Finally Finished Fine Art Portrait, YAHOO!

Here is my fine art self portrait 

I created this in photoshop

I edited down from the original version because of time restraint 

I'm semi happy about the finish, I love the dress I created but I'm still a little unsure about the head

I think it might be too big but I'm going to ask Jerry my teacher tomorrow what he thinks about it

Artist Comparison: Andy Warhol

I had to choose an artist who has already held a legacy and who has passed away,

 that similarities to my own work

After talking to my mentor Polly Becker she turned me on to another side of Warhol

I haven't done much research into Warhol but I am familiar with his prints.

She gave me examples of his work before he developed prints. 

He was an illustrator and had a whimsical style to his lines

Here are some examples of his work, our lines have similar qualities.

  

Very colorful, an aspect I also charish

In this subject is even similar to mine

This writing is very similar to her font I create in my book

My Bio

Biography

Melissa Ouimette is an aspiring Illustrator and Art Educator. She was born on June 29^th 1988, and was raised in Candia, NH. After graduating Central High School in Manchester, NH she didn’t move far to start her college education. She is currently working towards her BFA & Art Education Certification at the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, NH. Her love and dedication for helping children to learn has always been present throughout her life. Her teaching career began during her junior year of high school when she taught her first lesson on healthy eating habits and the benefits of exercise.  This lesson included a poster and brochure educating students to stay healthy. The opportunity for teaching as well as creating different art elements inspired her to become an art teacher. Since then she has volunteered in the community, to enrich and educate students about various art elements. She has volunteered at organizations such as Easter Seals and the Bring It program. She has also assisted teaching students at Highland Goffe’s Fall Elementary, Bow Elementary, and Campbell High School. While working to complete her education and continuing her volunteer work she has had time to create art that has been exhibited in several well-known galleries. You may have found her art displayed at the Currier Community Gallery, Scholastic Art Awards Gallery, and the yearly Amherst Gallery at NHIA. She is currently working on her first book entitled Sweet Tooth for Color. This book is designed to teach younger children their basic colors through the act of baking desserts. She has combined the love of color and baking into one simple guide. She has created lavish, textural paintings, that pair with her unique style of whimsical illustrations to create a child’s dream of a cookbook. You may also find a unique exhibition of her paintings in May 2011 at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, in Manchester, NH.

Life In Cupcakes

In the past year I have become obsessed with cupcakes. I just love the cuteness of the "cupcake"

So when ever I see anything cupcake related I CAN'T help myself. 

My boyfriend hasn't been so happy with my obsession since there are cupcakes all through out our room.

Cupcakes aren't exactly "manly"

Here is my mini collection of Cupcake Candles

I have two other Christmas Cupcake Candles that are already pack away

I buy these at Kohls & I hope they continue to make them for every holiday because I love them! 

Valentines Day Cupcake

It smells like vanilla <3

Winter Cupcake from My brother Jeremy

I went into joann fabrics to make baby blanket and saw this fabric and almost died,

I HAD to make one for myself

& it's really warm & soft

Felted Cupcake.

I absolutely love this. I want to get more but can't find any

Jeremy bought me this also from K-mart 

I haven't been able to find more but I would also love to learn how to make these

Cupcake Plate

Everyday I have cupcakes with me!

Cupcake scented hand sanitizers

Yes, even my CVS name tag must have a cupcake on it

GIANT cupcake cookie Jars

(currently hasn't held any cookies yet)

Even my Windows are decked out with Cupcakes

There Valentines inspired but i'm keeping them up all year long

Cupcake Lipgloss 

These are super cute and I will probably never use the lip gloss because I like them too much

Here is one opened The lip glosses are chocolate flavored

Cupcake earings

The pink ones are my favorite

Lovely cupcake notebook from one of my good friends Kim

Last but not least my cupcake apron that I haven't used yet because I don't want to get it messy

Thats my life in cupcakes! 

