aperezitdaspring2017-blog

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Project #4:IDENTITY ZINE- Putting it All Together

Final Project Summary

For my final project I was nervous yet excited to make a zine. I always have too many concepts and ideas in mind that I want to take on but usually have to minimize to only doing a few. I discovered a love for collages through out this semester. I used it in the collaging project as well as the music video. Therefore, for my zine I decided I’d do a few more collages and I’d finally be able to fully explore all the concepts I wanted to show. Through my zine I display:

Pop Art

Vintage Collage Work

Text styles

Color use

Retro aesthetics

Cultural influences

Process

Created Photoshop files that were half of a zine size, 5.5X8.5. So that they could fit each page.

Collected inspiration images from Pinterest.

Sketched ideas for layout in sketchbook.

Put together images found from Pinterest in my own creative way.

Merged layers

Cut, copy, pasted, multiple images to create collages

Added Filters

Added text

Saved Finalized Photoshop files

Made my Zine document on InDesign

Created a mock up Zine to help guide me with my layout and organization.

Placed all my final Photoshop JPEG images on each side of the pages on my InDesign layout.

Used InDesign to add text for my bio page.

Saved all my work as Photoshop/InDesign files as well as JPEGS to ensure I could edit mistakes if needed.

FINALLY, printed 21 copies of my Zines

Added 3D elements to each zine (tape on Bio Photo, tape on page 9) for extra detail, and effect to overall composition.

My favorite project was the music video project. It was an opportunity to test my ability to step out of my comfort zone and work with video editing. I ultimately loved the process of collecting all the files and putting everything together with perfect timing to show something special and dynamic. Although this was a video I was still able to explore Collage work in a different way. 

My least favorite project was project 1, creating our own header and logo. Looking back at it now, it wasn’t a bad process. It was just intimidating to create something that would be looked at all semester long, all while I barely knew how to use the Adobe programs.

My most successful project is the Collage project. It opened up a new love for me. I found out a lot about who I am as an artist through that project and pushed me to continue this concept throughout the other projects. Overall I think the design, colors, and shapes work really well together.

Through digital art I learned so much about the multiple ways we can turn inspirations intro actual concepts and projects. The videos we watched, artists research, and readings, helped inform me a lot on what other artists are doing, as well as what digital art really is. Before this semester I was still very unsure about what digital art was even considered to be but now I see how open ended it is!

I wish I had more time to learn more ways in which I could use the Adobe programs to bring digital art ideas to life. There is still a lot features and tools that can be used to create things I probably don’t know are possible. Although I know I can do my own research, I ultimately think projects and assignments would be the true way to understand the programs.

Through working with a computer I have enhanced my overall computer skills, Adobe knowledge (which I had very little of prior to this), and I learned new perspectives and ways in which I could display who I am and what my identity consist of.

My final book relates to digital art through the use of photography mixed with text, textures, art, to come together as one large collage. My overall design shows that I love color but also like to incorporate some edge. I display a love for vintage styles, 70′s and 90′s aesthetics, and I am influenced by nature’s elements and indie rock and pop music.

The overall design of the Zine relates to the design of my Tumblr page because I incorporated cherry blossoms, as well as a lot other floral work just like in my header. I used some light pastel pink shades similar to my websites layout color, and I used my Tumblr logo on the back cover of my Zine. I simply adjusted the colors to fit my Zine’s look.

Although they are not very similar, the colors and elements used in the Zine reinforce the idea that although I have grown since creating my Tumblr page I still am present in my roots and continue to reinforce those first elements through out the rest of my work. They are complimentary to each other and accentuate who I am.

I expect to receive an A for my final project. I was very intimidated by the amount of time, originality, and challenges I’d have to face with using InDesign, printing, and making 12 original new concepts. However, I once again learned to love the process and I really organized my time wisely to create new content and give full potential to this project. 

Although it would have been easy to alter some of my old work I took this as an opportunity to make all the concepts and ideas I didn’t get to do before come true with this final project. Ultimately, as a statement of how much this class has taught me about my identity and influenced me.

