Cody Thomas Week 4 Project

Week 4 Project
Insertion of Self
Cody Thomas, “The Birth of Cody”, Digital Painting on printed Reeves paper, Mixed Media,
5/2022
Sandro Botticelli, “The Birth of Venus”, Tempera on canvas, c.1484-1486

I created a digital mixed-media painting that originally measured 10” x 15” in Photoshop. I
chose The Birth of Venus by Botticelli. I wanted to relate that to my identity as an LGBTQ+
person and teacher. The original piece by Botticelli was created in the 1400s (1484-86) and was
a time of significant change within culture and economics. This specific piece was a change in a
new direction as this was not only the first painting with a full female nude but also moving into
a more three-dimensional and idealized style. The Humanist movement also began making
progress in the Roman and Greek cultures.
With the recently passed Parental Rights in Education Act, also known as the Don’t Say Gay Bill,
I wanted to choose a piece of art that I was able to connect to. Since the awareness of this bill, I
have become very anxious as an LGBTQ+ teacher. I understand the bill and have read it many
times as well as the updates. To get very personal with everyone, I knew I was gay in the third
grade. I always felt different than other kids. Personally, I wish this was covered in elementary
school. I’m not sure if this is still a thing in public school K-5, but in the fifth grade, all students
were divided into two groups. The males watched a video on puberty and discussed similar
aspects like being attracted to the opposite sex. It made me very uncomfortable because there
was no mention of same-sex attractions. It was a much different time when I was eight
compared to the school environment of the LGBTQ+ community today. Yes, we still have a long
way to go, but it is nothing like how it was in a conservative place in metro-Atlanta where I
grew up in the 90s. There was no such thing as a safe space. I advocate for everyone in my
classroom for self-love and acceptance by all, and my class is a Safe Space. This is why I chose
The Birth of Venus. I was born gay.
More analysis of my work, I decided to take the bulrushes out from the original and add an
alligator to symbolize the state of Florida in a way as trying to attack me. Botticelli used real
gold to highlight his objects throughout the painting. I decided to reverse the light source to
show that now, the spotlight (the world) is watching the state of Florida. Other states have
already started similar amendments to follow with that connection to Florida's Don’t Say Gay
bill. I kept the landscape dark but slightly made myself and the other three figures brighter to
show hope and strength in a dark time. I kept a leaning pose, even somewhat feminine. I also
wanted to keep the idea of the movement of the hair from Venus in the original. In my work, I
wear flowers as well as long golden ribbons. Is the new bill stripping me of who I am? Are we
continuing to lose the progress that we have been making?
To show the progressiveness in art today, I wanted to make a digital piece instead of the
traditional paints on canvas. I began by researching the original. I used Illustrator to image copy
and build lines to fill with similar colors from the painting later. I was able to find many artworks
that listed the colors of many famous paintings (a visual pallet, not a file). After making basic
contour shapes, I filled the pieces with their designated colors as the original. I then moved the
work into Photoshop. I spent a few days building brushes and making the different settings for
each brush based on the brush stroke's opacity, size, and strength. I then blended in the colors
using the smudge tool and the art brushes. I merged layers to flatten the file. I then wanted the
image to look more realistic like a painting despite it being a digital painting. I experimented
with a few different papers from Hobby Lobby like Reeves BFK and more. I printed on paper
using a more significant scale art printer from my work. I then made the brushstrokes by
spraying a small cup of matte Krylon with a small amount of clear mod podge. I then painted
over the paper with different brushes to show the brush strokes for a more painterly aesthetic.
This video I found on YouTube has a lot of great information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtaVAml0WcQ

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Week 4 Project

Sandro Botticelli, “The Birth of Venus”, Tempera on canvas, c.1484-1486

This video I found on YouTube has a lot of great information.

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