes on and added the 2 other faces. The story behind this image is entirely up to the viewer but my take on it was that different people react differently to certain information, my main focus was the distribution of secrets and since many teenager refer to people that let their secrets loose as snakes I thought why not depict it in that form. The drawing displays three reactions to learning another's secret, one passes the secret on to another, the other defends it ferociously in your face but lets it slip loose when nobodies looking and the other receives the information and holds onto it

The materials that Meir uses in her works are not of the refined and so she is called an “arte povere” artist. At times she describes her work as someone dealing in alchemy - work develops as in a trial laboratory with different techniques and materials. She says, “ at times the artistic work process is a sort of puzzle demanding the filling in of all the empty squares “. Some of her work focuses on women, and they incorporate criticism and cultural protest. Meir has strong opinions about recycling and environmental protection that is represented in her works by use of materials and shapes. In her work she reacts to contemporary art that communicates with the eco system, waste, and she also searches for different worlds. Her works are made up of layers upon colorful layers that when we look at them it becomes clear that the mound of waste she chose is not coincidental. It actually becomes a colorful kaleidoscope of utopia. Jaffa Meir is a multifaceted, autodidact artist working in painting, sculpture, photography, product design, carpets and furniture, painting on textile, and computer graphics. The structural composition of some of the works is influenced also by her many years of working in the architects’ office. Meir also worked in the developing of ideas within the field of ecosystems and recycling for factories such as Coca Cola, and during this process came up with ideas for designing parks and public game spaces using industrial waste products.

Focusing on muscles and anatomy on this (though I didn't base it off of anything it's vaguely humanoid) I was really happy with how it turned out!

I’m bad at hair yet I chose to attempt curls..oh the irony. What are your thoughts or critique? My main focus was shading and eyes, but feel free to leave your thoughts on this as a whole

To draw is to notice. To notice is to pause. And sometimes, all it takes is a barefoot boy in a camping chair, chasing the drips of a popsicle, to remind us what it means to be here. This is Popsiclence—a sacred kind of focus. It’s where observational drawing leads us: out of the swirl, into the now. And in that now, we heal.

The materials that Meir uses in her works are not of the refined and so she is called an “arte povere” artist. At times she describes her work as someone dealing in alchemy - work develops as in a trial laboratory with different techniques and materials. She says, “ at times the artistic work process is a sort of puzzle demanding the filling in of all the empty squares “. Some of her work focuses on women, and they incorporate criticism and cultural protest. Meir has strong opinions about recycling and environmental protection that is represented in her works by use of materials and shapes. In her work she reacts to contemporary art that communicates with the eco system, waste, and she also searches for different worlds. Her works are made up of layers upon colorful layers that when we look at them it becomes clear that the mound of waste she chose is not coincidental. It actually becomes a colorful kaleidoscope of utopia. Jaffa Meir is a multifaceted, autodidact artist working in painting, sculpture, photography, product design, carpets and furniture, painting on textile, and computer graphics. The structural composition of some of the works is influenced also by her many years of working in the architects’ office. Meir also worked in the developing of ideas within the field of ecosystems and recycling for factories such as Coca Cola, and during this process came up with ideas for designing parks and public game spaces using industrial waste products.

been watching some proko vids lately, as well as reading through Andrew Loomis’s head and face anatomy book; practice and more practice haha. What do you think I should focus on? ^^

Acrylic on wood 38x19cm Society makes me sick, so i try to keep my focus on the things i love.

Poor blobfish! (For this series, I'm trying to hone my beginner skills by focusing on the architecture of each strange creature through reference photos, while also using it as a log for interesting animal facts.

Used a reference, wanted to focus on shading.

Adhd meds at their best. Felt tip fun.

A striking, high-contrast graphite study of a hand in the act of writing. Created in a rapid 45-minute sitting through self-observation, this piece captures the intricate anatomy and focused tension of the artist's own hand as it holds the pen. The tip being pencil the top being pen and finger tips slightly smudged incorporate all aspects of the mediums used to create it.

