End of Year Journal 2021
Fa la la la new paintings here!
It hasn't been too long since my last journal but I wanted to update y'all on what I've been working on the past few months! I've been brainstorming lots of new ideas. I’ve also been reading and crocheting over my winter break! Always trying to keep the creativity flowing! This year has taught me so much in the ways of art and life. With the past two years, it can be hard to see the bright side of things. Although I’m glad to have had the time to spend at home in the studio, it can be hard sharing a small space! There's Kyle working on one side of the room, the bed on another, and my studio spread out all over. Plus two cats running around! Yet, I wouldn’t have gotten to spend as much time with Jenkins, Rascal, and Kyle any other way. I've spent more than half my college life in our loft rather than on campus! Getting back on campus this past quarter was the best. I met many talented artists in my classes and other painting majors that I’ll be seeing for the rest of my time at SCAD. Although, school wasn’t the only thing to come out of 2021. I wrapped up the year with reading 15 books ending it with The Christmas Dog by Melody Carlson! I’ve also been reading snippets of How to be an Artist by Jerry Saltz and Art Curious by Jennifer Dasal. Any time I’m on break I try to read at least one book to ground myself after weeks of hyper-productivity. The burnout is tangible at the end of the 10-week quarter, refreshing myself with a book or two is a good remedy. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to go back for more the next quarter.
This fall quarter, I had a breakthrough for what I want my art to represent. I want to show how nature and simple things in life are beautiful. It was eye-opening to be thrust into a media such as watercolor. I found that it wasn’t the media holding me back, but my comfortability with other medias. Being comfortable is boring! This introduction to water-based media brought new excitement to painting for me! Have you ever done had the same experience? For me, I felt it when my professor invited us to try painting water-based media on a different material. My experience at Franklin Art Glass brought a love for glass, and I've longed to bring this into my art. My Whimsy series, above, features watercolor backgrounds and gouache on glass! I fell in love with the workability of gouache on glass and how the glass created a new type of depth in the works. I pushed this experimenting further in my next series of paintings. For these, I'm using two layers of glass to create more depth in the paintings.
I still have a love for oil (you can find some new ones in my painting portfolio) but I have a new appreciation for water based media. I’m going to be experimenting with more medias and doing more glasswork as well. Lookout world because there’s going to be a lot more mess and beauty in 2022!
Happy Holidays! See you all in the new year!
Tessa Jeanne
2021 Reading Wrap Up:
The Tyrant’s Tomb - Rick Riordan - Why must Rick break my heart and mend it all at once? His books are always a must. Start with Percy Jackson and you’ll be hooked.
The Tower of Nero - Rick Riordan - More tears. More lovely writing by Uncle Rick.
Nickel and Dimed - Barbara Ehrenreich - Honestly this one still applies to todays society and is a must-read but, she can be a little hard to bear with as an author.
For the Wolf - Hannah Whitten - This is the first book in the series and I seriously am dying to get the next one already!!
Across the Universe - Beth Revis - Interesting Sy-Fy love story set in the future.
Carry On - Rainbow Rowell - This book is a comfort read of mine. I always have to listen to Troye Sivan when I read about Simon and Baz, it’s a ritual.
Crewel - Gennifer Albin - I really love the plot of this first book; it holds so much value and sets up the Crewel world very nicely.
Altered - Gennifer Albin - This second book in the series can be a little hard to get into but after nine years I finally got around to finishing it! It was sooo worth it and the next one is on my list to buy!
The Gilded Wolves - Roshani Chokshi - Woah, just woah. I couldn’t put this book down! The multi point of view with the characters, the forging abilities, the tie-ins to real history, the heart wrenching ability this author has!
Wayward Son - Rainbow Rowell - I can’t believe the character development! This one really sets it up for the last book!
The Cellar - Natasha Preston - Creepy and thrilling. You’ll be screaming at the main character, definitely a page turner!
Unraveled - Gennifer Albin - This last book in the series starts off really great but, sadly I think the author lost interest in finishing the series halfway through. Glad I was able to journey with the Adelice in this last adventure but the ending didn't do her justice.
The Silvered Serpents - Roshani Chokshi - Wow, what an amazing way to bring more life to this series! I’d be laughing one minute and tearing up the next! Roshani really knows how to tend to a deeply tied friendship among the characters and show the wide range of emotions that come with loving someone.
Any Way the Wind Blows - Rainbow Rowell - This book is everything I thought it would be and more. I can’t believe the series is over but I loved getting to see the growth of Baz, Simon, Penelope and even Agatha.
The Christmas Dog - Melody Carlson - I’ve always loved finishing the year off with this book at Christmas time! This year, I read the whole book in a day! It’s a heartwarming read that shows how love is the greatest gift that can be given at this time of year.