(scary I know)

Semi Final Version of Lemon Pie & Re-edits of Orange/Red pages

Here is my lemon pie, I'm still debating on adding a plate underneath

But i think it be a good idea but I'm not sure what color to make it

Texture of whipped toping on Pie

I added a little bit of brown into to show the crispiness 

of the topping once it is baked

Another view of pie topping

Re-edited orange

I'm taking out the color and just leaving it black and white

Re-edited red page 

without color

Artist Statement VI (Condensed)

I create happy paintings. I use bright colors to excite your eyes and to spark memories of your childhood. I want to give you the opportunity to escape your mature life of stress and woes and be lost in a fantasy world made of sugary baked goods. I love to teach children about art and this as affects my art style. I want to create images that are clear and vivid for a child to relate to. I apply large amounts of oil paints to create the texture in my desserts. Then I use toothpicks, plastic forks, popsicle sticks, and anything I can find to help me mold the texture I desire. Underneath I use my bright pallet of rainbow hues to enhance the playful quality in my style. My paintings are calorie free and come without that feeling of regret you may experience after you indulge. 

Business Cards are In!

My FIRST business cards! I order them from Moo.com. They were a little pricey which I thought would make the quality better. The finish is average. My image is darker than how I thought it would appear. Half my cards came out wrong but the good part is they are sending me my whole order over the way I want them, with out charge. A bonus was I can keep the bad ones. I wouldn't use them again because they were expensive and they didn't look any better than the average day business card. The holder was very neat though. It keeps them organized and prevents them from getting damaged.

Here is my information side for business card.

This is my image side. My photo of my painting printed dark than I expected.

It was decent printing but i expected more.

Working In My Studio

Here I am working on my lemon pie painting. I'm about half way done.

Here is a close up of the crust on my pie. I am making this extremely texture. 

I want a jagged and crumbly texture in this part of my painting

This is the cream on top of the lemon filling of the pie.

 I want to have it appear to me foamy and light.

How I achieved this technique is I took an extra large popsicle stick and dragged it on top of the paint

Here is the state that my painting is in right now. I still need to work on the lemon part more. i need to finish up the crust and also do the top of the pie. 

Here is my view from my studio. 

There is brilliant light to and it will make painting much easier

Drunk Monkey Hung up on the Wall!

Yup, Drunk Monkey was good enough for the wall! While taking this photo a gentleman came over to me and asked me if i did this. I responded and said i did then he asked how I created this and he said he has never used computers to create art. He then completed me on how realistic it was and how the image was funny with a drunk monkey. Looking at the others not he wall my defiantly stand outs with my bright colors, the funny position of items, and i'm the only one who chose to use the monkey in my composition. Seeing my art on the wall and receiving good comments has brighten my day =]

Artist Statement IV Edited by My Lovely Aunt Kelly

Artist Statement 

I have a happy life and because of the joy in my life, I create happy paintings. I use bright colors to excite the viewers’ eyes and to spark memories of their childhood days when everything was light and cheerful. As an artist my goals are not only to attract a viewer, but also to bring them into my paintings.  I want them to give them the opportunity to escape their mature life of stress and woes. I want them to be caught up in my delicious colors and live in a fantasy world made of sugary, baked goods. My paintings are calorie free and come without that feeling of regret you may experience after you indulge.

I love to teach children about art.  My art style is affected by the joy I experience when I share art with a child. I use bright colors and simplistic compositions to attract the dream quality that many children possess. Life as a child is simple, carefree, and full of wonderment. This is how I feel as an artist; I draw in a simplistic way that is playful and whimsical. I want to create images that are clear and vivid for a child.  Images that they can relate to. My painting style is bold and vibrant, similar to how a child finger-paints. A child finger-paints by aimlessly smacking down paint and moving it all around the paper. This is similar to what I do when first creating my paintings. I create a style of art that is visual appealing to children but will also bring out the child in an adult viewer. I want to bring you back to the days when you would put your nose up against the glass and stare adoringly at some tasty treat you had eaten as a child. My painting will initiate a mouth-watering experience for you.

