Hi Everyone! Welcome to my student blog for the UAF course ART F200X for Explorations in Art.

My name is Cassandra MacDonald and I am a born and raised Alaskan from Utqiagvik now residing in the beautiful town of Valdez. I recently made the move to go from a career in oil spill response to becoming a full-time student and stay-at-home Mom. I have three boys ages 8 and under. My interests include going on adventures, being outdoors, volunteering in my kiddos sports and school events, and things like renovating my home or making things with LEGO. I enjoy learning new things and going to school to broaden my knowledge. It’s been a long trip as a student and have been an off-and-on again student for the past 14 years and hope to finally have at least an Associates Degree by the end of this semester. I hope to then obtain my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in a year and a half. I’m excited to get at least a 2 year degree and hope the best for everyone!

A painting that I absolutely love, is the “Sink” from Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen. There is something beautiful in this painting where the figure has a delicate nature, but the edges of their image are muddled and then contrasted with black and white. It seems elegant and somewhat modern at the same time.  


I am not artistic by any means. The last art class I took was in high school, but I do hope to get into painting during my time home since I love the medium. I have always admired other artists of different styles and wished I had the talent, but I am going to attempt to get into it just for the sole fun of it. I absolutely love going to museums to see the historical art and statues of the past. I appreciate the time and effort that artists put into their work and am always amazed as to how creative human beings can be and how different artists styles can be.

Tutorial on Flemish Painting Technique by Mate Art on YouTube:

Comments

  1. Hello! First post of this blog.

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  2. Hi, Cassandra! One thing I love about UAF is the variety and flexibility it offers. Anyone can return to school at any time; learning is something we do our whole lives. I hope your classes are going well! Alaska is a great place to be if you love the outdoors. It is so beautiful. I think you picked a beautiful piece to share. I admire the importance of the contrast between the use of dark and light colors. It highlights the dramatic mood the piece sets. As for not being artistic, I think you merely need to find a good starting point. Just creating is a wonderful part of art, and appreciating the value in that will always be helpful. I look at a lot of pieces I do sometimes with distaste, but I know I suffered for it. Don't forget what you put into what you create.

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  3. Hello Cassandra! Wow, having three boys under the age of 8 sounds like a handful! The art that you chose to display to us is extremely fascinating to me, and I understand why you chose it. The cross between realism and abstraction really works to create a piece that details the rampant thoughts going through the model's head, or so I like to think. I wish you well in your journey into the medium of paint! As long as you do not put too much pressure on your creation, and just let your brush flow, you will have an amazing time.

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  4. Hello Cassandra, it's very impressive to be balancing a whole family while also being a student! I'm glad you're becoming interested in painting! As an artist, I think that the whole "talent" thing deters a lot of people. It's very common in the art community for us to see ourselves as untalented or not good enough, and spend forever stuck on that idea that we can never be good. Every artist has that insecurity, TRUST ME. Even Leonardo Da Vinci burned most of his sketchbooks. The truth is talent isn't real and that nothing beats practice in your craft and hard work. I'd experiment in a few paint types, and see if you like any of them! Plus the kids can join in too. Just be careful with oil paint fumes.

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  6. Hello Cassandra,
    So proud of you for handling everything at once, please make sure you're making time for self-care. I absolutely love the art piece you chose, I tend to lean more towards darker shades as well. With practice and gaining more experience you'll find what you like. Great post!

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