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“A Day in the Life of a Painter” consists of 3 16”x20” canvases presented adjacent to each other in a horizontal line. The first canvas shows a full cup of coffee in the lower right corner, with puffs of yelllow and pink steam billowing vertically across the piece. In the top left is a blank pale yellow “canvas” waiting to be decorated. Dissecting the piece from the bottom left corner is a spoon bearing the artist’s reflection as she contemplates what to paint. The second canvas is very similar to the first, except now the mug in the bottom left is no longer steaming, and some coffee has been drank. The blank canvas from before now instead shows a copy of the first painting in the set. The final painting is essentially a painting of a painting of a painting. The coffee mug is now completely empty and an expression of awe and excitement from the artist is reflected on the spoon. The canvas in the top left corner once again copies the painting that came before it, except it is unfinished to show that the artist is still working. Across all three paintings, there is a pale yellow grid over a turquoise background. The intersection and various directions of pale lines further challenge the viewer, cultivating in an optical experience as chaotic as the mind of an artist.

Self Portrait

Jaelynn Sviglin-Krell

Oil on 3 Canvases

Undergraduate
“A Day in the Life of a Painter" is a piece that spans across 3 canvases, depicting the passage of time as a painting comes to its completion. It begins with a blank canvas, then eventually culminates into a painting of a painting of a painting. It challenges the viewer to question what they’re looking at, slowly dissecting the bright grid of intersecting lines to find out what’s really there. It was as confusing to paint as it is to look at, and that made it all the more exciting for me to work on.