To create these tasty works of art, I was inspired by abstract expressionistic paintings. I was attracted by the thick paint that would build on the canvas. After seeing Picasso’s Women Seated in a Chair I saw that he used paint straight from tube to canvas, it was verification for me that this is what I want to achieve as well. From this, the idea of using this thick paint to create a realistic texture began to develop. I use large amounts of oil paints to create the texture in my desserts. Then I use various objects to sculpt into the paint to create different textures. I use toothpicks, plastic forks, popsicle sticks, and anything I can find to help me mold the texture I desire. With masking the paint texture to mimic the realistic texture, I achieve a three-dimensional quality in my paintings. Underneath I use my bright pallet of rainbow hues to enhance the playful quality in my style. I use unique composition by cropping the image, while still keeping balance through out the piece. This draws you closer to my paintings and takes you inside. My goal in creating these paintings is to make the viewer smile and recall happy memories of their childhood youth. I want the viewer to look at the painting and think, “It looks so good that I could eat it.”

Third Day of Fine Art Digital Painting

Fabric is looking going good so far. This is taking me a lot longer than I thought. I'm a little stressed that I won't get it done in time, but I'm trying to get the hardest part done first, which is the fabric. 

Wish me luck!

Artist Statement III

 This is my third revision and my longest Artist statement yet. I'm not sure if it's to much and I need to take things out. Let me know what you think.

Artist Statement

I have a happy life and because of my life I create happy paintings. I use bright colors to excite the viewers’ eyes and to spark memories of their childhood days when everything was light and cheerful. My goals as an artist is to attract a viewer, bring them into my paintings, and have them escape their mature life of stress and woes. I want them to get caught up in my delicious colors, and live in a fantasy world made of sugary bake goods. With my paintings they are calorie free and come without the feeling of regret.

I love to teach children art. This joy of mine has affected my art style. I use bright colors and simplistic compositions to attract the dream quality that a child poses. Life as a child is simple, carefree, and full of wonderment. This is how I feel as an artist; I draw in a simplistic way that is playful and whimsical. I want to create images that are clear and vivid for a child to be able to respond to. My painting style is bold and vibrant, similar to how a child finger-paints. A child finger-paints by aimlessly smacking down paint and moving it all around the paper. This is similar to what I do when first creating my paintings. I create a style of art that is visual appealing to children but also bring out the child in an adult viewer. I want to bring you back to the days where you would put your noise up against the glass and stare adoringly at some tasty treat that you want to eat as a kid. Your mouth will water over my paintings.

To create these tasty paintings, I was inspired by abstract expressionistic paintings. I was attracted by the thick paint that would build on the canvas. After seeing Picasso’s Women Seated in a Chair I saw that he used paint straight from tube to canvas, I was verified that this is what I want to do. Then the idea of using this thick paint to create a realistic texture began to develop. I use large amounts of oil paints to create the texture in my desserts. Then I use various objects to sculpt into the paint to create different textures. I use toothpicks, plastic forks, popsicle sticks, and anything I can find to help me mold the texture I desire. With masking the paint texture to mimic the realistic texture, I achieve a three-dimensional quality to my paintings. Underneath I use my bright pallet of rainbow hues to enhance the playful quality in my style. I use unique composition by cropping the image, while still keeping balance through out the piece. This draws you closer to my paintings and takes you inside. In these paintings my goal is to make the viewer smile and have a sense of happiness after seeing these joyful paintings. I want you to look at the painting and think to yourself “It looks so good that I could eat it”.

Artist Statement II

Second Attempt on Artist Statement. I added a little more and took out a couple of things

Artist Statement II

I have a happy life and because of my life I create happy paintings.  I use bright colors to excite the viewers’ eyes and to spark memories of their childhood days when everything was light and cheerful. My goals as an artist is to attract a viewer, bring them into my paintings, and have them escape their mature life. I want them to get caught up in my delicious colors, and live in a fantasy world made of sugary bake goods and looking at my paintings you will not gain a pound.

