hannahraehum - Tumblr blog

[hannahraehum]

My Manifesto: View Life Through Rose-Tinted Glasses.

Stop and Smell the Roses… Please!

After reviewing my previous posts from the beginning of the class semester in late June to the most recent post of just yesterday, August 5th, I have noted the pattern throughout my blogs. Ever since I was a small kid I was taught to view life around you with a careful eye or it will whiz by. The perfectly shaped heart pool of water beneath your sweating cup could be easily dismissed, and quickly passed over, but if given a few moments to gaze at the average person would be surprised how beautiful the world is around them. A butterfly or moth is just that to some, but watch her for a while and you may capture her taking a rest on a leaf or landing on your shoe before she takes off to her next destination. My manifesto is all about taking it all in, the good and the bad is all beautiful and something to learn from. View life through the lens of an artist and suddenly it's not so mundane.

During the review of my manifesto, I urge the viewer to listen to the soundtrack of my eighth post, titled The Sound of the Rainbow. Within it is six completely different songs to give a taste test of many genres and decades all under the theme of color. As you pass through the rainbow beginning with the first two shades of red and yellow, you may review two of my blog posts. The first is “Punta Gorda Sculptures” in which I share with the reader a slice of beauty from my hometown. My post covers the striking sculpture “Calostimucu,” a Native American head that represents great power and honor. Thousands drive by him each day off the port charlotte highway 41 bridge, he’s seen many through his 50 years of sitting there. What he represents to every passer byer will be different, the emotions he brings forth may be sadness, strength, honor, pride, or wonder. The next art piece in the post is “Ostriches” and the tower over a road in the Peace River Botanical Gardens. The man and woman loom over in their fancy red clothes, making the viewer feel small compared to the mighty giants. At this point, the song Red by Chevelle should overlap as you view my post and ponder over the pictures of the sculpture. Perhaps, passion or strength may pump up your energy while you consider the pisces of artwork.

When Orange plays by Zach Bryant you may review the post titled Casablanca and Lost in Translation in which I review these two films and analyze them. I want individuals to exit a film with more questions than answers, every movie and video should make the viewer intrigued even after the credits roll. Casablanca is an old film, but the cinematography has influenced so many after it. Many shows and films after it have referenced great and classic films. The plot may raise questions, like what would you do in the role of the main character, and have you ever had to give up a person you love for the greater good. The other film I analyze is an all-time favorite film for me, it represents a time in my life when loneliness ruled all and this film was my therapy. Has the reader ever had a relationship that existed only as a life lesson even if they existed in your timeline for a brief moment? What does aging mean to the reader, is it something beautiful or is it scary.

For the song Yellow, you will stop to smell the roses of my post titled Ekphrasis of the Kiss. In this post, I reviewed the stunning painting by one of my favorite artists, Gustav Klimt. I wanted to create an alternate point of view of the woman in the painting, even if it’s different from what Klimt intended. To me that is the beauty of art, otherwise, every piece of work would have instructions to read it. My manifesto urges the reader to view the painting and come up with how it makes them feel, and what the colors and textures suggest to you. Is it comforting, romantic, glamorous, suffocating, or empty? How does it relate to the viewer's psyche and life? My poem will not strike a chord with every reader, to some, the poem may be about how there is a pain in all romantic relationships, to others it may be about how some women experience men taking something from them without full consent.

An interpretation by a Ukraine photographer named Andrey Kezzyn 2022.

