Happy Mother's Day to me

A wonderful present from my 2 year college daughter drawn of her mom for her final art class project entitled "Regina" in graphite.

Regina

By Alyisha 

Generative Ideas:

When I go out with my mom to regular places strangers occasionally approach her and call her a queen.  I sort of knew what they meant in that my mom is very tall and wears heels. She also doesn't leave the house without wearing something she made, which often includes some sort of African hat or pattern. So I thought I'd play on that and draw her as an actual queen. I looked online for African queens and mostly got no results but I did get inspiration for poses. I thought to name it Regina because that's “queen” in Latin, also because my mom's name is Gina, a derivative.

Conceptual Ideas:

The initial idea was that my mom was going to be a queen. Then I realized that it was unrealistic and she didn't look like herself in a lot of the photos. The fact that she was herself is what makes people call her Queen. So with help from Proff. Colebeck I found the most genuine photo and worked with it to best bring out who she is. I kept the title the same because, to me, it still applied.

Process:

I decided to have the dreaded part of my mom's hair be inverted so that I could break up the image where otherwise it would have been all one color. I also wanted it to resemble a sort of crown where the cowrie shells were garlands.

Artist Statement: 

I am going to college to become an astrophysicist. So, when people ask me why I draw or why I'm in an art class, I answer: I am my parents' child. My father is logical, and my mother is creative. I like math and science. I like reading and writing. I also like to draw. So, to sum up my interests, I guess you could say that I like to see things for what they are and also for what they could be. This is what I bring to my art.

I haven't been doing portraits long, but what I have found that I like about drawing portraits, is that you realize how much you don't know a person until you stare at their face for hours. I prefer do them in graphite not only because I find it the easiest but also because it is familiar to me and so I can concentrate on my subject more than on technique. So, essentially, the goal of my art is to tell the truth.

When I draw a self portrait or of someone else, I want to learn something new. If there's a sadness in the eye, I want it to show. In this piece, I recognize my mom. Not only in that that's her nose and stuff, but I see her spirit. I see her as the person she is. Not perfect but wholly good and sincere. In my opinion, she could make a great queen.