Last spring, as a final project for John Blosser’s Painting 302 class, Anna Ruth created “Komiza,” an original oil painting. Ruth, a Junior English major, recently decided to declare an Art minor largely because of her interest in painting. “Art, but especially painting, is really therapeutic for me,” Ruth said. She painted a number of pieces in the course of the semester, but “Komiza” especially stood out as one of her favorites.
Ruth painted “Komiza” on a 2×5 foot slab of Masonite, a type of synthetic hardwood. The painting originated as a photo she took in high school while traveling with her family in Croatia. “I took this photo of the harbor and waterfront of Komiza, a tiny, tiny fishing village on the island of Vis.” She was especially struck by the isolation—and stark beauty—of the village.Although an actual photo inspired the painting, Ruth was excited to add her own artistic style and interpretation to the piece. The painting, which took Ruth almost three weeks to complete, is textured with many layers of colors to depict the hue variation seen in the water and harbor. “It was fun to play with color interactions,” Ruth said. “I tried to find a balance between realism and interesting color and shape interpretations.”