For the songs Green Light and Blue on Blue, the posts Unintentionally Picturesque and Ever is Over All come to mind. The prior is a post all about stopping to smell the roses via photographs taken by me. I walk the reader through five photos taken in various places in which I captured a visually beautiful moment that I didn't want to forget. Starting with the interior of a Kansas art museum, then a mini-golf course in Fort Myers, Florida, a lakeside dock in Kansas, an art museum in Sarasota, Florida, and a park in Estero, Florida. Can the viewer imagine being a part of the photos, what sounds and textures do they feel. At the Kansas art museum, the echoing sounds of discussion and small children screaming as they play, cutlery hitting the table, and soft cafe-style music playing over speakers. Can you feel the texture of the last photo, the dead oak leaves crunching beneath your feet and the soft moss hanging from the grand oak overhead? For the next post, I analyze the art film by Pipliotti Rist called Ever is Over All. The film can have many interpretations and the appreciation for what it could mean comes from inside. Reading my interpretation, what does the reader think when faced with difficult ideas like natural disaster being inevitable or being swallowed by a tsunami. The reader may find a strange comfort in knowing one day the world will revert to wild nature, the buildings and cars covered in sprawling plants and insects. 

The last song is a wild card, “Purple People Eater” is a Halloween classic and I think couples perfectly with my short story post called The Last Yupperknuffle which follows a made-up creature that is struggling to survive. Inspired by children's books and films, I want the reader to transport themselves to childhood wonder when the real world seemed light years away. Can you imagine the Yupperknuffle in your arms or the pain of being alone without its family? I was strongly inspired by the film called the Last Unicorn which came out in the 1970s and was based on a children's novel of the same title. It follows a Unicorn who is the last of her kind and her journey to find answers. I think as adults we can try to stray away from what it was like to be a kid, lost yet having fun and exploring. I urge the viewer to relate to their younger selves by doing what they used to love to do, like coloring books, and legos, playing outside, and finding fun shells at the beach. 

This concludes my manifesto with the overarching theme of taking it all in, stopping to truly feel and connect with the art around you. I have found that this class made me think and analyze a lot more than I had imagined and I’m urging others around me to do the same. I have shared and read my posts with some of my family and loved seeing their reactions. Some of the assignments made me quite surprised by my interpretations and analysis’ like the Ekphrasis when I had to create a poem. Suddenly, the idea and words came to me quite easily and I felt proud about how it turned out. In the end, my manifesto is about appreciating the world around you and not getting caught up in mundane patterns. Your knowledge is power and greatness can come from even the smallest actions!

[hannahraehum]

Ekphrasis of The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

The Grasp

These intertwined vines of gilded gold

Climbing, creeping, chains tying me down

They have me in a choke-hold

A metallic taste and a cold touch

Falling overhead an aura of glowing dust

Imprisoned, encaptured, in his clutch

Enveloping and encasing

The feeling is all too much

Pain or pleasure is of mere perception

His statuesque and dominating affection

I was inspired by the art made by Gustav Klimt and chose his most famous painting The Kiss created in 1908. When I was in high school as a part of an art project, I recreated his portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer I and presented a biographical write-up. One of my two art teachers had an image of The Kiss at the front of her classroom and we sparked a conversation about the artist and the specific picture. If I remember correctly she stated it was one of her favorite pieces but to her, the woman in the painting looked as if she was trying to deny the embrace of the man and looked like she was pushing him away. This nevertheless stuck with me a lot and I think about it every time I come across the piece.

The thought inspired me to write this poem of the woman's perspective in the painting, yet remain elusive enough that the reader could still decide what the image coupled with the poem means to them. I focused a lot on the visuals and what it would feel like to live in the moment of the painting. Klimt used mostly gilded gold and metallics in his work, his father was a gold engraver which inevitably influenced his visuals. I tried to capture the feeling of living in a scene of hard metals and rough chains. While visually gorgeous and stunning with sparkles and glamor the idea of being engulfed in metal is extremely undesirable and suffocating.

I also focused on the idea that perhaps the woman in the painting is torn about how she feels. Perhaps she loves this man but has alternate thoughts crossing her mind.

I hope the painting and my ekphrasis make people think about the role of women in romantic relationships and how complex feelings exist in love.

