2/26/2018 0 Comments Kara Walker Exercise"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..." -Thomas Jefferson
Who are we to take life into our own hands? Are not all people, whether born or unborn, deserving of the right to life? How is it unlawful to kill someone who is born, yet lawful to kill someone who is living yet does not have the opportunity to speak for him or herself? Abortion is a topic that I have wrestled with for awhile, trying to form my own opinion. I have been surrounded by both ends of the argument, and I acknowledge the truth in both perspectives. There are so many scenarios to consider when deciding about this topic, and I recognize that not everyone may agree with my opinion. In fact, I am glad that there are people who disagree with me, because as we learned in AP government, those overlapping social associations are necessary. Because not everyone believes in the same thing, the aspects of democracy within our government are able to survive. However, when faced with issues of life and death, there is truth, and there are also lies. This piece is not about identifying solely with a certain political party or about attacking the women's rights movement, but the message behind this piece is important enough to me that I felt the need to express that. While I am excited about the empowerment of women and the increase of female involvement in government and politics, I do not believe that such empowerment should include the destruction of innocent lives. I believe that each person is a living and thriving human being from the moment of conception, deserving of the right to life and liberty. Each of those people have incredible potential and purpose given to them by their Lord and Creator, yet millions of them have been aborted without the chance to lift their voices in protest for the protection of their very lives. Millions of potential doctors, artists, politicians, leaders, pastors, and teachers and killed in the womb before they are ever given the chance to impact the world and discover God's purpose for their lives. Through this piece, it is my hope that viewers would think more deeply about the chance they have been given to live, and recognize the injustice it is to snatch that away from those who do not yet have a voice. Speech made by Gianna Jessen- https://youtu.be/hOWMmx6eBjU
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2/23/2018 0 Comments Political Identity Piece ProgressThis week I began working on my political identity piece. The photo on the right is my original concept sketch, and the photo on the right is my progress on the actual piece so far. This piece is a design based on work done Eduardo Kobra. The piece will be a self portrait of myself, and I plan to split the bottom half of the face into a mosaic of the various skin colors and ethnicities. I also plan to draw the colors of the American flag across the eyes, and then create a mosaic of the colors of various country flags on the forehead. The hair around my face will be mostly my own, but I also plan to include feathers beads and other decorations from various cultures. I also plan to include various hair textures and a headdress in the background. I hope to cut out parts of the piece and layer quotes, images, scripture, and other things that I find are important to my political identity. This piece will overall express not only my political and social identity, but also the identity of all kinds of different people from all over the world, allowing me to continue to explore my love for all different races while also expressing myself. I want this piece to reflect the phenomenon of political socialization and everything that seems to build a person's social ideology. I hope that through this piece I am in some way to reflect some part of human nature and the depth of our connection with the political and social world.
Eduardo Kobra Brazilian Mural Artist Eduardo Kobra was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the neighborhood of Campo Limpo. All his life he had been interested in art, drawing and painting from the age of 8. As he grew up, he became very familiar with Hip-Hop and street culture. He began to realize that he could utilize the walls around him to create his artwork and make a statement. He began getting involved in Graffiti, learning everything he knows about art fro the streets. For awhile he did Graffiti illegally, even being arrested for his work. But now he has gained recognition and is given the opportunity to paint in some of the most famous areas of the world. He loves basing his paintings on past images that hold importance to our culture, and then transforming it using unconventional colors to give it a whole new visual identity. He loves breaking patterns and causing people to pay closer attention to their surroundings. During the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Kobra was given the opportunity to create a massive mural there in Rio. He chose to do multiple portraits of people of various ethnicity, using colors and patterns to color their skin. He used 100 gallons