I love to teach children art. This joy of mine has affected my art style. I use bright colors and simplistic compositions to attract the dream quality that a child poses. Life as a child is simple, carefree, and full of wonderment. This is how I feel as an artist; I draw in a simplistic way that is playful and whimsical. I want to create images that are clear and vivid for a child to be able to respond to. My painting style is bold and vibrant, similar to how a child finger-paints. A child finger-paints by aimlessly smacking down paint and moving it all around the paper. This is similar to what I do when first creating my paintings. I create a style of art that is visual appealing to children but also brings out the child in an adult viewer. I want to bring you back to the days where you would put your noise up against the glass and stare adoringly at some tasty treat that you want to eat as a kid.

To create these tasty paintings, I was inspired by abstract expressionistic paintings. I was attracted by the thick paint that would build on the canvas. Then the idea of using this thick paint to create a realistic texture began to develop. I use large amounts of oil paints to create the texture in my desserts. Then I use various objects to sculpt into the paint to create different textures. I use toothpicks, plastic forks, popsicle sticks, and anything I can find to help me mold the texture I desire. With masking the paint texture to mimic the realistic texture, I achieve a three-dimensional quality to my paintings. Underneath I use my bright pallet to enhance the playful, childlike quality in my style. I use unique composition by cropping the images. This draws you closer to my paintings and takes you inside. In these paintings my goal is to make the viewer smile and have a sense of happiness after seeing these joyful paintings.

Artist Statement I

Here is my first attempt at writing my Artist Statment

Artist Statement I

I have a happy life and because of my life I create happy paintings.  I use bright colors to excite the viewers’ eyes and to spark memories of their childhood days when everything was light and cheerful. My goals as an artist is to attract a viewer, bring them into my paintings, and have them escape their mature life. I want them to get caught up in my delicious colors, and live in a fantasy world made of sugary bake goods and looking at my paintings you will not gain a pound.

Aspirating to be an elementary art teacher has affected my art style. I love to teach children and my style appeals to them. I use bright colors and simplistic compositions to attract the dream like quality that children possess. Life as a child is simple, carefree, and full of wonderment. This is how I feel as an artist. I draw in a simplistic way that is playful and whimsical. My painting style is bold and vibrant, similar to how a child finger-paints, without any fear. I create a style of art that is visual appealing to children but also bring out the child in an adult viewer. I want to bring you back to the days where you would put your noise up against the glass and stare adoringly at some tasty treat that you want to eat as a kid.

To create these tasty paintings, I was inspired by abstract expressionistic paintings. I was attracted by the thick paint that would build on the canvas. Then the idea of using this thick paint to create a realistic texture began to develop. I use large amounts of oil paints to create the texture in my desserts. Then I use various objects to sculpt into the paint to create different textures. With masking the paint texture to mimic the realistic texture, I achieve a three-dimensional quality to my paintings. Underneath I use my bright pallet to enhance the playful, childlike quality in my style. 

Senior Studio

Here is My Studio Space At school. 

I have a nice little window and a quiet room.

This is my wall. I have photos of people who are important to me. 

Also I have drawings hung up from other classes.

Here's my other wall next to my desk. I have my story board up for my pages from my book

and some of my paintings are resting for viewers

Inspiration: "My Kits"

I feel like a "crazy cat lady" saying this but, I love my cats their my little babies and they give me inspiration for my art. They're always around when I'm creating my art and they make me smile.

 Here's Oreo. He's the calmest, easiest going cat I know. This is how I found him early this morning. He was laying amongst my mom's stuff animals on her bed. He had tons of space but be decided to lay with all his friends

Her is Skittles she is mainly my cat. She is very skittish and only like certain people. She loves my boyfriend and myself but other than that not so much. One day she completely passed out in my room and I found her like this with her nose deep in the carpet.

Here they are together. They usually don't lay together because Oreo is the dominant one and always kicks skittles out. This day he decided to sleep on Skittles butt. She doesn't seem amused.

She's my little Princess

Yes when it's too sunny Oreo cover's his eyes to shut out the light

Skittles is a clever one, she can get up on the roof and spot mice that are down below. 

The only down fall is that when she wants to come in on a cold night 

she scratches at my window and anytime of night