[hannahraehum]

Not Seen on TV - Ever is Over All

I chose Pipliotti Rist's - Ever is Over All which is a video of an art exhibit in which a short video plays projected on a wall, yet the entire resolution is more of an L shape. If you watched from the middle your eyes would be able to see the shape wrap around from your left to right eye. The short film has two entirely different clips playing and merging in the middle and blending together physically. On the left, a clip of a woman is playing, she is skipping down the street looking very joyous and carrying a tall flower. A few moments in, she turns to a car to the right and breaks its window with the flower. She continues down repeating this, a cop even walks by and gives her a nod. She is in complete bliss. On the right side, clips of sweeping POVs of flowers play and it is the same type of flower that the woman is holding. Music plays over the top of a lighthearted woman humming and some string instruments and drums as well as birds chirping. You can hear the sounds of the woman breaking the windows as loud crashes.

The video stood out to me most from the rest listed, it's very feminine and dream-like. The clip made me think a lot right away, first of how strange yet beautiful then about the actual message it sends. The woman is carefree and carries on as if destruction is her only mission, but not through anger is she driven. The juxtaposition between the two clips helps us understand that the artist is making a distinction between nature and humans. The video can be taken in many different ways but for me it made me think about how human beings are actually quite small when it comes to nature and we are at the complete will of it. Mother nature will always prevail, even when we humans are all gone. We are at her will when she creates earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes erupt, and tectonic plates shift. She is more powerful and "carefree" than even we humans could imagine. Nature will always take over, slowly reverting our actions back to a natural state.

[hannahraehum]

Hamlet

Act 1 Scene 5

Hamlet follows a ghost as it leads him, but soon becomes tired and orders the ghost to speak to him. The ghost tells Hamlet that it is nearly time for it to return to purgatory, but before it does, it has something important to say. Hamlet promises to listen well and swears to seek revenge for what the ghost is about to tell him. The ghost demands vengeance from Hamlet, and Hamlet agrees, emphasizing the importance of revenge and honor in Hamlet's society. The ghost tells Hamlet that it is the spirit of his father and that the horrors of purgatory cannot be told to "ears of flesh and blood." Hamlet is determined to get revenge for the ghost of his father as quickly as possible, but this impulse is flattened as Hamlet starts to reckon with the demands and moral implications of revenge. The ghost confirms that Claudius killed the king by pouring poison in his ears while he slept in the garden. The ghost begs Hamlet not to let Claudius get away with murder or turn the throne of Denmark into a couch for luxury and damnèd incest. Hamlet vows to do all the ghost has asked of him, using strong language against Claudius's immorality and the biblical association of snakes with Satan. This religious undertone adds depth to Hamlet's struggle to parse out the morality of revenge throughout the play. Horatio and Marcellus, who have seen the ghost, ask Hamlet to tell them about the ghost's words. Hamlet tells them not to ask about it and to swear on his sword. When Marcellus protests, the ghost calls out, demanding the men to swear again. Horatio and Marcellus agree to lay their hands on Hamlet's sword and swear. As the ghost reappears, Hamlet's struggle to understand the morality of revenge and the consequences of his actions is further fueled by the ghost's message.

The scene via theatre and acted out shows the mystery and the intrigue as Hamlet's father appears as a ghost before Hamlet. The use of mist and the pause of the scene emphasizes the importance of the dialogue to show the viewer that you should pay attention. There is little movement in the beginning as the ghost commands the presence of the scene. The madness and chaos ensue as the ghost leaves.