of white paint, 400 gallons of colored paint and 3,500 cans of spray paint to create the piece. Kobra wanted to highlight the idea that we are all one, united even in this time of war and conflict. I am drawn to Kobra's work because his work is incredibly inspirational, and his depiction of the human face is stunning. I am very drawn to his use of eccentric color, and the passion that I feel he has for his work. I enjoy researching his exploration of ethnicity and how they are unified, as this is a subject that is very important to me. I hope to incorporate my inspiration from his work into my own Political Identity Piece. Perhaps I could create a self portrait, filling the skin with the colors of the flags of my own heritage, expressing how that heritage has influence my political identity. Or perhaps I can continue to explore the ethnicity of others through a portrait of someone from another continent, expressing my passion for that subject. Karlito Miller Espinosa (Mata Ruda) Mural Artist from Costa Rica Karlito Miller Espinosa, also known as Mata Ruda, was born in Costa Rica and raised in Venezuala before moving to the US with his parents at age 11. Now, at age 26, Ruda is an internationally renowned mural artist, living in Arizona. He has painted murals in various areas around the world, including Puerto Rico, and more recently, Coronado. His work is focused around one topic: immigration. He hopes to highlight the personal experience of the immigrant and the journeys they experience as they leave their home countries and arrive in the US. In Ruda's pieces, he uses acrylic exterior paint on the wall he is painting. He also uses nature within his pieces to highlight the connection humankind has to the environment and surroundings, a topic vitally important to the experience of a refugee. I am drawn to Ruda's work because it is completed in a way that is both inspiring and refreshing. It causes one to seek the beauty in others and in oneself, recognizing the connection present between humankind and nature. I hope to use my inspiration from Ruda's work in my own piece on political identity, incorporating the theme of immigration and the connection to nature that I see in his work. Sonia Boyce British Artist Sonia Boyce is a British artist, living and working in London. Currently, she is a professor at Middlesex University and Professor of Black Art and Design at University of the Arts London. Through her art, Sonia has done research about art as a social practice. She explores various critical and contextual debates that arise from this area of research, and is often participating in collaborative work with other artists. She uses a variety of media including drawing, painting, video, sound, photography, print, and collage. Sonia loves to explore sound and memory, the dynamics of space, and the incorporation of the viewer. Many of her pieces also explore her relationship to her constructed self image and her heritage/roots in reconstruction. I am drawn to Sonia's work because of the deep understanding she seems to have of herself, and her exploration of race, heritage, and identity through various mediums. I hope to use my inspiration from Sonia to incorporate some collage or photography into my piece, as well as exploring the idea of racial identity relating to political affiliation. In the bottom of the piece above are the words, "...they say keep politics out of religion and religion out of politics- but when were they ever separate?" This question is something that I would like to possibly explore more, as so much of a person's political identity revolves around their moral convictions and their personal religious beliefs, or lack thereof.
2/17/2018 0 Comments Finished Limitation PieceThis week I finished my Limitation piece. After finishing the actual drawing of the woman, I used an x-acto knife to cut out small sections of the map, creating a lacy effect. This was slightly challenging and I had to be very careful not to rip the map while cutting out the spaces. Oftentimes, I would accidentally tear one of the roads, so some sections look slightly rough. But I actually came to like the way it looked. After cutting it all out, I used some colorful maps from Syria and carefully glued them together, and then mounted them onto a piece of cardboard for stability. Then, I layered the map of Atlanta over the Syrian maps and glued it down so that the colors showed through the spaces I had cut out. I also layered sections from a Syrian map onto the Georgia map, using colors that blended in. (Surprisingly, after I glued down the piece, I noticed that many of the roads on the Syrian maps connected perfectly with the roads on the American map!) I did this because the refugee on the map of Atlanta is originally from Syria, and although she lives in the US now, her cultural heritage still shows through and continues to impact the world around her. I hope that this brings awareness to the cultural shifts our country is experiencing due to immigration, bringing the subject to light and encouraging people to think and develop opinions.
