Entry #10

My overall internship was amazing and I’m not just saying that because I’m supposed to I’ve seriously learned so much about the genuine professional studio art world and it was a very cool experience. I appreciate AOIT for pushing me to do this I met a lot of people throughout the way. The experience made me such a better artist and it really made me the person I am now. I’ve learned that not everyone can be a full-time artist because it’s not just an easy thing. I still go to grandma’s studio after I’ve gotten all my hours to help her with things she needs or paint and draw while someone is modeling like this sketch oil painting I did of my dad who was sitting in a chair in front of me.

Entry #9

The only major frustration I had was not being satisfied with my work or working on something for a long time and not liking it, but Anna taught me that you just have to keep trying and not give up or this cycle will keep happening, but it is always a good idea to take a break because if you are stuck on something you can’t force something good to happen in the painting you will just end up making it worse and then taking step backs in the process possibly making your self more frustrated. When I feel like giving up I step back a little and do something I know I’m good at so I get some courage to try again on the thing that is harder or I am struggling about. This week I worked on a more detailed figure drawing study before this I did multiple quicker drawings where you quickly sketch the simplified form of the persons pose to practice. When drawing it’s all about drawing things as just shapes and colors, not arm or leg, which can be hard to train your brain to think like that.

Entry #8

I have learned that I have a passion for art I knew this before, but now that I have done the internship I have done more professional type work that I could sell or actually do in a more professional setting and how hard you have to work to actually be a full-time artist. These are skills they don't teach you in art school because art school is mostly about your technical skill or creativity and to help you find your thing or the thing that makes you different than all the other painters out there so that you can go work on your own. I have learned about myself and my work ethic. I feel like I’ve always had a bad work ethic because I’ve always worked on things I dislike strongly like schoolwork or math things that I hate, but I realized when I love something I really love it and I can spend hours and hours endlessly doing it. Then I realized I’ve done this ever since I was a kid with crafts from youtube videos I would do and it was a cool thing to realize. This week I did figure drawing to study the human body, which is an important thing that everyone does in art school and is recommended to put in your portfolio for school.

Entry #7

This experience has drastically changed my college plans my grandma has been to many art schools and she recommended what she thinks would be best for me and I greatly appreciate it and she has been very real with me. She suggests I go to UNC Asheville because it is a liberal arts school and has a great art program and opportunities. The opportunities are very awesome at UNC Asheville because Asheville is not only a college town like other schools but it is an art town with many galleries and studios. I’ve toured there and it is probably my top school next to Greensboro which also has great art and music majors. This internship has given me a slice of what working in the art field is like and being taught at a high level like in art school and I love it greatly. This week I finished the vase painting and I think it’s a great piece for my art portfolio to submit to art schools, which is another way this internship has prepared me for my future.

Entry #6

My duties haven’t changed much I usually just do the same cleaning around, carrying stuff, setting up the studio, and painting. I have gained more responsibility and trust over time though as you should at any job to keep you challenged. To do things like move more fragile things and setup more of the studio by myself. This week I worked more on my vase still life that I put away for a little because I was getting nowhere and needed fresh eyes and a change in work because I was getting frustrated with it. I was mostly frustrated with the glass itself and the background fabric. I forgot to take some more progress pictures of this big painting, but here it is after I worked on it for multiple days I am very excited for the outcome. It is finally coming together and I am less frustrated with it and have hope for it.

Entry #5

My main contribution to my internship is helping my grandma with writing posts in English because it isn’t her first language so she struggles with writing captions. Another one of my contributions is helping my grandma become comfortable with teaching because she has never taught someone professionally before and now she has three other students after me to teach. I also think I am contributing greatly to her social media accounts with advertising and showing off her skill in painting and teaching. I am most proud of the work I have made and how much I have improved just over this summer with the teachings of my talented grandma. I worked more on my skull painting some more this week and completed it. I am very proud of this painting I feel like I did well with the proportions and color matching I just need to work on my technique and smaller details.