[hannahraehum]

Casablanca and Lost in Translation

In northern Africa, World War II is approaching, and people are desperate to escape the Nazis. Casablanca, Morocco, becomes a crowded way station, filled with refugees and corrupt officials. Rick, a wealthy man, owns a popular club and gambling establishment called Rick's. Rick faces dishonorable characters like Captain Renault, a corrupt local official, and Major Strasser, a Gestapo member. Rick's life becomes complicated when two people show up at Rick's: Victor Laszlo, a leader of the Czech resistance against the Nazis, and his wife Ilsa. Ilsa, Rick's long-lost lover, she left him years ago and agreed to stay with Rick if he would use one of the letters of transit to help Victor escape. Rick devises a different plan, holding Renault at gunpoint and forcing him to command officials at the local airport to allow Victor and Ilsa to leave together. Ilsa fights, but Ilsa ultimately decides to stay alive without Rick. Rick is forced to kill Strasser to allow the getaway, and Renault seems to turn him in. However, the Captain has a change of heart at the right time, and Rick is saved. This sets up a famous last scene, where Rick says, "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

The theme of the film covers an inescapable past, the inability to remain neutral, and the dilemmas of difficult decisions. The cinematography of the movie emphasizes shadows and darkness and shots are framed as sometimes chaotic and abruptly change. The movie reminds me much like a film noir with high contrast and drama to match.

Lost in Translation - 2003

I have seen this film multiple times and it's one of my favorites. It begins by introducing one of the main protagonists Bob Harris, an older actor visiting Tokyo Japan for an ad shoot for a Whiskey brand. The film alludes to the attitude of Harris as being washed up, and a has-been. Staying at the same hotel, our second main character is Charlotte who is a recent Yale graduate and staying with her husband who is in Tokyo for business as a photographer. The film emphasizes the emotion of Harris and Charlotte to show they feel equally alone and pessimistic about their roles in life and the stage they are at. The two spot each other a few times as they both explore the city and hotel. Charlotte visits a temple alone and calls a friend, talking to her about how she feels she doesn't know her husband and how she no longer feels anything. The two characters spot each other at the hotel bar and things start to kick off. Eventually, after a few days of hanging out and a night out at karaoke, Charlotte and Harris are in his hotel room. They are watching an old film and emotionally confide in each other. Charlotte explains that she's lost and Harris gives her hope that she's not hopeless. By Bob's last day in Tokyo, it's time the two say goodbye and Harris spots her in a crowd. He has the taxi driver stop and he pulls her aside, gives her a kiss on the cheek, and whispers something to her.

The film is almost entirely filmed in natural lighting and on a Kodak 35 mm film stock giving it a very naturalistic and retaining an older style of filming. The muted color palette and compositions of the painting really dial in the loneliness and the feeling of beings small or consumed by a foreign land. The themes of the film highlight loneliness even though you're surrounded by many people, being lost in a foreign country, and themes of age and phases of life. The film utilizes muted colors, quiet moments, and exploration of both relationships and the city itself to hammer home what it's like to be at an impasse, to not know what's next to come.

[hannahraehum]

The Godfather and La Jetee

Reply from Hannah Witt

The Godfather and La Jetee are quite different in how they choose to portray their grandness of ideas and concepts to the viewer. I think The Godfather stood out to me because of how it used every tool in the box to illustrate itself and make it come alive. It's a larger-than-life sort of film that couples well with its dramatic and stylistic plot. 

La Jetee is understated, viewing more like a wonderful and genius mini-project. It uses minimal yet purposefully chosen themes and cinematic devices to make the viewer hypnotized by the short film. With its post-apocalyptic and futuristic theme, the editing of the film captures the viewer and makes them wonder what could happen next.

[hannahraehum]

Unintentionally Picturesque

This photo was taken at the Kansas City Nelson Atkin Museum which is an art and history museum. It's very large inside and this part pictured here was towards the middle. Sort of like an atrium, it was about two stories high and had swooping lights and gorgeous windows. A fountain lay in the middle and it really felt like a relaxing oasis.

This photo was captured at a putt-putt golf in Fort Myers on a steamy September night. The atmosphere was haunting as you went to the back of the area and the lighting just hung on top of the palms and fence.

Kansas near a lake. I had viewed the scene of the gorgeous flower and the lake in the forefront and without my boyfriend knowing I was able to capture an unintentional photo of him without him posing.