I also expect and A for my course grade. I quickly learned to love this class and dedicated my all to making dynamic, personal, and inspirational work. I often found myself focusing on this class more than others which I had to learn to balance. I truly have gained a lot from the inspirational videos, readings, and fun exercises, and creative ways in which we were taught to grow all semester long. I tried my hardest all semester long to show that gratitude through all my assignments, projects, exercises, readings, and class participation.

FIN!

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Reading #5 : MY CHOICE

The Impact of Digital Technology on Art and Artist 

By Mohamed Zaher

Why did you select this reading?

We’ve learned about the new age of Digital Technology and Art all semester long. This reading is a continuation of that knowledge. It is very clear and concise in it’s organization, which ultimately made this an easier read than the previous readings. It is also unbiased and provides multiple outlooks on the positives and negatives of digital technology on art and artists.

Why do you feel it is important to share it?

As art students it’s important that we continue to learn about digital technology. It is our job as contributing artists to our community, to inform ourselves on the evolution of digital art and how it is revolutionizing the world around us.

How has it affected you?

Zaher’s article made me question ways in which I can avoid the natural downfalls of digital technology. It was intimidating to think I had never thought about some of the things mentioned in the article until that moment. However, it impacted me for good. For now when I make art I will be conscious of how to avoid falling into the repetitiveness and total unoriginality.

Has it changed your perspective in any way? If so why?

Again, this article changed my mindset and approach to what I already thought I knew about the digital realm and it will push me to dive into it in new creatives ways.

Points of Interest

“Today’s modern technology has, however, reduced the need for the human artistic touch in favor of a vast array of diverse and different tools, each of which is a mechanism that gives access to an even bigger set of tweaking and tuning options that open up limitless horizons for artists to express themselves more creatively and accurately, to the degree.”

While I agree that today’s virtual artistic tools help artists truly perfect their visions, I also think it has taken away from the human touch.

We literally do not need to physically interact our hands and art as much as we did before because we have the innovation of digital art.

So do you believe that because we have buttons that stimulate techniques of studio art that we would normally have done with our hands (such as how much density, value, shape, and texture we give to something) that there is still such thing as born talent, or talent at all?

Could it be that now digital art doesn’t cause for talent, but techniques and programming knowledge.

It can be debated that overall design, concept, and idea planning is the new talent. They are the artist’s gift. But perhaps original born talent is a redefined concept that fits digital art in a different way than with any other medium.

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Assignment #5: Show Me What You Know

Concept

I combined my favorite place, person, and thing to create a realistic image of something I wish I could live out in real life.

Place: I used the city for my favorite place because although I love nature and being by the beach I was raised in Miami and I hope to one day experience an even more real city life experience by visiting New York. The spirit of the city, the lights, and the endless buildings have always fascinated me.

Person: My favorite people are my family members, friends, and significant other. However, I can’t just pick one of them. Therefore, I chose my favorite musician, Kid Cudi. Although I have never met him, I only hope I can one day. His music has been with me for years and he never ceases to inspire me. It would be great to have a conversation with him or go exploring the city if ever possible.

Thing: I find that I love way too many things. I definitely appreciate everything in my life. While I could have simply chosen a more materialistic or fun article I chose my glasses. I am grateful for everything new I get to see everyday. My eyes are a very important part of me as an artists. They intake everything that could inspire me. Without my glasses I wouldn’t be able to spend countless hours exploring or creating. I wanted to show what it would be like to see through my eyes.

Formal Elements: 

Color: I emphasized the orange and blue brown hues of the city and taxis by adjusting the warm and cool tones on the layer with my person. I thought it would be interesting to stick to just a few main colors throughout the photo.

Unity: I added a grainy filter over the whole edit in order to unify all the different elements. Although everything is placed rather realistically, the resolution and lighting of the person, place, and object were all different which made the photo look clearly photoshopped. Grainy filter is my favorite and I have used it a lot so far so I decided to use it once more.

Emphasis: In having the glasses frame around Cudi’s face I emphasize his presence in the picture. I had a lot of fun editing him and imagining what it would be like to actually be adventuring with him. The glasses are there to accentuate his identity.

What have I learned in Digital Art?

