Today, I decided to work on some paintings to sell in an upcoming venue in Montgomery, AL. I chose to do a set of still life because they are fun and wanted to create a set of different fruits and vegetables. I also find that these make great exercises when I don’t know what to paint or feeling overwhelmed.
I usually paint with oils, but I really enjoy the brightness and quick-dry of acrylic. I will be painting some more still life over the next few weeks with acrylic.
This painting is based on a photo taken by the daughter of an Alabama sunset. I wanted the artwork to convey movement and texture. Initially, I struggled to replicate the photo precisely, but I realized that I needed to let the painting speak for itself, rather than forcing it to resemble something else. I appreciate how art continually teaches me valuable lessons, and this piece, in particular, has taught me to go with the flow of life and not be too hard on myself.
As both an artist and a web developer, I often strive for perfection in myself and my surroundings, leading to moments of self-critique. While the pursuit of perfection can be beneficial, it sometimes prevents us from recognizing that imperfections and mistakes are acceptable and inherent in life. It’s about learning from the shared experiences we all go through.
I’ve experienced significant personal growth and a shift in my outlook on life, though there’s still much work to be done. Nevertheless, I’ve learned to view my imperfections in a new light. It’s not about achieving perfection but about learning and forgiveness. It is also about cultivating a mind that is able to understand different views and perspectives. My goal for 2024 is to focus on continuous learning and understanding myself better, allowing me to be more understanding towards others.
I have to admit, it has been a while since I sketched anything. I’ve been quite busy preparing for an upcoming move and dedicating more time to web development. I had a few watercolor sets I hadn’t tried yet, so I decided to pull them out and give it a shot. Although I’ve painted with watercolors before, I rarely work in this medium. I created this simple tonal landscape from my imagination and aimed for an abstract result. I’m genuinely pleased with how it turned out. It isn’t overly manipulated or complicated. Typically, when I paint with oils, I get lost in the details. Painting with watercolors has taught me a valuable lesson that less can be more in certain instances.
As for other updates, I’m actively working on the series I mentioned in my previous posts, which relates to the intersection of science and technology with humanity. I’m genuinely excited about these pieces because they push me out of my comfort zone. Additionally, I’m still working on pieces for the BIC Museum, and I’ll be developing the website in the next few months; I’m still finalizing the details. I’m also thrilled about another upcoming opportunity that I will share soon!
As an artist and a web developer, I have always been fascinated by the interplay between art and technology. I wanted to dedicate a new series of artwork devoted to this world. I wanted this piece to remain subjective, but focus on the more creative and exploratory side of art. I’ve always loved the idea of creating anything using whatever tools, whether it is a paint brush or a computer, to develop something unique.
Although I still consider my style to be within the boundaries of contemporary Realism and still work in a traditional style, I love the approach of trying something new. I love this quote by the late artist Alberto Giacometti as it reflects some of my ideas about art–“The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.”
Artificial intelligence has brought something really cool to the world of art. It can create amazing pictures and designs that make you think. Artists have been inspired by these AI creations and have added their own special touch to them. This makes a mix of technology and human ideas that is really interesting and unique. Regardless of what field you work in or what stage you are in your life you can use AI to inspire you and help you generate new ideas and concepts.
Here is an example of AI generated photo produced with a prompt. If I were to use this photo in the future, I would more than likely move to Adobe Photoshop and edit the photo to my liking. Sometimes, I will add other objects before using this as a reference.
Now you might question if this is okay to do–are we losing authenticity when by using AI? I do not believe so, as it is your idea in the prompts in the first place. It is no different than reading a book or a poem and finding a line that you are inspired by. Many artist today paint from photos, whether it is their own or another person’s photo. There are still creative decisions to make and, of course, there is the skill of painting.
A free site I like to play around with is https://playgroundai.com/create. This websites allows you to write in a prompt along with using your own image to create something new.
There are other websites that allow you to try generated art for free before signing up. It’s a great way to try the product before investing in the app.
