Throughout the month of July, I have begun the start of two major paintings, pictured later in this post. As I was looking through old artwork, I noticed that I had a habit of choosing red and teal as colors, and decided to integrate them as major background colors. For my first painting, I created a piece on a 36×36 inch canvas using a red background as the main point of color. I decided to use a found family image, one from when my older sister grew up in Russia. For the other main subjects, I used an image of metal Soviet military figurines. I’m interested in the way that this artwork uses the family image and the toy figurines to contrast each other, notably in the way gender influences what toys the Soviet Union encouraged.
I learned through this first piece that I needed to focus on composition, and adding elements that would better contextualize the Soviet toy imagery. I kept black and white prints of my references on standby as a value key, as working from reference through screens have a variable effect on the final outcome. I am considering options for the background of this first piece, and plan to create several digital renderings as a way to keep my artworks cohesive.
For my second work, I knew that I wanted to have some kind of architectural subject and a more prominent background figure, especially since the composition for the first piece was something I wanted to improve from. In the background behind the family image and soviet toys I depicted Talin’s Tower, a structure that was never built but represented future and ambition. It can represent hope and modernity, but also was never completed and can have a different context in that right. I decided to use an old photo of my father from when he lived in Russia, and base this second work on some information I had found out about his past. He had told me that instead of being drafted into war, he had the option to train to be a Soviet cosmonaut, and I decided to use space themed soviet toys to illustrate the story. I still feel like something is missing in my composition, and I plan to add a few more elements to this piece as well.
As I’ve been developing my artworks, I have noticed that I am drawn to similar things over and over again- metal toys and futuristic symbols. As for the next painting, I have had it primed and am selecting the references. I am inspired my American memory quilts and gridded toy board games. I want to create a piece that combines the visual elements of quilts and toy board games with Soviet toys and family images. I have been collecting my references of Soviet toys through museum archives, eBay listings, and Soviet cartoons. I am excited for how my artworks might spark conversation on the influence of childhood objects and how the Soviet Union serves as an example for collective ideology.
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