This assignment is one last example of everything I have learned so far with Digital Art. Through out the course I have gotten very familiar with collaging and found a lot of love for it. I’ve had to use the Quick Selection Tool in Photoshop countless times in order to cut out images to later place on top of other images. Once again I used it for this assignment in order to make all my layers come together. 

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Reading #4:  Beyond Pong: why digital art matters by James Bridle

“If technological literacy is going to rise, it's going to need the help of artists to enlarge its vocabulary, and the leadership and guidance of cultural institutions to frame the discussion.” 

We are often educated about the history of classical art, music, and all the other valued treasure of history. However, digital art is very much present in today’s society and it has been around for several decades already. 

So why is it that we do not teach the importance of its history? Is it not considered a part of history? 

Or is it perhaps because we are still living in the technological advances of the present that we do not realize the importance of beginning to educate others on its importance.

Haque calls it "a virtual reality", but not in the sense of a purely digital realm: "It's there, it's responding to you, you can see it, but as you try and approach it you can't actually feel it. For me, the idea is to question this distinction between the physical and the virtual."

Virtual reality can be an interactive way to get the community to understand technology simply through its nature.

You can see it and it can respond to you but you can’t feel it. It’s simple but it’s the perfect way to teach others the difference between us and the virtual realm. 

Sometimes the best way to involve others is to feed their curiosity. Not with words, but with visuals. Using art to evoke thought is exactly what art is meant to do. So maybe our way of educating other is by using what is already at our hands.

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Digital Art Runway In-Class Assignment

Formal Elements

Color: There is a variety of color all through out the art work but I ensured to use complimentary schemes so that it could all work well together.

Symmetry: There is symmetry through the work. I repeated the same elements in all 4 corners and have a center figure with two other figures. One on the left and one on the right.

Unity: Although everything is very different, I think the uniqueness of all the elements makes it comes together nicely as one.

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Digital Exercise #5: Watch & Complete Adobe InDesign Tutorials

First Row: Created by following the  How to create and print a postcard design tutorial

Second Row: My own creative version for the tutorial. I was inspired by a recent visit to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Garden for the Hatsume Festival. I made my postcard based off that.

Third Row: Created by following the  How to make a brochure using Adobe InDesign tutorial.

Fourth Row: My own version of the tutorial. I made the brochure on Maori culture and tattoos. After recently learning about it in one of my classes I was very interested and wanted to learn more myself.

What is Adobe InDesign used for?

Printed books, brochures, posters, annual reports, etc.

Integrates with other Adobe applications

Create multi column pages with texts and graphics

Include vector graphics from Illustrator CC or Capture CC

Includes Adobe stock with royalty free images

Create digital publications

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Extra Credit

Juried Student Exhibition is an annual exhibition at FAU. It is produced and organized by the students. Every year students are encouraged to submit at least 3 of their works of choice. Those who are chosen have the opportunity to exhibit their work at the universities Ritter Art Gallery and have the possibility of winning cash prizes as well as showcasing their work at the Art Boca Raton Contemporary Art Fair.

Margaret Crowley-Kiggins

Five-Dollar Psychic Readings, 2016

acrylic on canvas

Formal and Conceptual Elements:

Color: The color scheme for this painting is cool toned with a sharp contrast of pink red warm tones. The subjects clothing fabric has a mix of purple and pink hues that stand out boldly against the contrasting cooler hues of the blue wall behind her.

Balance: The canvas seems to be evenly divided into a left and right section. This illusion is created due to the wall in the background which seems to end precisely in the middle of the canvas. The subject on the left is very three dimensional and bulky. It is balanced out by the cat subject on the other half of the canvas which also has form and is facing the same direction as the human. Together both figures are balanced by the fine details of the pearls that hang in the background.

Space: There is interesting positive and negative space taking place in the work. The form of the figures and objects all vary in shape and size which calls for very active space. The eye first moves from foreground to the left of the canvas to the background on the right.

