THESIS STATEMENT

I’ve always loved creating art with vibrant colors, and trying new things. For my thesis project, I have made a mosaic with different colored glass and learned how to cut it and put it all together. This is nothing like anything I’ve done before which is why it interested me so much.

I really wanted to explore a topic very different from everything else I’ve done, while still incorporating a lot of the same aspects. Some of the things I like to include in my art are vibrant colors and bold shapes that tend to follow specific patterns. I have not worked with 3D art much, and I wanted to try and create physical art while still using a lot of the floral patterns that I usually do with my paintings. I also wanted to be able to create something I could use for a long time.

Creating this piece of art has been all about the process for me. Every step has been a new technique to learn. The whole project started with me watching YouTube videos on how to cut glass using tile cutters. I cut all the stained glass pieces into floral shapes which was time consuming and hard to perfect. The next challenge was creating the huge wooden circle I needed to use as my background for the mosaic. I knew my dad would know how to cut the wood but it was more challenging than I thought. We had to figure out how to make the most perfect circle possible. We ended up using a nail and string to measure out a 30 inch diameter and tracing the circle to cut it. It was so interesting the amount of new skills I could learn through just one art project.

The whole process was fun, challenging, and an overall learning experience. I’m really excited that I was able to complete a project like this full of skills I had to learn in the process. Sometimes getting out of your comfort zone is the best thing you can do.

Jonathan Ragan

Jonathan Ragan is a senior at Allendale Columbia School. He lives in Fairport, NY, but loves to travel (although he has never been on a plane). Road trips to California and back as well as Canada made him an avid traveler who constantly enjoys being in and around nature as well as exploring new places. Ever since he was little, Jonathan has always been interested in film. Grabbing a VCR camera, he would parade around the house documenting whatever he could. Jonathan loves movies, and the hundreds of films he has seen over the years continue to inspire him every day. Some of his favorite films are: Prisoners,LaLaLand,Taxi Driver,and TheRevenant . Jonathan has made several short films, and has received two Gold Keys from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, as well as most recently, the Visual Storytelling Award from RIT’s “Start Here” exhibition for his short film DITTO. Jonathan plans on attending RIT in the fall.