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Elisas' Art Projects Through The Year
Ethel's Flowers
My artwork's name is Ethel's Flowers and my medium is colored pencil. The bouquet that I am drawing is one that I made two summers ago at my cabin. The reason that I called it Ethel's Flowers is because the woman that used to own our cabin was this really cool lady that owned a couple gas stations in Grand Forks and St Paul. The reason she owned these gas stations was her mother's way to make up for having her stay close to home when she wanted to pursue a career in Chicago at an ad agency. She was the first woman to earn her private pilots license and volunteered at the Civil Air Patrol. She was also the first and only woman to serve on the board of the Northwest Petroleum Association. She was involved in the Business and Professional Women's Club and served as the Grand Forks president and later the state president. I really look up to her as she emulates the kind of woman I aspire to be.
Midwestern Dreamer
The name of my work is Midwestern Dreamer, and it is made of clay. I called it that because the pieces of pottery that I added to it are the pieces to plates and other things that were in a homestead house which is in our field that got torn down. So every once in a while we find pieces that were left from that house after my dad digs the field. I like to think that there was a girl around my age that used to live in that house and have dreams of going and doing things with her life. I like to think she explored the same places that I do now and brought back home flowers for her family. Maybe I even used a piece of the vase she put her flowers in on my vase.
Florida's Flower
My painting is called Florida's Flower and I painted it with watercolor. This artwork was inspired by a picture I took in Florida last year on my christmas break. We went to a botanical garden just north of Marco Island which is where we were staying. My mom loves gardens and that was her main thing that she wanted to do on our vacation. There is no other reason why I decided to paint this flower other than the fact that I thought it was pretty.
Summers harvest
These are the flowers from my garden last summer. One of the things I find immense joy in is flowers. As you can see, it’s my theme this year. I love anything that has to do with flowers. Whether that be photographing them, painting them, or arranging them.
The first element I chose was color. I used a whole bunch of different colors to create my flowers. Mainly red, orange, yellow, white, and pink. The second element I used was shape. I repeated a lot of the same shapes to create my flowers. The first principle I used was repetition. As I said I repeated a lot of the same shapes, and I did it to make my flowers. The last principle I used was proportion. I made some flowers bigger in proportion to others to create some variety.
Golden Flowers
The reason I painted Golden Flowers is because poppies are my favorite flower. I was looking on pinterest trying to search for ideas on what to make. That's when I came across my reference picture. I really liked the clash between the two colors, and I love that type of flower. So it was perfect.
Heart of Gold
This piece was by far my favorite one to do this year. It has a lot of sentimental value to me. My dad found all of these pieces of plates and other pottery in one of our fields that we think was from an old house that was there. So, I had been wondering what I wanted to do with them for two years. Then I decided to just bring it into the art room and start cleaning the pieces and see what happens. I decided that I wanted to make it a tribute to my dad and his last name. Even though there is a chance that I won't carry his name for my whole life, it still means a lot to me. I had also been thinking about why last names are so important and why they mean something. I have decided that to me, they mean a uniting of two people, or families. A bringing together. It means that even if you aren't related by blood, it's an acceptance into another person's family. The five flowers represent all of my siblings, and the golden heart represents the combining of my two parents to make our family even though us three girls might not always hold that name. I also think it's special that it was made from a piece of a home that was on our land.
Be Kind
Big Bad Burro
Yellowstone's Hotsprings
Yellowstone’s Hot Springs’ is an acrylic painting I created in the style of Monet, inspired by his use of color and brushwork. The reference photo is my own picture that I took this summer on a roadtrip with my family. We went down to Colorado, made our way up through Wyoming, traveled west a little more to Utah, then north through the Tetons and Yellowstone. Both parks were a marvelous feat of God’s creation, and I am so beyond blessed to have made the memories I did with my family this summer. It's probably one of the last trips I will ever take in my adolescence with them. So as my childhood comes to an end, I have become very sentimental over a lot of things, and I always remind myself when I don’t want to go somewhere or do something that I will never regret making the memories I have with the people I love most in the world. This piece is a tribute to all of the things and people God has blessed me with in my life. I have also decided to try and paint it in Monet’s style.
Graditude
At the beginning of the semester, Mrs. Worden asked us to start thinking about our legacy project. At the time, it felt a little unrealistic. What kind of legacy can someone leave at 17 or 18, when life is just beginning? But as I thought more about it, I realized a legacy doesn’t have to be something huge or world-changing. It can simply reflect who you are and what you value. For my project, I chose to paint a bright, peaceful scene: a sun setting over a hill filled with flowers, with a girl doing a cartwheel in a colorful dress. Each part of this image represents something meaningful to me. I’ve always found a deep sense of peace in simple moments, like taking a summer sunset walk on my family’s farm. I also see myself as a joyful person who loves color, movement, and playfulness, which is why I wanted those elements to stand out in my artwork. I included the quote, “I’m living, I’m able, I’m breathing, I’m grateful,” because it immediately connected with me. It’s a simple reminder to appreciate life as it is, even in small ways. That message is at the heart of the legacy I want to leave behind. If someone walks past my art, I hope it reminds them to stay playful and hold on to a sense of youth, no matter how old they get. More importantly, I hope it encourages them to always find something to be grateful for, because there is always something.
Souls
The vision for this project that I called Souls came to me in a dream last year. The dream was that I had died, and now I was purely just my soul. I was floating through space, unsure of where to go, when suddenly I saw another little ball of light. I don't know how, but I somehow was able to recognize it as one of my loved ones. I had a huge sense of love and calm wash over me and it felt like I was home. Then I looked around and saw all of these other lights of different colors and intensities. I knew some of the people; and I don't know how because obviously they didn't have faces, but I recognized their spirits. We were also able to communicate with each other even though it wasn't through speaking actual words. I think about this dream a lot and wanted to be able to show people what I mean when I talk about it. This felt like this was the perfect opportunity to do so, given the fact that I could also implement the light source which was really cool, as well as the fact that the reason we are doing this is for a kid who has moved onto the next place in life, and I hope and pray that he is in a place where he feels happy and at home and sees the people he loves, no matter how that looks.
EJ
My name is Elisa Jennen, but people also call me EJ, Jennen, Big E, or Bonzy. I grew up on a farm nine miles outside of Hillsboro and have attended school there since kindergarten. I’m a loud, joyful, and talkative person who loves spending time with the people I care about most. I enjoy creating things, listening to music, reading, dancing, and simply having a good time. I’m also the kind of person who can be convinced to try almost anything which can definitely be both a blessing and a curse. I’m very emotional and empathetic, and I value that part of myself because it reminds me that I’m truly living. I believe you can’t fully appreciate joy without first understanding sadness. Next year, I plan to attend Montana State University to study Business Management with a minor in Marketing, which I’m incredibly excited about. My goal is to eventually start my own business, ideally a coffee shop, or pursue a career in marketing. Ultimately, though, I would love to use those skills to market and grow a business of my own. I'm excited to see what I do with my life, and I know that whatever I do I will make sure I LOVE it and am happy wherever I end up.
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