Caitlin Nobile

Convenient Deaths, 2017

oil on panel

Formal and Conceptual Elements:

Color: Similar to Margaret’s piece, Nobile’s art work has a color scheme that focuses a lot on blue, purple, and pink hues. The close up angle of the house shows a lot of warm toned pinks that are nicely contrasted by the cool tones of the bushes that surround the home. The sky is evidently also a dark tone of blue that smoothly coexists with the purple color of the porch and tent roof, without overpowering it.

Texture: The texture for this piece is a lot thicker than the one in Margaret’s work. This can be because of the difference in mediums. Caitlin uses oil which is thicker than acrylic paint. The build up of oil is seen in small details such as the balloons in the upper right window, as well as in the moon, cat, and bushes. This adds a lot of character to the painting and differentiates from Margaret’s art work despite their similarities in colors and mystical magical subjects and themes. Texture is definitely one of the main elements of this piece. It gives it a rough edgy appearance that suites the edgy spooky story it conveys.

Variety: There is variety in the different subjects present. They are all something different, doing different actions, or representing something completely different from the other. This really makes the piece interesting and adds mystery and dark humor to the title Convenient Deaths because it seems like each figure is their own death with a varying story. Compared to  Five-Dollar Psychic Readings which seems to focus one main story.

Why did you select the particular event/exhibition? Why did you pick these works?

I selected the Juried Student Exhibition because its a great opportunity for students like myself to participate and get experience in what it’s like to have your work showcased, curated, accepted, and judged by others. My friends submitted there work and I was interested in seeing how others organized it and displayed it. It’s always great to see what your community is involving itself with artistically in the present moment.

 I chose these two works because of the

Color choices. I am very fond of cool toned color schemes

Their stories. Both are very mystical, magical, and mysterious.

The mediums. I myself struggle with painting with acrylic and oil, therefore, it is fun to see how others handle it themselves

Do they relate to your own work in any way?

I think the colors chosen for both, as well as the darker spookier themes portrayed is one that I relate to and sometimes show with my own work. The fun playfulness with the concept of Death in Caitlin’s work is one that I often slightly implement into my own work. I am more subtle and symbolic, however, it’s interesting to see her not so subtle way of making it the center of attention in her piece.

What have you learned from attending this event/exhibition that you had not known before?

I learned something new about each artist. The ones I was already familiar with and the ones I wasn’t. There were so many mediums present, some art works I wasn’t entirely sure what they were made of but it was different finding out what it was that artists used and learning how some everyday objects could come together to make art.

How might this experience help you as an artist?

I myself entered my own artwork into the exhibition but was not accepted. It was my first time participating but it was also my first time visiting the exhibition. Therefore, I got to see what others did and how they chose to show a little about themselves through their art. I got an insight on how everything was organized and saw the varying range of mediums that can be used to share a story. This helped me see where my fellow artist friends and FAU community stands and what is currently popular in terms of art and the political or emotional meanings behind them.

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Create 3 Identity/Obsessions/Interests GIFs

Identity

I often create projects that show my identity through the things I enjoy about nature, music, aesthetics, and movies. However, a big part of my identity consists on the important people in my life which is why I wanted this GIF to show my:

Family

Friends

Significant other

Myself as a child and now in present time

Obsessions

My obsessions highly influence my art. Music motivates me and inspires me to create themes in my work. Nature is the place I often go to for happiness, relaxation, and inspiration as well. Therefore it is also very present in my art works. This GIF consists of:

Music artists

Travel

Nature

My love for the moon

Tattoos

Interest in Art

I’ve never had one favorite medium or artists but rather many that have always interested me. The combination has helped shape me and I could not pick just one therefore I chose to show the following mediums and artist works:

Frida Kahlo

Salvador Dali

Tim Burton

Walt Disney

Japanese ink work

Photography medium

Light Installation

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Project #3: MUSIC VIDEO = Story + Image + Sound

Concept and Identity

When planning out ideas for this video I listed all the things that I love and admire. At first I could make no correlation between everything but that confusion quickly became the grand theme for my video. The concept is quite simple, I wanted to make something that would capture that list of inspiration in one story, which consists of: 

The 70′s era

Alice in Wonderland

Disney Classic Films

Nature and Spring

The Night Sky

Florida Life

The Ocean

Time

All things retro and vintage

Music

Salvador Dali

Separately, all the above factors are very different and may seem randomly chosen but when they come together in context they flow cohesively because of their significance in representing my identity from my likes to what I live by, listen to, meditate to, or entertain myself with.

