Recently, I have been super busy with assignments and applying to jobs! I haven’t had much time to work on personal paintings, so for today’s post, I’ve decided to reflect on a painting I made over a year ago. This piece was assigned as the last painting in Painting II, a course that I took as a junior in Fall 2024. This piece was made around the same time that I started truly realizing that my passion for painting had returned. Painting had been my main medium all throughout high school, and it felt like I hit a wall once I started my sophomore year. It became my primary goal to improve at digital art, and I didn’t have as much time for painting. That was until I took this course, when my passion was rekindled. I remember feeling really nervous, I had never learned how to use oil paint. All I knew was that oil painting techniques were hardly comparable to acrylic (the only painting medium I had used other than watercolor).

Looking back on it, I’m incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity of learning oils even if they weren’t necessarily in my comfort zone. I attribute the pursual of my painting minor to this course and to Professor Collier Parker specifically. Through his guidance and the curriculum this course is built on, I’ve found new direction in my art that has helped me not only with traditional mediums but with my digital work too.