If you are an artist, a blogger, or are just interested in exploring this new technology, I say give it a try! When we explore AI-generated art, we can combine technology and our own artistic ideas to make something really special. So, let your inner artist shine, imagine new things, and show the world your creativity!
Although most of my blog posts are centered around my art, I wanted to take the time to talk about my journey into web development. My journey into web development and software engineering began a few years ago when my daughter asked for my help with programming on Roblox. I remember following a tutorial on adding points and coins to a game, but I was just copying what the developer was doing without really knowing what I was doing. However, I had so much fun creating this game, that I decided to see how I could use my skills as an artist to create other programs.
Growing up, computers were always a mystery to me. I didn’t have much exposure to them, and I didn’t really use one until I was in my late teens. In fact, I got into trouble at school once for accidentally sending a message to the entire network instead of just my class. It wasn’t until later that I realized how important that moment was to my journey.
As a first-generation American and a caregiver to my son who has Autism while homeschooling my daughter, I needed a flexible career that I could pursue from home. I knew my artistic background would come in handy for CSS and UX/UI, but my interest and scope went beyond that as I found out later on.
I started with popular resources like freecodecamp.com, W3Sschools, Khan Academy, and The Coding Train on YouTube. I also began building simple projects with JS using tutorials and reading through the official documentation for whatever language or library I was working with. I even joined a small bootcamp, but they asked me to pay $10,000 to finish the program, which wasn’t right for me. Instead, I found a veteran’s program that allowed me to attain a certificate in Web Design and then applied for an online school, Vets Who Code, a school dedicated to teaching veterans and their spouses how to code for free. At Vets Who Code, I was surrounded by some of the best developers and people I’ve ever met.
After completing the program, I landed my first job as a remote web designer using WordPress after applying to many jobs, where I discovered that I was good at not only designing websites, but also finding solutions for customers. I also discovered I could be very outspoken about ideas and concepts when working on a team. These are skills that I continue to develop today.
My interest in science and math also led me to explore the world of AI and machine learning. I’m now working with TensorFlow and Keras and developing personal projects. My hope is to continue on this path and put my knowledge to good use.
My story is proof that determination and a willingness to learn something new can take you far. It is easy to feel discouraged and give up, but persistence, as with anything, is key. Another key factor to my success was surrounding myself with people who supported my journey.
Despite facing obstacles and difficult circumstances, I continued to pursued my interests in web development and software engineering. As I continue on my journey, I look forward to creating impactful projects in the world of AI and web development. I will be posting some recent projects I have been working on and writing more about what I am learning in future posts. My next post will be on tips on how to focus your talents and skills so that you are able to succeed.
Something colorful, bright, and sweet to start off the autumn season. 🙂
Instagram @vanessa_withun_art
As an artist, I love experimenting with different mediums and tools. I view the world as an open canvas with many possibilities. One of my favorite subjects to paint is light, in fact light has been the focus in the majority of my artwork since the very beginning of my artistic journey. I often paint from life using one direct light source on the subject or object I am painting.
Grisaille Study From 2020:
In many ways, I feel like my interest stems from wanting to learn more about the properties of light both in art and the physical world. I was recently inspired by a project developed on Code Pen which used a hovering affect, and I used that to build on my own project. I added various animation frames with CSS and created the text animation with JavaScript:
Would love feedback on this interactive project: Click Here
Instructions: click on Hello World, Play Music, and click and move mouse within the circle to watch the lights move.
This past Juneteenth we celebrated the grand opening of the Blacks in Classics Museum located in Alexandria, VA, a show curated by Dr. Anika Prather, Lecturer at Howard University. The show is dedicated to showcasing Black people throughout the world that have either contributed to the Western canon or are somehow connected to it via study of the Classics. When we think of Classics we think of works by Aristotle, Homer, and Plato, but there were so many Black people that have contributed to high works of culture and literature including Frederick Douglas, Terrence the Playwright , and Phyllis Wheatley, just to name a few. This ongoing project featuring my artwork will continue to expand in the coming years and will feature more contemporary Black figures, like James Baldwin and Barack Obama.
Here are some images of the grand opening:
V.W. Artist Blog 