MIAD group portion

 This drawing was by a MIAD student. I really like the use of the space and how the whole bird is not visible but the eye is still catching and the claw makes its way into the picture too. Therefore the composition is very strong as well as the craftsmanship. The detail throughout the drawing is impressive because the different textures look real and that is something that I want to learn to accomplish in my own work. The least effective pars is some of the white space around the claw and at the edge of the feathers. I would have preferred to see the entire circle, edge to edge, designed and sketched. The media looked like it was pen and I know I could never work in that because I love to erase and change my marks a lot but it still works very well here.

 This work of fish caught my eye as we walked through the work spaces in MIAD and it was done by another student there. The craftsmanship is the clearly the strength in the piece due to the unique look of the fish. There is a lot of use of color that adds to the strength and the different shapes of the fish ad to it. My favorite part is the eye, mouth and gill area of the red fish. Though the piece is unique and interesting I feel that one of the weaker points is in the repetition of the same fish on the same line. There is a little too much symmetry in that way and I would have liked to see something new. I love the detail though and I also feel the texture coming through very strong and I want to work on getting my skills up to that level.

This painting was by James Winn and it is called Full Moon Lotus: No. 12. It was done with Acrylic on Panel and I absolutely love this piece. There is a very realistic look in the craftsmanship and there is an interesting composition. The use of color is very strong as well even though it is in the dark, for the most part. The strongest part of this painting is the use of sunlight. The water reflecting off of the water behind the plants looks beautiful and the light coming off of the plants looks like a picture. I love how it is used also to highlight the yellow flowers in the background, creating a unique and well done balance. On of the weaker parts of the painting is the lack of light and interesting background on the left side, but all in all I think it is beautiful and well done.