A picture I took right when walking into an exhibit at the Ringling Art Museum in Tampa. The length of the hallway is made to look even longer with the suspended cranes gilded in gold and shining against crimson-red lighting.

A photo I took in Estero, FL which is in a park of an old religious colony that used to live there. This bridge is pretty deep in the park and to the far left not pictured is bamboo wood a bunch of them have carvings in them. I wanted to showcase the natural beauty in the picture so I made sure to get the grandness of the old oak hanging on the beautiful pure white bridge.

[hannahraehum]

Sound of the Rainbow

My playlist will consist of the sound of the rainbow through each color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo/violet. For the purposes of the assignment, indigo and violet will be considered as the color purple. I chose this theme because I have always been fascinated by the use of color descriptions as a way of emotion by artists. Colors gain so much association with both visual and mental descriptions. When you think of yellow, you may picture beautiful sunshine and peace, but red is more conducive to passion or anger. Color is used heavily in literature and cinema to psychologically illicit emotion from the viewer, and just the same, music uses this but via lyrics and description of color.

RED - The Red by Chevelle

Released in 2002 by the 90s band "Chevelle" this early 2000s hit is all about pure rage and "seeing red again." It's categorized as Nu Metal or alternative metal and peaked at #56 on Billboard Top 100. The lyrics are straightforward and the electric guitar engulfs with its sound to wholly capture what anger feels like and not being able to control yourself.

ORANGE - Something in the Orange by Zach Bryan

This country single released in 2022 by the hit country singer Zach Bryan is all about stunning sunsets coupled with sorrow and heartbreak which is a beautiful juxtaposition. He sings "Something in the orange tells me we’re not done" as if the sky is speaking to the writer to tell him he has unfinished business with a past lover. To add, Bryan recorded two versions of the single: the stripped-back and somber versions and one with piano and strings. The song has peaked at number 10 on Billboard.

YELLOW - Yellow by Coldplay

Yellow by Coldplay was released in 2000 on the album Parachutes. The lead singer and writer has been quoted to say the song is about devotion to a lover or someone special and also about his favorite color. I think the repetition of saying yellow coupled with the acts of devotion sparks a visual of absolute beauty radiating and what love feels like whether romantic or not. The genre falls under post-Brit-pop and pop rock. During production, the band and producers had difficulty choosing a tempo that worked for the song, one in between not too fast or too slow but still remained pop-like yet sentimental.

GREEN - Green Light by Lorde

Pop artist and hit-maker, Lorde released this pop single in 2017. The song's lyrics seem to be about a lover lost in a past relationship not able to move on from their ex yet. The green light represents a street light that Lorde is waiting for in the song so she can move on to a new relationship. The entire song elicits visuals of city life such as drinking at a bar, and dancing on light-up floors which goes hand in hand with the 'green light.' All of this comes together for the listener to visualize night life in a city engulfed in street lights of green.

BLUE - Blue on Blue by Bobby Vinton

Released in 1963, this 'easy-listening' classic from the 60s is one of my mom's favorites and was a tie between this and "Blue Velvet" released from the same decade. Backed by an orchestra, the singer expresses heartbreak; "blue on blue, heartache on heartache, blue on blue now that we are through." The song peaked at #3 on Billboard and spent over 13 weeks at the top #100.

INDIGO/VIOLET - The Purple People Eater by Sheb Wolley

This Halloween holiday classic dates back to 1958 and is considered the Doo-Wop genre or rock and roll. The song is light-hearted and sings about a purple people eater that comes from space to be in a rock and roll band. The creature is a "one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater" which elicits very silly and fun visuals which perfectly go with the Halloween spirit. The song reached #1 on Billboard and remained from June to July.

[hannahraehum]

The Last Yupperknuffle

In a distant and foreign land, tucked between the hidden shadows and trees lived an unknown and secretive creature called a Yupperknuffle. The last of its kind, the small animal has a gold mane, flopping ears, the body of an otter, and a tail of a bunny rabbit. The Yupperknuffle has lived hundreds of years, alluding to humans as they come and go. Each year, his home becomes smaller and smaller as he's forced to delve deeper into the forest for safety due to the humans creating houses and developments.

