josieepps

[josieepps]

Final Exam

     Taking ARH2000 has truly been one incredible journey. To end this class, I knew I had to demonstrate an art form that means the world to me and that is photography. Photography is a unique art form that gives me an outlet to not just show people this beautiful planet, but to express my every day feelings. One aspect of art that I really have taken from this class is that art has a deeper meaning the longer you look at the piece. In order to achieve this deeper meaning, I have combined several of my personal photographs into one singular composition to demonstrate a specific feeing. I will post the picture under it’s own heading and I challenge you to look upon this composition and ponder what feeling you get from it. Then you can scroll to the next heading to find out its intended meaning along with the title. For this final, let's explore a unique art from that comes from a singular camera lens. 

Documentation Pictures- The Process

     I take photographs every single day, but for this final I took photographs that were specifically designed for this assignment over the course of a few days. I will attach these original (unedited) photographs below.

     Once I had gathered every single photograph that achieved the desired feeling, I used an app called “Canva” To put together this unique composition. 

     After I made a collage of every photograph, I used Lightroom to edit the coloring and Canva to add text saying “happiness! In this next section I will reveal the final composition with photographs taken on my Canon Rebel T6 camera. When you first look upon this piece, ponder what mood is being given off and how it makes you feel before reading my intentions while creating this art.

Form- The Media

Content- The Mean

     I call this piece, “Happiness-In Real Smiles.” I came up with this idea when I had a conversation with one of my friends about how real smiles and pure happiness is rarely captured on camera. Normal smiles captured are staged and posed instead of genuine. This conversation gave me the brilliant idea to use my camera to capture real smiles. To do this, I made sure not to tell anyone in these photographs what I was doing that way their smiles were more authentic. Each person I photographed means the world to me and I had the most amazing time showing what I have learned from taking ARH2000 this summer...that we create art and art creates us. 

[josieepps]

Virtual Sketchbook 4

WRITING, THINKING, AND LOOKING CRITICALLY-

     Jackson Pollock is a painter most known for his role in abstract and expressionist paintings. Pollock started painting in an attempt to stop drinking and channel his energy into a new direction. He used foreign matter such as glass and even string to create his pieces of artwork on the ground. After researching and observing some pieces of his artwork on my own, I feel that painting is what led him to sobriety. In this life, we all try to find our place. We try to find a hobby or passion that suits us. Originally Pollock was studying with Tomas Benton and creating pieces using abstract imagery. I think that although he was a talented artist under the guidance of Thomas Benton, he needed to find his own creative outlet. That’s when I feel he decided to start his famous “drip painting” pieces. He found his creative outlet and those who observed him create these paintings said he was in a trans-like state and at peace. These paintings saved him and led him to be sober for over 5 years. I feel that any time he had the urge to drink, he picked up the paint and created a masterpiece instead. He didn’t take inspiration from others, instead he painted in whatever motion his hands went. That’s what is so beautiful about his drip paintings, they are no mistake but rather they are paintings created from his own soul. We all know that eventually one night, he had one glass of whiskey at his dinner party and became drunk. As soon as he fell into being an excessive drunk, his paintings stopped and he soon died while drinking and driving. Although his life ended from alcohol, painting was able to save him and spread joy to those who laid eyes upon his work. Critics may call his pieces chaos, but I see them as a glimpse into the soul of Pollock. 

2. ART PROJECT- 

     Something I have discussed before in this sketchbook is that I am a photographer. Just as Pollock used drip paintings to express his soul, I use pictures to express my own. Art has so many layers and so many directions you can take chaos and today I wish to share a work of art of my own. This photograph below is an original abstract artwork taken by me. To the average viewer, this may just look like a chaotic mess. Most people probably couldn’t even say what exactly this photograph is and that’s what is so beautiful. This picture reminds me of a beautiful memory. On the 4th of July, I watched the fireworks with my family. I had a lot going on in my life and felt the chaos but watching those fireworks gave me joy and peace which is represented in this photograph. 

[josieepps]

Virtual Sketchbook 3

JUNE 25, 2022

     Today I visited The Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. Immediately I felt captivated by the Baroque Art in Italy section, containing art from 1600-1700. Paintings from this time attested to the power of individualism through the use of shadows and light. A piece entitled The Flight into Egypt by Luca Giordano caught my eye and I will share my exact thoughts on this piece. 