Digital Format

This digital format let me bring to life everything I was trying to show in my last project of the digital collage. It was a way to bring movement to what I would normally display with images. Everything was carefully chosen and with the help of Adobe Premiere I was able to piece together some of my favorite clips that I always look to for artistic inspiration and personal growth.

Formal Elements

Color: Overall I have a variety of black and white and color. However, a lot of that color has been unsaturated or tampered with so that they appear more neutral in order to give the video an aging retro feel.

Texture: The combination of cartoon animations with high quality shots makes for interesting and playful textures. Some of the noise, pix-elation, scratches, as well as the smooth well defined colors again redefines the vintage theme.

Harmony: Through strategic planning and placement I placed video clips to match the story in the audio. Sometimes effects were used to change the timing of the visuals so that they played out in agreement with the beat of the song. Certain scenes start when the beat drops. Some slow down when the rhythm is slower. It all comes together to create harmony. 

What did I learn?

Through the process of this video I learned that I cannot let fear of the unknown predisposed me and my creativity. I chose a song whose main lyrics says “Let It Happen” and that’s the number one thing I learned with Premiere. It’s difficult at first and I must admit I previously did not enjoy it but after letting go of fear and embracing the differences of this program in comparison to Photoshop or Illustrator I was able to come up with a piece I equally loved.

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Digital Exercise #4:  Watch & Complete Adobe Premiere Tutorials

Top Video: Was created by following step by step How to Edit Videos using Premiere Pro video.

Bottom Video: Was created by following the same guidelines of the tutorial. However, this time I applied my own creative vision. I unsaturated the video, played with the speed, and added some effects.

What is Adobe Premiere Pro used for?

A video editing software

Can be used to add titles, manipulate color and light, assemble and edit, add audio and video effects.

Integrates with Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects.

Can be exported to any screen and format

Resolution independent

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Reading #3 : Allergy to Originality by Drew Christie

My Reaction 

When first viewing Allergy to Originality I was drawn to the simplicity of the illustration and concept. It was there that it dawned on me that the reason I felt more comfortable with this reading was perhaps because of my familiarity with all the content. 

It’s fascinating to me that with my previous understandings and knowledge of the materials spoken about in the video I was able to understand the whole point almost instantly. Drew Christie’s work leaves you almost dumbfounded with interest. It definitely left me saying “Ohh!”

Points of Interest

Drew Christie plays with the irony of originality in her own video and writing. Her article’s concluding statement says “I hope this piece is at least unoriginal in an original way or perhaps even originally unoriginal.” Which makes me question this: Is there anything we can ever do that is original? An even better question is this...”Is unoriginality even an ancient concept?”

Everything is inspired by something. It can be a thought, a vision, another artists work, or the words of those closest to us. It is impossible to put out an idea that is 100% original. We are not alone in this planet and even if we were, our surroundings are sometimes the biggest source of inspiration or subject for the arts. Therefore, can it be debated that even those such as Mark Twain, Shakespeare, or the prophets and contributors of the Bible (the oldest book in existence) are not very original in their own work?

It is in the nature of existence that we become more unoriginal as time passes. Drew’s short animation cleverly reinforces this. The man behind the booth recites several pages of Wikipedia and similar to him, everything we learn day to day comes from someone else’s knowledge and studies. We are told to look at others for inspiration. That being said I leave this question for others to discuss. Do you believe in the possibility of originality? Is there levels to how original one can be? Is anyone ever authentic in their work and is it okay to not be?

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Assignment #3: Individual Research on Digital Art & Artists

Doug Foster

Fortuna’s Wheel, 2016

Single-channel digital film

Doug Foster

Veil of Light, 2013

Single-channel digital film

Doug Foster’s subtle colors and delicate use of light was intriguing from the moment I came across it. It fascinates me that the artist can create short films that are so aesthetically pleading and balanced that it can produce still images that can stand freely as masterpieces of their own. Veil of Light and Fortuna’s Wheel evoke strong emotions and curiosity through their simplicity, elegance, and formal elements.

