Minutiae 4: Details in Nature

Minutiae 3: Details in Nature

Homework: Brainstorm Response & Collections

   Tuesday's class was extremely beneficial towards the planning of our first project. I walked in that morning not knowing much of what direction I wanted to take. I experimented with layering and emotions and almost knew how I wanted to depict myself, but not in the "space" that I would be in. Listening to what was going through the heads of other students pushed me towards a couple ideas. I shortly decided that I would take it in a direction that I was familiar with. I love toying with surrealism in my own art as well as more abstract, experimental themes. For this specific project, I'm most definitely leaning towards the surreal direction, as it conforms so well to the requirements of this first project. I'm inspired by artists like Salvador Dali, René Magritte, and André Breton. As to the scene that I want to start with, something simple (like still water, a beach, or the woods) may work best and prove to be most malleable. The feedback I received from students (that stuck with me the most, for that matter) were to experiment with color, incorporate components that may replicate my own art, and to use objects to convey emotion. I definitely will use objects that hold a certain significance to me, though I think I may experiment with the mood of the piece a little more. I'm still unsure about where I would take this piece if I were to toy with a more mystical/fantasy scene, though the class seemed to lean towards my first idea.

   Collecting things is a very familiar thing to me. As to clutter, I have a lot of it. Certain objects, I have a lot of those too. For one, I collect different types of tea. Unfortunately, I had to leave almost half of it at home (sob)... but that doesn't mean I don't have much at school. Two boxes of Green, a box of Chai, Peppermint, Chamomile, Breakfast, some Lemon (a loose leaf tea), as well as an extra large ziplock bag of loose herbs that I mix together to create fusions and even remedies that serve medicinal purposes. I'm a big believer in natural medicine, so I have a bunch of that too. I usually collect things that I can use, like books, journals, instruments, etc. As to decorative material objects, I don't really believe that they're entirely necessary. I know people who collect crystals, wall deco, and other things that just sit. That's where I cross my line. As to the digital world and how it aids individuals and their collections, I believe that it acts like a gateway to a world of want. It's so easy to spend money electronically and sites such as etsy, amazon, and repurpose organizations make it easy to gain access to anything! For example, let's say that I wanted to add to my exquisite collection of painted seashells, but wanted at least 10 more. I would then proceed to search "painted seashells" on the etsy site, and the window of opportunity would open just a little bit more.

Project 1 Sketches

Homework: "My So-Called Opinions" Response

   For many reasons, this article is painfully true and very important. Zachary Fine, a junior at NYU divides his opinions into three categories, all touching on subjects regarding pluralism and indecisiveness. While the stubborn, independent side of my brain wants to take a stance and say that not all millennials are sheep, I truly believe that we are. Not just millennials either, most human beings in modern day society. Most people who interact via social media platforms, that is. We might not all be lazy and apathetic but I agree with the idea that indecision is an actual and pressing issue in the midst of (for a lack of a better term) a millennial filled bubble. The mere prevalence of pluralism has seized the opportunity for the development of a true, untouched system of beliefs. This is a concept very exclusive to young people, unlike "adults who encountered pluralism with their beliefs close at hand".  Judgement is everywhere and so easily accessible to the extremity that people are actually indecisive about making decisions regarding what they like and dislike. How are we to determine tastes in music and fashion if we care so much about what our taste means to others? Fine puts it perfectly, "I like what I like" becomes "But why do I like what I like? Should I like what I like? Do I like it because someone else wants me to like it? If so, who profits and who suffers from my liking what I like?" and finally, "I'm not sure I like what I like anymore.". The mere aspect of critiquing something as fluid as a taste in music is critiqued. Millennials will judge other millennials based off of what musical artists they enjoy. People will advocate for concepts that they may not even believe in so that others will perceive them in a positive way, or listen to artists who they don't even like so that others may judge their taste as individual and different. At the end of the day, people become afraid to voice their true opinions regarding issues that they DO care about, but instead say something that may conform to the common and expected response. 

Homework: Image Reaction/Analysis

Artist: Gregory Crewdson
Title: Untitled (The Fort), 2006

After going through some of Crewdson's work, I felt very attached to the simplistic nature of his photographic style. Though his photographs are cinematically staged, they appear as very in the moment and very real life experiences. They are beautifully simple and of subject matter that is incorporated into daily routine. The artist reaches for this look purposefully and incorporates elements to help him achieve it. I felt a connection to this photograph due to it's content and setting. I spend a large amount of my time by myself out in nature, and when I saw the figure standing by the water, I also saw myself. The fort reminded me of similar structures that my friends and I would construct during my childhood, also right by the waterside. Visually speaking, this photographs has many [intentional] aspects that make it successful. The house with the light on at the top left of the frame leads the viewers eye down the hill, to the fort, to the person, and eventually out into the water. these certain elements also provide contrast to the dark essence of their surroundings, which makes the subject matter inherently more interesting. The fog also adds to this effect. In general, the piece is clear, easy to read and interpret (along with the majority of his work), and interesting to analyze.

Minutiae 2: Details in Nature

木漏れ陽 (Komorebi) 

(n.) sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees

Minutiae 1: Details in Nature

A Little More About Me

1. I am from Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. A small historic town located just outside of State College. 
2. I like experimenting with mixed media and ceramics to create abstract studies and conceptual art. 
3. I hope to gain more of a familiarity with Adobe Illustrator and Premier. They are both programs that I used in high school (along with Photoshop), though not as frequently. 
4. The relationship between Visual Studies and computers deals with how computers provide a gateway to visual analysis and study. 
5. I have a pretty solidified background in regards to Photoshop, as I took classes on it in high school for the program itself and in relation to photography. I used Illustrator to create my senior project, which detailed the fall and spring productions that my school's thespian troupe put forth. 
6. At my house we use laptops primarily, though our house's desktop computer does not have photoshop. 
7. I personally use a Macbook pro. 
8. I use Google Chrome for everything dealing between school work, social media, and shopping. I also use Microsoft word and calendars pretty frequently, both for work in and out of class. Spotify is an essential. 
9. As well as school work, social media, and shopping, I also use Chrome for study purposes and research. I use my Spotify account to create playlists for everyday needs and run it daily. Microsoft word is utilized for formal papers (traditionally for classes), and calendars to log events and reminders.
10. My favorite artist at the moment would have to be Yayoi Kusama. I adore her installation work and use of bold color and pattern. 
11. I have an incredibly diversified taste in music, so the amount of musical artists I would name as "favorites", I can count on two hands. However, I have always shown a liking to the work of Cat Stevens and the Avett Brothers. 
12. I love volunteering. I did it all through out high school, and consistently look for opportunities to help other people. Whether that means anything from helping out at the Special Olympics, to pursuing fully fledged mission trips, I'm there. 
13. Once there was a young boy, who enjoyed gardening after school and on his own time. His parents didn't mind at first, though grew weary over time that it didn't conform to proper gender roles. They discouraged him from pursuing an activity that brought him true, untouched happiness. So he stopped. As he grew older, the boy rediscovered an old shoe box with his tools, seeds and gloves... and with a new sense of belonging, returned home with the most exquisite olive tree the world had ever seen.
14. This photo shows myself along with three others that I spent a month with volunteering at the family camp that I have visited annually for almost two decades. I am now employed as a summer staff member, and absolutely love my job.

Day 1 Exercises