WRITING AND LOOKING

     The Flight into Egypt is an oil on canvas piece that was created in the late 1690s. The image is approximately 60 x 86 1/4 inches on view in gallery 08. The colors in this piece are vibrant and created through the use of shadows and dark colors. This piece was not created through the use of shapes, but rather lines to form the figures of the Holy family, the angels, and the mountain like scenery. What I found to be so beautiful about this piece was the whimsical feel that it gave me. Art from the baroque period was all created with a certain look that is heaven like with clouds, angels, and soft palates of color. This period also brought pieces that were dramatic and easily interpreted through clear detail. That is what I was able to see when observing The Flight into Egypt. Even details such as the Holy family wearing vibrant colors helps us as the viewer to contrast them with the angels. When viewing this piece I felt in awe of its beauty, not just from the story depicted, but from the feeling of heaven on earth it gave to me. 

RESEARCH

     After viewing this piece I knew I wanted to learn more about the story. To get a brief overview of the history I went to the official Ringling Art Museum website. This site said that this piece depicts a Gospel from the book of Matthew in the Bible. In this story, an angel urged the Holy Family to flee from Jerusalem as King Herod planned to kill Christ (The Ringling, n.d.). Through further research I found the exact verse this story is contained within and that is Matthew 2:13-15. This site also gave me more context about this story in that this was all a dream that Joseph had, with the painting depicting this dream (The National Gallery, n.d.). Originally I had assumed that this painting wasn’t of a dream, but rather an event that truly happened within the Bible. In regards to the artist, Giordano was a Neapolitan painter who was appointed as the court painter by King Charles II. Giordano created The Flight into Egypt during his time as the court painter (The Ringling, n.d.). 

THINKING

     This painting was from the Baroque Art period which can easily be observed from the fact that a story from the Bible is depicted. As discussed earlier, this piece was created during Giordano’s time as the court painter for King Charles II. I feel that who Giordano is as a painter shines within this painting. He was born in Naples and where he is from truly shaped his art as his pieces reflect that of Neapolitan art (The National Gallery, n.d.). I feel that after observing his unique twist on Baroque art, he is trying to use art to express his religion. Although I did not understand that this painting was of a dream, the story of warning and saving of Christ truly is well shown. He truly is able to tap into the psychology of those who observe his pieces and engage them fully. 

CRITIQUE

     Art is designed in a way that when someone loves the piece, it is because they have received an emotional response to the story depicted. I found this to be the case when I observed The Flight into Egypt. On a surface level, the painting is absolutely breathtaking and whimsical as it depicts a biblical scene. What was captivating the most about this piece however, was how Giordano interpreted such a pivotal story in the bible. I myself am a believer of the Bible, and when gazing upon this depiction I actually got chills down my spine. This feeling was the instant that I knew this painting was the one I would share about today. Those who may not be believers like I am, probably did not have the same emotional response that I did. That truly is the wonderful thing about art, it creates a different response in each unique individual. 

REFERENCES

The National Gallery, L. (n.d.). Glossary. Flight into Egypt | Glossary | National Gallery, London. Retrieved June 26, 2022, from https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/glossary/flight-into-egypt 

The Ringling. The Ringling. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ringling.org/ 

ATTENDANCE

[josieepps]

Virtual Sketchbook 2

1.) JOURNALING-

2.) WRITING AND LOOKING-

     Self-portrait in a straw hat is a oil painting on a canvas painted by Elisabeth Vigee-LeBrun. In our textbook, this painting is located in section 5:1 Evaluated and labeled as figure 5.2. Just as a cook assembles ingredients to make a delicious meal, artists assemble elements to create a beautiful work of art. This specific painting really caught my eye with its assuredness in the anatomy of a painting. This artist used dark and soft colors to create a delicate texture. This texture is what makes this painting delicate. The light use of colors in the background surrounding Elisabeth creates space within this piece and puts the emphasis on herself. The lines used in this painting are thin and form a confident gaze. I truly find this painting beautiful and there is no doubt in my mind that this artist used several key ingredients that make art something spectacular within their own work.

3.) CONNECTING ART TO YOUR WORLD-

    I am a photographer. Photography is not just about taking pictures, a huge part of photography that goes undiscussed is the editing aspect. You never realize how dull pictures are until you edit them and bring out all of the vibrant color palettes. When editing my photos I will turn the hue dial counter clockwise to bring out more blues, yellows, and greens. I always turn up the vibrancy and saturation while lowering the brightness. The way I edit my photos brings out an entire new color value scale. Personally, if I had to pick a color scheme that fits my life it would be analogous with the colors pink, purple, and blue. I love colors that are right next to each other on the color wheel as they complement each other so beautifully! 