Formal and Conceptual Elements:

Fortuna’s Wheel:

Harmony: There is balance between the negative and positive space. This is in part because of the shape of the object and the colors used. The neutrals against the black background balance out nicely so that not one color overpowers the rest of the elements. The wheel object is simple and the geometric lines within the object are fine. It complements the composition by adding a subtle touch that creates a form that is easy to follow.

Movement: There is only one main focal point and that is the wheel in the image. Typically, objects that are round and have an endless starting and ending point tend to have a lot of movement. When looking at this piece my eye can go around the ridges and shapes of the wheel over and over again. The plain dark background draws more attention towards the movement in the composition.

Rhythm: Although it is subtle, there is rhythm within the fortune wheel. It isn’t a smooth rounded shape. There is repetition of geometric figures coming out of the shape. Again, rhythm occurs because of the endless start and end points mentioned previously. What seems to be leaves and branches sticking out of flowers repeat over and over again and create an organized movement.

Veil of Light:

Color: The cool toned hues and values create a calming light sensation. Color is definitely one of the main factors in setting the mood for this piece.

Balance: The subjects face as long as the patterns of light reflected on the body show symmetry. What is seen on one side is seen perfectly reflected on the other side. It is almost unrealistic how well balanced the whole composition is. Specially when analyzing the facial features and how they too balance out the light.

Texture: There is texture in the light. The image is called Veil of Light and the visuals do justice to the title. It seems as if the light is shining through a pattern, ultimately, it causes an elegant texture on the foreground and background.

 Franco Defrancesca

Spellbound, 2011

Pigment print and resin on panel and layered plywood

Franco Defrancesca

Geoengineered Muzak, 2014

Mixed media and resin on panel

Franco Defrancesca’s work are for those with a curious mind. When I first came across his profile I was fascinated by his use of colors. As I analyzed closer I realized these were not photographs or light installations. That’s what made it interesting from many others. Francesca uses chemicals, mixed medias, and resin to make compositions that are hypnotizing.

Formal and Conceptual Elements:

Spellbound :

Color: The pigments used are vibrant and when placed next to each other appear to be fluorescent. Their strategic placement gives the artwork a glowing and hypnotic appearance.

Shape: The round circular shape is repeated over and over again. They get gradually smaller. This is due to the artist’s choice of placing one shape within another until they reached the center or a focal point.

Emphasis: The contrast between the darker pigments in some of the rings against the lighter rings causes them to be emphasized and stand out more than others, This repetition leads the eye all the way to the center where there is a focal point. This is caused by the emphasis of the purple ring. It wraps all the other colors within it into one. It makes it a point of interest.

Geogengineered Muzak:

Color: There is stark contrast between the cool toned hues and the warm tones that spread across the composition. They balance each other well because there is no one color that overpowers the others.

Line: There are vertical lines that spread horizontally in the composition. They seem to be like smears of the pigments. At first they are spread out a little more thickly until they are thinned out and appear like lines that are repeated over and over again to create an illusion that to me seems like one is looking through wet glass or crying eyes.

Movement: The eye moves from the left to right of the panel. Then it moves up and down between all the repeated lines of pigment.

What is Digital Art?

a) In your opinion, what is the role of digital art today?

Digital art is here to show people that art is not bound to one medium or style. The use of technology is increasingly growing in many aspects of our lives. Art is known to show important parts of cultures and represent humanity’s current outlooks and place in life. Digital art is simply appropriately showing modern societies mark on the planet and this moment in time.

b) What kinds of personal connections can you make to your selected artists works?

I love colors and enjoy conversational pieces and artwork that reaches for viewers curiosity and emotions and I feel like both Foster and Defrancesca had pieces that express those qualities.

c) What are the subjects, issues, and themes important to each of your selected artists?

Doug Foster is interested in producing films and installations that show optical illusions as well as eerie narratives. Franco Defrancesca works with mixed mediums and has a fascination for color theory, psychedelics, visual perception, and photography.

