Fred's Art 200x Blog

 Elements of Art For this assignment, I have chosen to focus on Miranda – The Tempest by British artist John William Waterhouse, painted in 1916. When I was younger, I worked in a store that specialized in unique gifts, including reproductions of famous art works. Some of the most popular items were reproductions of famous works by Waterhouse, including this painting.  The Artist Waterhouse was the son of two English painters and was born on April 06, 1849 in Rome, where his parents were living. He moved back to England in the late 1850’s. He was admitted into England’s Royal Academy of Art and became a full member in 1895. Many consider Waterhouse a Pre-Raphaelite painter. The Pre-Raphaelites were young Victorian painters that rejected the Royal Academy’s rigid conventions and considered all art after Raphael to be too formalized. Waterhouse was fond of utilizing famous stories and poems as the inspiration for his subjects including the works of Shakespeare and Arthurian legend.

 Hello all! My name is Fred Koski. I live in Soldotna on the Kenai Peninsula and have lived here since 2003. Like many Alaskans, I enjoy the outdoors and love to hike, camp, and go backpacking. I am a non-traditional student and returned to school last year after a very long break. I am majoring in Social Work with a minor in Justice. I currently work as a substance use counselor in the State Prison in Kenai and find the work challenging and rewarding.  The artwork that I have posted here is a painting by Mark Rothko titled "#10".  I had the opportunity to see this painting in person 2 years ago at the Seattle Art Museum. I like abstract expressionism and Rothko is one of my favorite artists. I love the way that he strips paintings down to the relationship between color and light. I enjoy art but have zero talent in the creation of art. My partner is a gifted painter and illustrator and I an envious of her abilities. I do enjoy going to museums and attending local art events.