One night the Yupperknuffle is out exploring for food and sneaking from building to building, scavenging the trash that people leave behind. As the creature claws and scurries at the cans and rubbish searching for crumbs, he hears a sound. The Yupperknuffle recognizes it, he's heard it before when around human territory. It's the sound of a dog, a very fearsome animal, and they often scout land like this. The Yupperknuffle hurries quickly to the dark corner, balling up into a plant making itself as small as possible. The sounds of the dog approach, getting louder and louder as the sniffing pup huffs closer.

It inevitably can smell the Yupperknuffle, it hasn't showered in days and the scent of its golden mane smells of the sour trash it's been rooting in. The Yupperknuffle's heart beats louder, all it can do is hope the dog gets distracted and loses interest. And all of a sudden, bam, the massive menacing dog grabs a hold of the Yupperknuffle by its floppy fuzzy ears dragging it across the streets. One of the Yupperknuffle's defense mechanisms is to play dead and faint and just this happens.

When the Yupperknuffle awakens it's inside a cardboard box... There's a large blanket and some kibble and lettuce at its paws. How strange, the Yupperknuffle thinks, this must be the end, I've finally been caught after all these years. Then the box opens. It's a human and it reaches inside for the Yupperknuffle. The unusual and new person pets the Yupperknuffle. "It's okay!" they say. The creature scans the room, looking for a way to escape. He sees glass enclosures lining the room and posters on the wall. Then his eyes reach a picture at the end of the wall.

It's him, it's an illustration of a Yupperknuffle. "Oh dear me, this is the end," he thinks to himself. He lets out a horrendous and hair-raising meep as the woman scoops him up and walks him toward a pen. The chain and glass enclosure was lined with mulch and beautiful plants. He hears a rustle from inside, and a flash of golden hairs from the corner of his eye. A band of Yupperknuffles slowly emerge from the allusive shrubbery and greet him. He can't believe his eyes!

All of these years, he believed he was the last of his kind after being separated from his own when a fire destroyed his habitat. He had been reunited at last thanks to being saved by a scientist that recognized the rare and bizarre creature.

The Yupperknuffles now live at a research facility for the time being while the scientists find out how to save their habitats and genetically create more Yupperknuffles. One day, they will be released again and protected under national law, roaming the lands again.

[hannahraehum]

Christmas Away from Home

BY JANE KENYON

Her sickness brought me to Connecticut.

Mornings I walk the dog: that part of life

is intact. Who's painted, who's insulated

or put siding on, who's burned the lawn

with lime—that's the news on Ardmore Street.

The leaves of the neighbor's respectable

rhododendrons curl under in the cold.

He has backed the car

through the white nimbus of its exhaust

and disappeared for the day.

In the hiatus between mayors

the city has left leaves in the gutters,

and passing cars lift them in maelstroms.

We pass the house two doors down, the one

with the wildest lights in the neighborhood,

an establishment without irony.

All summer their putto empties a water jar,

their St. Francis feeds the birds.

Now it's angels, festoons, waist-high

candles, and swans pulling sleighs.

Two hundred miles north I'd let the dog

run among birches and the black shade of pines.

I miss the hills, the woods and stony

streams, where the swish of jacket sleeves

against my sides seems loud, and a crow

caws sleepily at dawn.

By now the streams must run under a skin

of ice, white air-bubbles passing erratically,

like blood cells through a vein. Soon the mail,

forwarded, will begin to reach me here

I had read and searched several poems from the site and I'm not sure why I settled on this one. Her writing comes with ease and I can perfectly put myself in the writer's shoes of walking a dog in a town during winter, just letting yourself get developed by the surroundings. I love how she writes about the neighbor's house being without irony, in the summer it has a cherub fountain and religious bird feeder then in the winter the religious themes stay the same but just winter themed.

