TODD NEBLETT

I make art because one day I hope to change the world, and I believe art is the perfect medium to do that. Because art is unique there are so many different directions you can go in. Whether you work on social issues, houses, environments, or you just create for the sake of creating, you have the ability to influence and help shape the world. I get my inspiration from color, location, people, and so much more. Everyday interactions with simple objects influence my life, and everyday interactions with people influence my life even more.

    My strengths as an artist include creativity, organization, and the ability to envision a final outcome. While this class was my first time in contact with mediums like acrylic and watercolor, I enjoyed approaching the projects with the willingness to do them. Breaking everything down into layers when painting helped me because that is how I “grew up” as an artist. By continuing to layer,  I will not only grow as an artist, but succeed. This can be seen in works such as my Junk Food Still Life and my linoleum block prints.

    Out of all the projects completed in Advanced Studio Art, printmaking has been my favorite. I loved the process of creating something digitally, transferring it to a linoleum block, and going through and creating prints with it. I would like to continue to experiment with printmaking, including more linoleum block prints, as well as screen printing and marbling. I would be successful with these different mediums because of how I would go about creating them through layers and color.

    In the future, I plan to continue making prints and learn to refine my technique in the craft. When you look at the history and work that goes into even one print, printmaking becomes more than just creating images and using ink to put that image onto paper. Recently a small screen-printing project I did took me over 12 hours to complete and for such a small-scale project, you gain appreciation for what goes into a larger, more detailed project. Printing teaches a skill set because of the time and effort that goes into it and I think those skills will be important both down the line as an artist and creative, but also as a person in general. Art is able to go beyond exercising creativity in the artist by engaging the viewer and forming a community interested in a common subject matter.