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Project #2: Digital Collage/Montage - Exploration in Multiple Media

For my digital collage I wanted to create something that encompassed my love for:

vintage photography

old Hollywood films

all things retro

color

tropical paradises

flowers & nature

From the beginning I knew I wanted the overall image to have different textures and to appear to be a collage produced from real life magazines and photo cut-outs. Pinterest provided me with a lot of inspiration from professional artist collages to fun student projects.

Photographs really are worth thousands of words and I am personally always inspired for my own art by the photos and designs I see online. Photoshop and Illustrator were the perfect programs for me to design something aesthetically pleasing and representational in just one still image that shows all of the elements that motivate me most in an interesting composition.

After this project I learned a lot more about properly working with layers on Photoshop and how to organize things that are completely different from one another so that the final product is cohesive and presentable.

Formal Elements:

Texture: The texture of my skin, the objects placed around me, and the texture in the background all vary to emphasize colors, objects, and give the illusion that this is a collage produced from real magazines and old photographs.

Color: I was very meticulous when choosing objects to embed into the collage. I wanted the image as a whole to convey the vibrancy of the elements of Earth. Therefore, the objects I included had to be rich and colorful. The background color is a warm orange to compliment the cool toned hues of the seashells and beach scenery, without overpowering them.

Line: The reason for the white lines is to add simple details around the main figures. I did not want to outline the “cut-outs” but simply make it seem as if I went back into the collage with a white marker. Aside from adding detail they add a subtle rhythm that can be interpreted as my personal vibration waves and patterns. 

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Digital Exercise #3: Watch & Complete Adobe Photoshop Tutorials

Top Left Image: My own exact version created by following Edit Your First Photo in Photoshop video.

Top Right Image: This version was made with my own creative vision. I altered the saturation to make certain colors pop and added a background blur similar to the tutorial version.

Bottom Left Image: My own exact version created by following Create Your First Design in Photoshop video.

Bottom Right Image: This image is a design that shows my creative vision. I used some of the techniques from the tutorial to create a text with my own font as well as played with the image to place it inside of the font as my personal twist.

What is Adobe Photoshop used for?

Create and edit images

Design for print, web, apps

Create video and animations

Photoshop and Adobe Light Room work together to edit and organize images

Integrates with Illustrator and InDesign to access extra features.

Creates posters, billboards, mobile app designs, typography, logos, and more.

Has a 3-D feature that can be integrated to 2-D Designs.

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Photoshop Workshop

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Reading #2: The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin

 2 Key Points of Interest

Benjamin talks about the “aura” being the element that withers most in the age of mechanical reproduction.

I find it interesting to believe that a work of art is considered to have it’s own aura just as a person would because:

It imposes the possibility that perhaps a work is not just the end result but the cultural influences, time, setting, creation process, and originality of it. Human interaction is as important as the concept or piece is.

If the aura or art fades through reproduction then is photography considered a true art form at all?

I believe that while art does have an aura it does not fade because it is captured through a camera lens. Photography is its own art form and a major element of it is its ability to capture details and perspectives that go unseen by the human eye. It is in the nature of photography to capture an image of something that is pre existing. Whether it is a human, a landscape, a still life, or someone else’s artwork.For this reason, I disagree that to photograph something is to take away from somethings aura. It is to simply capture it in a different light. However, I understand why this is so controversial seeing as though the subject will always be something previously made or existing that is being taken away from its setting onto a digital realm.

     2. “ An analysis of art in the age of mechanical reproduction must do justice to these relationships, for they lead us to an all-important insight: for the first time in world history, mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependence on ritual.” Part IV

This part to me seems like a more positive and realistic outlook at the world of mechanical reproduction today. It’s interesting to think that to take something away from its tradition or original context is to break it apart. It almost seems to me like what is being stated is that in reproducing a piece you are admiring it for what is is meant to be while taking it away from this concept that it can only exist within it’s ritual.

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Assignment #2: Individual Research on Contemporary Art & Artists

Artist: James Turrell. 

Title: Caper, Salmon-White (2000). 

Medium: Light Installation

Artist: James Turrell

Title: Breathing Light  (2013)

Medium: Light Installation

I have chosen artist James Turrell as one of my choices of contemporary artist because of his fascinating work with light and space and his ability to manipulate both to create shapes, concepts, and illusions in simple empty rooms.

