Early Modernism Painting Reflection

                  When we first chose our strips for this project, this was not my first choice (nor my second or third). I couldn't even tell what the subject was until a helpful classmate pointed it out--they're boats. From there I composed a quick sketch of some sailboats sitting placidly on the water. It seemed promising so I went with it, adding color and trying to add brushstrokes that had an abstract-enough that-they-weren't-planned,-but-still-kept-the-idea-of-the-water-and-boats,-even-though-they-were totally-planned kind of look. Surprisingly the most difficult thing was the background foliage. At first it was just a block of green then I realized I still had to create a sense of depth and layers of trees. I struggled trying to add texture and uniformity. My classmates noted that the painting had a calm middle of the day feel to it, they observed the reflections in the water were successful and difference in brushstrokes was interesting. They didn't offer any suggestions for further improvement, though now looking back at it, I notice the shoreline is a bit blurry and could be refined. Yes I am a painter, I put paint on a canvas. Anyone can be a painter, the question is whether or not what someone makes is art. I've realized that I should trust more in my abilities and have fun exploring abstract forms of art.