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[alec-thomas]

1- The artist I chose was Jackson Pollok. His work is very abstract and random which is something I have tried to work on this semester. Although my artistic ability isn’t perfect, I try to be a perfectionist when I draw. I often can’t let myself leave white spots or let random shapes and colors without meaning into my work. I want to try to have control over my pieces l, and his randomness and non-use of hard shapes would be a challenge for me. He was one of the few artists I knew from the list and found his work, “Untitled, 1944/1945” that was printed in 1967. It is on the National Gallery of Art website at nag.gov.

2- I added color to the painting. The original painting is in black and white. I added color and variations. Instead of using the black and white I wanted it to pop and the colors to acquire a sense of randomness. I wanted to balance the colors but have the conflicted against brighter colors nearby. I copied some of the large component shapes but added my own style and smaller pieces. I also used a softer shaping throughout and made the lines much thicker than those of Polloks original.

3- The first fact I learned about Jackson Pollok was his non-conformity and disobedience. On Jackson-Pollok.org, it said that he was expelled twice from school. He wasn’t able to complete this chapter of his education and lived with his brother in New York. Also on Jackson-Pollok.org I learned that his work is incredibly expensive. In 2006, one of his works, named “No.5” sold for 160 million dollars. This beat out many more notably artists at the time from the Renascence era in terms of market value. On art-facts.com it stated that Pollok was an alcoholic most of his life. He battled this and his bipolar disease which aided in his art development. Though he seeker help he was never able to fully beat it. Art-fact.com also talked about why he never named his paintings. He didn’t want viewers to judge his work based on the name and read into a certain type of position. Without naming them, only the viewer could interpret his work with no outside influence. The final fact I learned about Pollok on art-facts.com was his “drip-technique” was mainly influenced by his wife. This was helped and encouraged by her when she was with him.

4- The post that inspired me this semester was Victoria’s Dada piece. I thought it did an excellent job having the correct color scheme that made the images pop and the background easy on the eyes. I thought her ability to place the cut outs was smart and they aided in the piece instead of dominating it. It was clear that her ability to be creative yet precise created a fantastic piece. The elements of her randomness that seemed to bring it to life is something that I have tried to develop during my art journey this semester and beyond.

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For my dreamscape I tried to put a baseball game on the moon. It takes a familiar landscape and combines it with one we are not used to.

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Travel Day:

The future merging of the beauty and wonder of space travel… and the mundane experience of traveling to those places.

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Travel Day:

The future merging of the beauty and wonder of space travel… and the mundane experience of traveling to those places.

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For my cubism project, I decided to put a cutout of earth at the center and then place some of the issues in our world today around it. They range from the deadly sins, to those that harm us in ways that weren’t know thousands of years ago. I think it is chaotic which brings out the message of my project.

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For this assignment I painted my friend matt. I used cool blue colors for his body because he has a very carefree and relaxed demeanor. He always goes with the flow and never overthinks. These colors and long strokes reflect his ability to adapt calmly in any of life’s situations. The yellow reflects his love for the world and his passion to be in/a part of it. He is posed in his chair at his house where he spends most of his time he isn’t diving or in class.

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I drew a picture of Luke Skywalker’s home in Star Wars. It is one of my favorite all-time movies and stories. The landscapes reflect those of this weeks powerpoints as many of the worlds features are incredibly unique.

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1- My relationship with selfies has changed quite a bit throughout the last ten years. Originally, when I first got on social media and used selfies, it was as a way to express myself. I always wanted to make sure the angles looked just right and that I was positioned correctly. I wanted it to make sure it looked my best and highlighted my face and background. Much has changed since I was 14 and experimented with selfies, and I now use them in a much less professional way.

Now that dynamic has shifted. I use selfies now to express myself in an unflattering way. I like to use filters to make myself look my worst and use it to accompany my jokes and personality. I also use it to make my friends look bad, and to capture funny moments. Socially, selfies allow me to be myself at every part of my life. It allowed me to document myself at different phases and my attitude towards the public. It also documented a shifting attitude as I became less and leas shy, I was more and more creative with my selfies, and much bolder with the pictures I had taken.

2- The selfie angle at the current moment, in my opinion is the forehead shot. Whenever I use Snapchat or Instagram these are always the photos I am viewing or receiving. It is a picture of a man or woman with their hair in view, the sky or ceiling above them, and a shot of their eyes and piece of their nose. This is so common now, I could honestly identify some of my friend while only viewing 25 percent of their face.

I think the reason they have shifted to this is for two reasons. The first is confidence. I think social media has hurt a lot of people’s confidence, so when talking to someone new, they take this picture because it doesn’t expose their entire face. It offers a cautious approach to an intimate moment. I also think people use this, because when people are taking selfies they are also trying to communicate. This could be by displaying an object or scenery in the background, or by typing a message. This way their face isn’t in the way as much, and is secondary to the prioritized message.

3-We are no where near the top for face altering technology. People are still getting plastic surgery done to physically alter themselves and this will continue as technology advances for online portraits. People want to look their best or change the way they look for a variety of reasons… whether that be comedy, professionalism, attractiveness and so on. As technology advances, so will the opportunity for those who want to use it to change how they appear.

I think we will continue to advance it ways that we can’t even imagine yet. I believe there will be a time when changing your facial image can be done instantaneously, and won’t even require a phone or app. I think that face altering and selfies allow people to express themselves in more ways than ever before. I think companies will continue to keep up with the with times and use filters that highlight key social issues and popular culture. They will continue to make face altering selfies a part of mainstream media and normalize the practice to keep as many people as they can engaged.

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I used this quote as I made for empowerment, because I think it combines two themes that can be harmonious. To regret nothing means to live as purely you. It means that you don’t dwell on your past actions, and you embrace your journey through life whether for good or for bad. To regret nothing means to live in the moment, and to give the best to yourself at all times. To live ferociously means to live without fear of regret. It means staying true to yourself and your values no matter the setting. It means being unapologetic for the life you want to leave and the legacy you will leave behind. To live in regret is to put oneself in a prison of their own doing. To live without regret, and to live ferociously means to live as you have always intended.

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For my project I had my model dress in dark blue and orange. These are two complementary colors, and brown boots. He poised in an L-Shape on top of our houses igloo, and the trees in the background also served as an L-Shape.

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For this week’s art project, I used two modes with two different color pallets. I used an L-shape for both. For the first mode, I used a light color pallet of white and brown to reflect nicely on the background of the Bonaventure logos. For the second model, I also used the L-shape for the background. This had a much darker color combination, complemented by the Hawaiian flag. The second model is from the state of Hawaii, and I thought as the photographer to incorporate a traditional color palette from his home. The swimming pool which gives off a distinct L-shape, because he is a member of the swimming team. This way it embodies the entirety of the model, both in physicality and heritage.

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Artists of the Week: Claire Cody and Alec Thomas.

Claire: Your valentine felt like it was full of so much love. The imagery and vivid colors made it pop out in a public space.  So feel good, so positive, and so Bonas. I loved the retro groovy feel, and the basketball imagery celebrates this community.

Alec: I really dug how your imagery bounced and connected into your poem. The image of the retro library connects with your line, “The most important story is the one about you.”  Your work is the first time I have seen positive public street art on a laundry machine. It’s a meaningful space where people reflect and an overlooked location.

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[alec-thomas]

Name: Alec Thomas

Pronouns: He/Him

From: Erie, PA 

Academic Path: BA Strategic Communication and Digital Media// MS Operational and Business Analytics 

Favorite Artist: Michelangelo

Hobbies: Biking, Body Surfing, Ice Cream Enthusiast 

Favorite Quote: “Are these magic grits?”