In the dead of summer now, may be my inclination towards the poem is how I wish to escape from the heat and go back to the cool morning breeze and the loving warmth of the holidays.

The line I find most interesting is the beginning where she alludes that someone being ill is the reason why she is in that town then at the end when she states her mail will now be delivered there alluding to the fact that she will be remaining here for some time. The writer gives the town human qualities stating that the ice will form skin and the water will bubble up like blood in veins once winter continues on. I also love that the writer both equally describes city life and humans but also nature itself and the woods.

Another quality of the poem is how mundane the situation is yet how beautiful the poet makes it, I really connect with that. Since I was a kid I could walk outside and create an image of the beautiful surroundings like trees that begin to bloom, funny humans interacting, or birds and rabbits in their natural habitat. I think the poem is a great example of a natural and talented poet able to breathe life into mundane life that is not so mundane when you break it down and really look.

[hannahraehum]

Architectural Interiors

My home is a two-story with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. Its levels are more square shaped with its length just about matching the width. Outside, its roof is tiled with a red color and the entryway has two pillars beckoning you to gain entry. Once inside, an open floor plan gives the space breath and makes it larger than it is. The cream-tiled floor opens the space with a single square-shaped beam differentiating the entryway from the rest of the home. Large sliding glass doors show the small porch that is screened with a view of the backyard. The living room has a large and unframed window sloped at the top and straight on the bottom, showcasing the palm fronds like a picture frame. The stairs are wooden and twist halfway up to show an L-shaped hallway joining the bedrooms and a bathroom together. There is a white banister overlooking the stairs where an oversized clock is hung and across the way is a tall window once again making the space a sense of grandness and bringing the outside in.

My childhood home is small and rectangular, the architecture is unassuming, simple, and uncomplicated. The walls and ceilings are spackled pure white with the original cabinetry white as well. The sliding glass door is small yet shows the viewer the green backyard with trees and grass. The hallway is very long and narrow, one that could swallow you whole. I like my childhood home but it holds emotion and can feel like a cage when I enter it now. I do not know if that's because physically it is much smaller than where I am now or if my past somehow made an impression giving the home a character.

[hannahraehum]

Punta Gorda Sculptures

"Calostimucu" by Peter Wolf Toth lies in Punta Gorda right off Highway 41 in Punta Gorda. It was commissioned in the 1970s but underwent changes in 2005. Made from a rare Monkey Pod wood, it used to be covered in copper or rust paint now reverted to its more original wood look.

The sculpture is of a Native American head with an eagle and bison resting atop its head. The sculpture is one of three made by Toth that resides in Florida.

The artist made the sculpture to capture the meaning of the injustices that American Indians face and is meant to honor the history.

The juxtaposition of a town that has two Ponce De Leon parks with two separate sculptures of the conquistador is an interesting thought. My home town is rich with history and I always feel comfort when I drive past the Native American head. His wise and all-seeing eyes are piercing with a sense of fierceness to show pride and honor.

I think the sculpture is an indicator of my hometown. We are strong and prideful, it's survived two major hurricanes and still stands tall ready to fight on.

Peace River Botanical Gardens also has several sculptures, eighteen in total. One of the most striking is called Ostriches by Yu Zhaoyang and was originally shown in parts of Italy. They tower over the road and don crimson-red clothes only showing their profile to watchers.

In the end, this project has made me realize how artistic my community is and I'm very proud of where I grew up.

[hannahraehum]

This painting is the one that stuck out to me most out of the list to choose from. It's called "Interrogation" and it's by Ali Banisadr made in 2010 with oil on canvas.

Visually, the scene is vast and sprawling, with no inch of the canvas left unpainted or not filled with something to look at. To me, the composition evokes a nature scene with the sky and clouds at the top and a river running through in the middle, then various figures of chaos towards the bottom.