Formal and Conceptual Elements:

Caper, Salmon-White:

Color: Color plays an important role in creating depth. Due to Turrell’s works involving lights as a major part of his installation, color, is one of the main focal points. It sets the mood and atmosphere as well as completely affects the space in which it is arranged in.Depending on the hue, the space appears smaller or larger. In this work, their is a variation of values in the orange light which creates the sense of a more enclosed room.

Line:  The first set of lights upfront consist of lines in the shape of a square. Further back there is also another major square formed by lines. The contrast of the two sets of lights being arranged in different distances creates imaginary lines that give off the appearance that viewers are looking into a box or perhaps a small room that has walls angled in a certain way.

Concept:  The use of light and the way it is portrayed is very thought out. It’s reflection, angles, and shadows creates imaginary lines that give the illusion of walls and barriers.

Breathing Light:

Space: It seems that the main source of light is coming from a large screen at the back wall of a room. This causes the light source to be the main focal point and the reflection on the walls around it to be lighter in color. A difference in values can create the sense of depth or space. In this work there is an ombré effect happening which gives off the appearance that viewers are looking at an endless space with no sense of walls or barriers to bound it.

Texture:There is a certain soft texture caused by the lights being used in this work that make the space appear to be overtaken by a layer of misty fog. Ultimately making it harder to grasp an understanding of surroundings and the existence of boundaries.

Artist: Michael Dweck

Title: Tropicana-8 (2011)

Medium: Photography

Artist: Michael Dweck

Title: Mermaid 10 (2008)

Medium: Photography

Michael Dweck’s photographs caught my attention from the moment I saw them. Habana Libre and the Mermaids gallery show Dweck’s keen eye for capturing beauty and seduction, not necessarily in a moment but in the events that occur leading up to it as well as afterwards.

Formal and Conceptual Elements:

Tropicana-8

Movement: With the main figure being the center of the photograph, the eye first looks vertically and then horizontally at the swaying skirt. There is a lot of movement in the figure itself which causes viewers to analyze the movement of composition quickly as well.  After looking at the foreground the eye moves towards the left where there is another figure in the background and then towards the right where there is emptiness to balance the fluidity.

Emphasis: There is emphasis in the flowing skirt. The movement causes a blurry texture that is emphasized in contrast to the sharpness of the rest of the figure.

Mermaid 10

Unity: There is unity in the composition, the black and white color scheme, and shape of the figure. All together it makes for a harmonized photograph where no one area overpowers the rest of the photo.

Space: The shape of the figure is very unique and posed in a way that the space around her looks almost unreal. Although the figure is in water it appears as if she is floating in nothingness because of the solid pitch darkness of the water in the space around her in contrast to her light textured figure.

Questions

a) In your opinion, what is the role of contemporary art today?

Contemporary art is here to make people question the culture they are living in, the ideas that are inspiring and provoking the lives of the present day, and it is here to cause contradiction and challenge the assumption of what art is supposed to be and what it should look like.

b) What kinds of personal connections can you make to your selected artists works?

I connected a lot with the artist I chose despite their works being so different from one another. James Turrel’s work with colored lights and space is something that fascinates and feeds my love of color and mood. His installations all narrated a different environment based on the color and placement of light and that is something I am always observing in my surroundings.

Michael Dweck’s photographs touched me more personally, they had a graceful nature that I was drawn to because as a person and artist I felt I could relate to it. His Tropicana-8 connected me to my roots. The whole Habana Libre gallery observes and captures the marvelous beauty of Cuba and the privileged among a society that has no social class. Being raised by Cuban mother and a family that immigrated just a few years before my birth, whenever I see photographs that capture the essence of my roots it is something that I admire in a special way. Dweck’s work brought me a lot of nostalgia.

c) What are the subjects, issues, and themes important to each of your selected artists?

James Turrel focuses on:

light

space

color

Michael Dweck’s subjects, issues, and themes are:

human figure (particularly women)

seduction

beauty/elegance

youth

community

culture