This is a portrait of Johnny Depp as Grindelwald. I mainly focused on the texture of the skin and the intensity of his eye.

The materials that Meir uses in her works are not of the refined and so she is called an “arte povere” artist. At times she describes her work as someone dealing in alchemy - work develops as in a trial laboratory with different techniques and materials. She says, “ at times the artistic work process is a sort of puzzle demanding the filling in of all the empty squares “. Some of her work focuses on women, and they incorporate criticism and cultural protest. Meir has strong opinions about recycling and environmental protection that is represented in her works by use of materials and shapes. In her work she reacts to contemporary art that communicates with the eco system, waste, and she also searches for different worlds. Her works are made up of layers upon colorful layers that when we look at them it becomes clear that the mound of waste she chose is not coincidental. It actually becomes a colorful kaleidoscope of utopia. Jaffa Meir is a multifaceted, autodidact artist working in painting, sculpture, photography, product design, carpets and furniture, painting on textile, and computer graphics. The structural composition of some of the works is influenced also by her many years of working in the architects’ office. Meir also worked in the developing of ideas within the field of ecosystems and recycling for factories such as Coca Cola, and during this process came up with ideas for designing parks and public game spaces using industrial waste products.

I’d say my main focus for this was to practice hair, but as always, critique is welcome on it as a whole ^^

The word prompt was "Teeth" and I used the Zentangle pattern "Itch" for the scales on the dragon. This picture sums up the (bad?) advice given to us Anxiety ridden folks - "Focus on one thing at a time." Yeh, how's that working for you?

The solar eclipse was incredible for me on many levels ~ In deep mediation the movement of the solar eclipse inspired me, grounded me and offered an intense level of focus and internal balance of the feminine and masculine within us all ~ Parts of this ongoing collage has been done with the left hand. Grounding and clearing tools I like to use: Florida water, Sage ash, Palo ash (all ethically sourced and pure)

Two-faced demon - I didn't want to add a whole bunch of detail, I wanted it to stay focused on her face.

This portrait is the darkest in the series, examining the internal malice that persists even when communication is restricted, illustrating that evil doesn't require a loud voice. * Visual Focus: The mask's mouth is horrifyingly held closed across the center by surgical thread and a needle, which only covers half of the wide, unnerving smile. The stitching reveals a set of sharp, feral teeth underneath. Disturbingly, a pair of prominent horns protrude from the top of the mask's head. * Symbolism: * The Stitched Mouth: Represents the idea of selective silence or the censorship of truth. The fact that the stitching only covers half the mouth highlights the "half-done" nature of modern morality. The revealed sharp teeth suggest that even in silence, the capacity for vicious, cutting, or "devilish" speech remains barely contained. Showed directly on the piece by the date being misleading. * The Horns: A classic, unambiguous symbol of the Devil or pure malice. This is the figure's core identity—it suggests that even while hiding behind a neutral mask and being partially silenced, the individual's "tongue like the devil" and evil intent are still very much present, emphasizing the inherent corruption and hypocrisy behind the facade.

This figure explores how the relentless pursuit of monetary gain and digital distraction stifles genuine attention and moral listening. * Visual Focus: The mask is equipped with a headphone covering a single ear. The headphone wire is visibly broken, frayed, and cut short, suggesting a deliberate disconnect or a failed attempt at communication. A small coin dangles conspicuously from the corner of the figure's mouth. * Symbolism: * The Headphones: Represent modern distraction and the ability to selectively "tune out" inconvenient truths or moral calls. The broken, frayed wire reinforces the idea of a failed connection to the real world. * The Coin in the Mouth: Serves as a powerful, visceral metaphor for being "consumed by monetary means." It connects the act of speaking/listening to the theme of greed, suggesting that the voice and ear are functionally "plugged" or corrupted by the all-consuming focus on wealth. The refusal to hear moral guidance is dictated by the pursuit of money.

After a year of really focusing on the fundamentals I decided to try my hand at some simple studies regarding facial features and attempted hair. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated, as I’m wanting to continue to learn and improve!