FMP - Unit 13 - Artist Statement

The theme I chose for my FMP is ‘Animal Portraits’. I chose this theme because animals are important to me and are what I enjoy drawing the most. I decided to focus on animal portraits, as expressions and face details are what attracts audiences the most to a portrait - usually because faces portray an animal’s personality and emotions.

I was inspired by my pets, my friend’s pets, farm animals and wild animals. The fact that I drew my own pets for most of my sketchbook makes this theme more personal to me and inspired me to draw them.

The artists and designers I looked at were John Banovich, Mark Hearld, Peter Clark, Leonid Afremov, Kerby Rosanes, John James Audubon, Ian Jackson and Trevor Boyer. They inspired me each for different reasons. For example: Leonid Afremov uses oil paints and a pallet knife to create different scenes, as well as many animals (usually pets). His style is to use vibrant colours (mainly in the backgrounds) of his work to portray the animal/subject in the painting in a unique and exquisite way.

My intentions for the project are to make creative mood boards, fill an A3 sketchbook and design sheets within a 16 week time period – which will all lead up to my final piece(s). I will use a variety of processes, techniques and media to show my skills, style of art work and what I know/have learned over the years. Time management sheets and Blogger will be updated continuously with images of my work and annotation, to show my gradual progress of learning, developing and creating unique art pieces etc.

My target audience for my exhibition will be friends, family and the general public in the area of the exhibit. My project/theme is suitable for all ages – especially animal lovers and pet owners. I think my close friends, and family (especially parents) will be excited to see the outcome of my project, as they have seen my previous work and are very intrigued by my style. They are also fond of animals - which is why I know they’ll definitely take some interest to this project.