Entry #4

The internship lived past my expectations I have learned so much about painting it’s insane. I’ve learned about the lifestyle of being a studio artist and how important social media or Instagram is right now in the art word. Art is extremely popular on Instagram and it creates a great space to sell things like clothes designs, prints, or whole pieces. I have really found my passion and what I really enjoy doing. I have learned a lot about what it takes to be in artist including patients, passion, and it is more about the self-motivated individual than any class. I am in control because whatever I put into the work I get out in reward with paintings and skill. This week I worked on this painting of a skull I actually copied an original painting by my uncle. Copying other paintings is a way to study color and technique. Usually, you try to replicate famous paintings from an Artist that is world-famous. This is called a master copy. I learned a lot about cool versus warm white and black. For example, the cool grey in the background versus the warm greys of the skull.

Entry #3

My classroom experiences have me helped a ton with being more confident speaking to people of business. AOIT classes have helped me out of my comfort zone to be more social and confident with the number of presentations and group projects. Also when we are pushed to do multiple mock interviews and the preparation of our resumes will definitely help me in my future and already have helped. I wish I had learned what to do when you actually get the job or things to say because I’ve had moments where I had no idea what to say or do over the phone, but over email, I’ve learned how to write professionally.

I took some time off because I did a summer Girl Scout camp. I came back and cleaned the studio thoroughly. On 7/30 I did two miniature composition and color study paintings of a still life I set up that morning with many components like a little egg, mirror compact, and large glass vase with cotton next to a dried leaf stem. Near the end of the day, I toned more paper and finish sprayed some of my grandma's paintings that had finished drying. It takes over a month for an oil painting to fully dry could even take many months if it has thick paint on the canvas. On another day I worked on the final painting value sketch with one color to plan out the simplified version of the underpainting on a very large canvas.

Entry #2

The work atmosphere is usually just me and my grandma in her studio working or when I go out to get
water or clean paint brushes I say hello to other artists walking buy or anyone asking me if I’m Anna’s
intern. The atmosphere is very quiet and relaxed which I very much enjoy. Dress code is clothes you can
get dirty or don’t mind getting paint on. The work ethic is a very satisfying one because I usually finish
or almost complete a study or piece in one workday. We take breaks every once and a while to almost
reset our eyes. What I mean by this is to see the work with fresh eyes and mind because when you stay
at a painting for a long time you get used to what it looks like and then when you take a break and come
back you instantly see many mistakes that you didn’t before.

During this week at the studio I do my usual cleaning and setting up my Grandma's station and for my next charcoal study. I am studying the values of the human face. I used a cast mold of a face as a reference for my charcoal drawing. The first drawing is just a two value simplified version of what I see. It takes many tries to get the proportions correct. You do a lot of measurements, comparing, and problem-solving in this process to get it right. Then the next day I come back and add the next darker values to the drawing and blend things together were needed to make it look a lot more realistic. I lastly I go in with a small white charcoal pencil the make the very lightest part of the drawing pop.

Entry #1

The purpose of Anchor Light studios is to give Artists a space to have a productive space, show their work in galleries, and have a community to support each other. The customers are people buying from the artists, coming to workshops, galleries, or buying art, and the artists themselves renting out a space to work

I am an intern studying and working under my Grandma, Anna Justice. On my first day of work,

I arrived at my grandma’s art studio at 10:00 am. Anna, first, took me on a tour around the whole

building. We then went back to the studio and she showed me the daily things I will need to do.

These things consist of filling up her water bottles, the first time I did this I almost got lost because

the water fountains are far from her studio. Other things I do in the morning are vacuuming the floor,

put out the paints she will use today, set up my station, and set up her computer and monitor that she

uses for reference pictures. After my morning routine is complete I set up a still life for me to draw

during that day. My grandma teaches me new things every day about drawing, here are drawings I

worked on in my first week. These past few days I have been studying charcoal and copying from life.

After drawing on the 25th I prepped paper toning it with denatured alcohol, clear shellac, and charcoal solution for future use. Every day I post 2-3 images to Anna’s Instagram of her work or what I did that day. (Her Instagram is @AnnaJusticeStudio) I also have a personal Instagram where I post what I do every day and what art I created(@AbbyJustice.art). At the end of each day, I clean up the studio by taking out the trash, take progress pictures of my work, cleaning Anna’s paintbrushes, washing her palette, cleaning up my station, and lastly I lock up the studio at 6:00 pm. Below are pictures of two still life charcoal drawings I did this week. Most days I have homework of reading pages from the book Classical Drawing Atelier written by Juliette Aristides to study what I’ll be doing the next day.