4.) ART PROJECT/ARTIST’S CHOICE-

This comic strip below was drawn by me using colored pencils and markers as my choice of medium. This piece is designed to use blooming flowers to demonstrate the beautiful transition a person goes through as they grow up:)

5.) PHOTO/DESIGN- LOGOS

     We walk around this world every day unaware of how many logos we see in our surroundings from the bags we carry to the clothes we wear. This week I payed close attention to my surroundings and observed the logos I saw. I created a list of 10 of these logos including where the logo was and what brand the logo belonged to.

1.) Loungefly Disney backpack- The Disney logo was printed all over the backpack.

2.) Lululemon tank top- The logo was printed on the back of the tank top.

3.) Chick-fil-a bag- When eating at Chick-fil-a this week, I saw their logo printed on the bag my food came in.

4.) MacBook Air- The apple logo is on the back on my laptop.

5.) Debit card- On the front of my debit card is the visa logo. 

6.) Canon Rebel T-6 camera- My camera has the canon logo on the strap and right above the lens.

7.) Nike Air Force 1- On all 3 pairs of nike air forces I own, the nike logo is printed on the side. 

8.) Starbucks refresher- This week I got a strawberry açaí refresher and on the cup was the Starbucks logo.

9.) Target shopping bag- After a quick target run, I noticed that on all of the shopping bags is the target logo. 

10.) Cell phone- On the home page of my phone there are many logos for apps like McDonalds, Starbucks, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.

     Designers may use a sketchbook or even a computer to create logos. These logos are designed in such a way that customers are able to quickly identify a brand. This will connect the sight of your logo to your company and remind your customers how your brand makes them feel. I was able to quickly identify these 10 logos because of how effective these companies connect their brand to their logos. Companies like Starbucks put their logo on everything they produce so that way customers like me associate that logo with their brand every time we see it. Logos have value in that they make a strong impression on the customer and influence them to think of their brand when they see the logo. This in turn will influence the customer to shop with their brand once they are reminded of the brand. 

[josieepps]

Virtual Sketchbook 1

1. WRITING/RESEARCH Good evening everyone! My name is Josie Epps and I am currently a graduating senior at Lakewood Ranch High School. By the end of this fall I will be obtaining an A.A degree with a focus in business. I have a huge passion for photography and aspire to own my own esthetician practice one day. 5 facts about Post No Bill by Ibrahim Mahama 1.) This major work is known as an installation. 2.) This installation is made out of jute sacks and reclaimed materials. 3.) Post No Bill can be found at Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University. 4.) This piece will be known as Mahama's first major artwork in a US museum. 5.) Mahama transforms everyday fabric from Ghana trading markets into objects of contemplation. When I first observed this installation I was confused because I had expected to see a painting but instead I got to see art in a whole new form called an installation. I had never seen artwork you can walk on and explore, but that is what makes Mahama's installation so incredibly unique. Now that I understand that this artwork was created from jute sacks, I have a greater appreciation for the work put in by the artist. It takes incredible skill to take such an ordinary object and transform it into something people can observe and contemplate. I feel that seeing a picture of this artwork does not do justice to what it would be like to actually walk on and be part of the work itself. Post No Bill by Ibrahim Mahama, 2015. 

2. ART AND WRITING This piece of art is astonishingly important to me. As a normal viewer it may just look like a caricature drawing of two girls, but this drawing is actually of my sister and I. At the time this was created, she was 6 years old and I was about to turn 3 years old. The incredible artist who captured this memory used both brush markers and colored pencils as his choice of medium. I think this piece is beautiful not just for how well it’s drawn, but because it captured a happy memory of me and my best friend. This artist went above and beyond to draw our smiles and facial expressions to represent who we are as sisters. This piece will forever be my favorite work of art.

3. WRITING A SELF-PORTRAIT My name is Josie Marie Epps and I am 17 years old. I identify as a female and I am originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I am white with my family tracing from Germany and England. Outside of being a college student, I love to pursue my passion for photography. I love capturing art through my lens and I aspire to take pictures of this beautiful world. In regards to my job, I am a recently promoted Chick-fil-a employee at UTC. My new job title is “trainer”, and in this position I carry the responsibility of training new employees on the ways of the company. I am a unique individual who has a passion for traveling and exploring the world. My love for photography and serving people aids me in having a unique perspective of art and how I view art.

4. ART PROJECT (SELF PORTRAIT)