My name is Colyn Petre. My inspiration has a lot to do with the human body and things I see in my daily life. The human figure has always been interesting to me. I like to focus on the movement of the body and the natural beauty of the figure. A theme I worked from last year incorporated the idea of perfect imperfections. This is a theme I would like to look further into this semester.
I am also influenced by objects and activities that I see throughout each day. Some of the things I witness spark feelings in my body that can lead to ideas for a future art project. There is no real limit to what might draw me in, but the feeling I get when I am interested in something is a feeling worth chasing.
My work environment tends to start off clean and clear but slowly get cluttered throughout my work process. Even in this slight mess, I still know where all my materials are. I tend to spread out my work to see the large picture.
I like to work with natural light so working outside or near a window is preferable. I usually get very close to my work and step back from time to time in order to check proportions and angles in my work. I like the studio spaces provided at MassArt but sometimes I like to work alone in my room as well.
In my working process I almost always work while listening to music. Silence is not my friend. No matter what type of music or sounds available, Id rather hear something than nothing. Sometimes my working process starts off slow, but once I have my mind set to an idea, I can work for hours and it will feel like minutes.
I enjoy working with a variety of materials. I do not like to limit myself to any media. Depending on my topic and project, I will decide what medium would best express the work. I most often veer towards work with charcoal or pastel but I have experience with other mediums.
My motivation for art is similar to my inspiration. When something catches my attention or makes me feel a certain way, I chase that instinct wherever it may lead. I am also motivated by other artists and classmates. I like to look at art by other people to help spark ideas in my brain.
Most often, the image I am looking at is not in any way related to the ideas it gives me for my own work, but somehow it gets me to the next step in my creation. I might have a few rough drafts in my head before deciding what to create but I am getting better at putting ideas on paper and letting them be sketches rather than final projects each time.
Reading and research are not related topics in my head. I can understand how the two go hand-in-hand, but to me, research is more of looking up artists work through images rather than words. I am not a good reader and I do not like to read unless absolutely necessary.
Most words are seen in my head as an image rather than letters put together that make a word with a meaning. I research images and artists often, but I would rather listen to an artist talk than read about the work. This system has had its advantages and its disadvantages, but eventually I get to a point where I find the information I need.
The most inspiring person in my art career is Norman Rockwell. I do not create work or illustrations like he did, but I love looking at his creations. Norman Rockwell’s work was something I was drawn to at a very young age. When I was in elementary school I saw his work around my school. After understanding his theme and style, I began to see his work in doctors offices and stores.
Seeing his work reminds me why I became an artist and why money and fame is not the most important thing in life. Creating work and doing what you love is what will make life memorable, and I am reminded of this when I see work by Norman Rockwell.