The colors are a mix of muted greys and blues but mostly vibrant mixes of orange and reds/purples. The colors seem to blot around in clots, with splotches of a certain color palate more organized than not. This gives the painting a sense of pattern and creates figures even if they are ultimately unrecognizable and abstract.

Up close, you are able to see the strokes that reveal the texture of stripes, streaks, dots, smears, and swirls all contained to their own figures with a collected color palate. The shapes of colors seem to dance from the middle down, as if the artist is trying to organize chaos and contain the busyness of the painting.

My initial thought process when viewing the piece is that it reminded me of a carnival of clowns or jesters all flowing and dancing with a composition similar to old Renaissance paintings. After reading the description of the artist and what his pieces mean to him, I find it very interesting to think how different abstract art can look to different people.

The artist is depicting the chaos of war both with sight and sound. I can see it, reading the description, in particular with the natural colors utilized that evoke a nature painting and with the chaotic use of figures.

I think the emotion of the painting changed after I read the painter's background, and turned from cheerful and beautiful to more haunting and eery. However, I will say it is still visually beautiful just in a haunting and painful way.

I can feel that the painting was a sense of therapy and an outlet for Banisadr to express what is so hard to put into words.

[hannahraehum]

MOD2: West Coast

I've chosen to write about a song, it was the first thing that popped into my head so I must have had it in my mind! The song is called West Coast by Coconut Records and it was released in 2007. I think I first heard the song when I was in middle school just through youtube or some other platform, the genre (Indie) is my favorite to listen to.

If you don't listen to the lyrics, I'll summarize them for you. the song is up for your interpretation though! The lyrics express the longing of a man in a relationship with a woman he doesn't get to see very often. He's "going back home to the West Coast" but wishes he could put her in his suitcase so they don't have to part ways. I personally love the use of imagery in the song, it's very clear how the singer feels with how the lyrics coupled with the emotion in his voice.

To me, the song means you want to be with someone but an external factor is keeping you apart. The song did not have any personal meaning when I first started listening to it, but over time when I came back to visit it, the meaning changed and it became more therapeutic for me.

I started a long-distance relationship in 2021 and we would fly back and forth about every month to see each other. Luckily, we have since moved in together and we have been for exactly a year now. I recall hearing the song once or twice in the time frame of us being long-distance and the lyrics cut like a knife. Toward the end, the lyricist sings:

"So pack up the bags to beat back the clock Do I let her sleep or should I wake her up?"

The writer perfectly encapsulates when time is dwindling and you have to go your separate ways. I would feel complete dread as I pushed and crammed all my belongings back in a bag knowing I would have to carry on by myself for an indiscriminate time frame. The second line captures how it feels to not only be hurting yourself, but knowing you have to watch your partner be in pain as well. You want to protect them, but there's nothing you can do.

If you read the comments of the video, you will see how important the song is for many, not just people who are long-distance. West Coast is a pure work of raw emotion, bottling up what it feels to have to go it alone when all you want is miles away or not here.

[hannahraehum]

An Introduction

Hello, my name is Hannah and I've been attending FSW since 2020 at the peak of COVID. I have a degree in Human Services AS with a specialization in Addiction services that I completed in 2022.

While my initial career and education interest was psychology and mental health services, my first job shifted my focus to health care. I have worked at an outpatient cardiovascular surgeon's office for a little over two years now and it greatly impacted my choice of career and education. I have since signed up for the cardiovascular tech program and am working towards that goal while juggling my current job!

I have always found how humans behave and think very fascinating and I think this will be a great class to explore just that! We are artistic and emotional creatures and our behaviors are very in tune with our psyche. Can't wait for the class.

Enough of that serious talk, I enjoy long walks on the beach... Just kidding. I like cooking, playing video games, shopping, watching shows and movies, and taking care of our many pets.

I hope everyone has a great semester and best of luck!!