Trophy

This past week, I was able to take an AP Art Workshop for teachers. This was a new experience for me. I had taken a Pre-AP class many years ago and knew we would be creating artwork. After receiving an email about bringing materials and trying to narrow down what I would bring in, I went to class. After a VERY LONG day of lecture about AP and the program our teacher finally told us what project we would be doing. She had all these little trophies at the front of the room and handed each of us one and said we had free reign to do whatever we wanted with the trophy. I took this trophy home and debated and debated what I would do with this trophy and how I could tie this into my series, and have more healing take place......

 

Thoughts, discussion with my boyfriend, and finally started laying out ideas. I started working on the background first. I took a cardboard box and cut out the largest areas. I had originally planned on drawing on just a brown paper sack. I had already crumpled up, re-crumpled, stretched out, rubbed on the table and anything else to soften this bag. I tore off sections along with newspaper I crumpled and black paper I had crumpled as well and started gluing down in a collage like manner. I then tore away sections of the cardboard to reveal the corrugated section. Then I started drawing in the trophy, I did not want I directly in the middle as the dark side that I planned on would be less the positive side. Then I added the hearts, one dark heart that had been broken, my heart that had been broken, and then whole hearts to represent the future and the love that I have, and will offer to someone someday. Then I was kinda stuck, I knew I wanted to add chains so I added a little bit, I knew I wanted to add survivor on there somewhere.... just to figure out where and how it would all tie together. I remembered on my phone I once wrote a list of all the issues that I deal with and how I most likely needed to create art about those... so I went to that list, its amazing what you see and feel when looking at something you wrote down so long ago and seeing how much you have truly changed! I played with a few words and wrote them down, googled some images to try to see if I could find something that inspired me. The dark side seemed to come together more easily and more quickly for me... then it sat... and I was stuck again.. I went back to my list and started looking for forgiveness. How can I portray forgiveness when I have not truly forgiven those that have hurt me??? Because I can ask God to forgive them for me until he has done the work in me for me to be able to forgive them myself. Forgiveness will always be something I will always be working on. I was running out of time and another classmate came by my station and wanted to know more about my piece. I started to share with him (Dale) my story, he shared with me scripture and then took me to his piece to see how his life has been changed through Christ. It was absolutely amazing to hear his struggles and how he was brought through and has changed so much. Such a special connection I made with another person in a short amount of time, I LOVE how God works and brings people together! Dale helped me finish my piece the brighter side, with many suggestions and ideas. I loved finished this piece, but I felt that it just wasn't quite finished, I wanted to add chain to this piece. So I have plans to continue working on this piece and will post pics of the finished product when I am done. At the very bottom is the start of the canvas I will be attaching these pieces to.