This piece was difficult with finding the right colour palette for each dragon and their respected landscapes but eventually, I found a suitable colour scheme for each. This contributes all the dragons into one and shows that they are connected to each other. The difference between dragons is easily despicable due to the colours. I feel like at the bottom was the epitome of my skill while it gradually faded when resuming to the top. I think this is because of the stress of not finishing this piece on time that I had only finished it to a bare minimum of what I could have done, had I stopped procrastinating and had time to finish it properly. This was the biggest piece of the board. There were no initial changes to my original layout of this piece due to no time for redoing but I was particularly happy with the design, just not the outcome. Acrylic paint was my chosen medium.
On this piece, I think it should have been put as one of my final paintings due to the details and the efficient outcome. Unfortunately, I had to place it on the first board due to it going with the story of the board. I was truly focused on this work which is why I am happy with how it turned out. This shows the connection the dragons have with mother earth, be it a motherly bond which is shown by a traditional hōngi. The hōngi represents spreading your ‘life force’ to the other person, which intermingles the 2 breaths, making them one, and it is also a sign of respect. The setting sun indicates the end of an era transpiring to the start of a new era. I made the hills and the woman’s face the same colour to show she was one with nature or has SOME connection to it. Initially, I was going to paint a dragon curling around her, in a protective manner but this idea won the battle. Acrylic paint was my chosen medium.
This piece took me a while to get the skin tones the right shades of what I wanted them to be. Eventually, it all came together and formed a piece I am happy with. This was based off a surrealism piece. The cage at the bottom indicating that the dragons were trapped between them (the start of the Māori creation story of Ranginui and Papatuanuku). Rangi and Papa being so immersed into one another that they do not acknowledge their sons. The crowns on their heads are references to not entirely what they control but a connection to them. Rangi being clouds (the sky) and Papa with flowers (Nature/ the earth). The cracks running up Rangi’s neck are referencing to the skin/scale on 2 of their son’s bodies. The backdrop is black due to there being nothing at the start. Te Kore translating to the nothingness. Acrylic paint was my chosen medium.
This was a very interesting concept I put together and was happy with. At first, I didn’t use my head and tried painting everything when I could have just used coloured paper for the backdrop and so I chucked what I was doing and started again. I am almost happy with it but if I had sized it up properly it could have gone on the board properly. The lock, claws, tail, eyes and jail cell bars are cut-outs are all layered together. I really like how this piece is layered. I had not considered the size and made it too big so I had to cut the size to length to make it fit properly on my second board. The lock is detailed to show the cracks forming on it. This refers to Tanemahuta being the one to separate his parents (Ranginui and Papatuanuku). He is ‘breaking the chains’ of him and his brothers being locked away because of their parents. Acrylic paint was my chosen medium.
This 4 piece is one concept put together. The glitch gives off a sense of what is being seen as a false reality. Something that is broken and can’t be fixed. This refers to their love and adoration for each other but now they are far apart and cannot come into contact. The dark and angry clouds being Ranginui and the falling petals in the night being Papatuanuku. They are not what they used to be. They are holding each other in an embrace while their sons are stuck between them, a reference to the beginning of the creation story. Acrylic paint was my chosen medium.
This piece is a reference to Man Rays ‘lips’, where lips are seen above the horizon in fluorescent orange. I took that piece and made a creation of my own. Instead of lips, I chose a crying eye gazing down upon the earth. The eye being Ranginui’s because he is crying for his wahine, Papatuanuku, who is beneath him but out of reach. Using black silhouettes I incorporated the 4 dragons that are shown on board 1 to show that they are still relevant to the board. One thing I dislike about this is that the sand is too yellow and I couldn’t change it because it was too much of a hassle. Water paint and acrylic paint was my chosen mediums.
This piece is 2 hands trying to reach each other. One from the sky (Rangi) and a tree forming a hand (Papa) with the dragons flying around the tree. This is a visual representation of Rangi and Papa trying to touch each other and gives off a sense of longing and grief. It represents how close they are yet they cannot seem to meet. The dragons hovering around their mother shows their bond to Papatuanuku. It seems as if they are protecting her, which they are. They prevent others from harming her. This was my favourite piece on my 2 boards. Contrast is shown by the hands being opposing colours. The quote “opposites attract” can apply to this since they are particularly opposite. He is air and she is solid ground. They contradict each other in a way but still love each other wholeheartedly. Acrylic paint was my medium.
This introduces the new era of the world compared to when there was just pure nature. The koru in the middle is used to show this time difference. I thought it would have been appropriate to use a koru considering it is a common design nationwide because of its Maori origins. I was not happy with how this turned out because the tips of the black and blue were meant to blend into the koru also there is no detail on either side. Water paint was my chosen medium.
This was my final piece on my board which shows a landscape of the modern world with all the dragons respected lands. It shows them hiding and only tiny glimpses are seen of them since they would not want to be seen. I am not happy with this piece but this is all I could produce considering my time frame. I guess it’s passable but I am still annoyed at myself for letting myself fall to a small time frame to do my final works.
This piece was made with Photoshop on a mac. It is like the concluding piece of the dragons being the centre of attention where the dragons bask in the light of the setting sun. Where you can see the dragons in all their glory. I really liked this digital piece and it makes me wish I experimented with Photoshop sooner so I would have more digital pieces on my boards. The colours really stand out and Tawhirimatea is the focus on the piece because he is the 'guardian' of the mountain tops considering he is the god of the winds and weather. His power relates to his father's up in the sky.
This is the final product of my year long journey on my Level 1 art portfolio;
I am happy with the way my board has turned out even though it lacks some potential to get me to the stage I wanted to go to. Considering the story of the board I should have started with the creation story and then introduce the dragons since they come after when the earth was created. But I couldn't switch the top 2 columns of the first board because then it lacks skill and colour development for the second board and I didn't have time to start over. I think maybe rethink the dimensions for some of the paintings and place them properly on the board. Other than those points I am quite happy with how it came out. Better than nothing! :)