Through this piece, I also hoped to explore the idea of identity. In my Government class, we recently discussed the idea of political socialization and how we develop our identities. This research will tie in with my next project, but it also relates to this one. Our identities are very much impacted by geography and where we live. The difference in culture and beliefs between countries, and even between different US states, can be drastic. So much of who we are is centered around where we grew up and the culture that raised us, which in a way is a limitation because there is no way for us to choose where we are born. Health, socioeconomic status, and education are all also impacted by geography. For example, many other countries are full of poverty with an unsubstantial education system for their citizens. Those people are limited by where they live. So, as I was limited to creating this piece with maps, pencils, and an x-acto knife, I let the roads and rivers of the Atlanta map guide me as I drew the face. I was amazed that some of the lines even followed perfectly the shape of the portrait and her head covering. Overall, I loved this project and Ed Fairburn's cartographic portraiture inspired me so much that I would love to do a series of the portraits, exploring that idea of utilizing paper maps to create something new. This is my progress on my limitations piece, inspired by work done by Ed Fairburn. This week I have focused on finishing the graphite drawing before moving on to more detailed aspects of the piece. I have been challenged as I draw to work my drawing around the intricate patterns of roads and highways. I really want to make the portrait seem like it is a part of the map, which is why I have been careful not to draw over some of the roads intersecting within her head covering and her face. This highlights the roads and makes her seem to be even more a part of Atlanta, where all of the roads seem to lead to. In the coming week, I plan to continue making this piece more detailed by lightly drawing the figure of the woman over the edge of Georgia and into the yellow portion of the map. Then, I plan to cut out pieces of the map to create intricate designs and lacy patterns with the roads. Then, I hope to layer this map on top of another one, color showing through to provide shading and contrast. I am incredibly excited about the progress of this piece and I can't wait to see what else I can do with it.
2/9/2018 0 Comments Research Blog- Ed FairburnCartographic Portraiture artist Ed Fairburn was born in November of 1989 in Southampton, UK. Currently, he continues his work in Denver, Colorado. Fairburn graduated from the Cardiff School of Art and Design in 2012, and was shortlisted for the Association of Illustrators Awards in 2013. He was also represented in the United States by Denver galleries Abend/K Contemporary/Gallery 1261. Fairburn's work is an inspiring collection exploring the connection between human portraiture and topography, putting the two together so seamlessly that it seems although they have always belonged together. He uses his imaginative designs to combine the human form with maps from various places around the world, manipulating the streets, rivers and mountain ranges through pen-work to create the human face. Fairburn's work is important within the art community and to art history because it is unique and original, inspiring people and allowing viewers to feel a connection to a certain place while looking at his work. Each piece explores the idea that human kind is a product of the landscape, and often much about who we are is shaped by where we are. At the end of Fairburn's projects, the final portrait is so entwined with the map that it is hard to imagine one existing without the other. Fairburn's work is incredibly detail-oriented, honing in on every aspect of the map. As technology has become more developed, the art of reading a map has become lost, and Fairburn believes there is something tactile about being able to handle a map. For his artistic purposes, he purchases his maps from a map store around the corner, selecting all different types from different areas. He enjoys a challenge, using various road maps, star charts, and even blueprints to create his pieces. After selecting a map, he uses an ink pen to create the detailed portraits, revealing his mastery of pen illustrations. His favorite maps to use are contoured maps that show lines of elevation, allowing him to follow the contours to create free-flowing, organic patterns with a marbling effect. He enjoys following the flow of the map and allowing it to do what it wants, but he sometimes alters certain aspects of it to create the image he desires. As said by Fairburn, "The formula is already there, it's just a matter of bringing it out." He often uses a live model for his inspiration, usually his creative partner and main muse, Bobbie Jo. She has inspired many of his portraits and is interested in paper sculpture, collaborating with him on various projects. Since he was young, Fairburn has enjoyed taking certain objects or materials and combining them with something else to create something new. He once said that one reason he loves drawing on maps is that while he works, he encounters so many interesting road names. It also brings back memories of his hitch-hiking journey across Europe several years ago as he finds various places that he had traveled through. Through Fairburn's work, he desires to accentuate the relationship between the human figure and the landscape, giving each viewed a personal sense of connection to the maps chosen in his work.
Overall, Fairburn's work has been a source of inspiration and delight to me. His techniques are not only unique, but also incredibly aesthetic and pleasing to the eye. His work explores the beauty of human nature combined with topography, holding deep meanings about the relationships of people to the landscapes around them. Where we are has an incredible influence on who we are, and this is something that is deeply understood by Fairburn. His detailed work and passion for pursuing a new idea have received him international recognition. His work is displayed both in the UK and in the US, his skills appreciated by many who encounter his art. Fairburn's pieces continue to spark inspiration, each detailed contour line on his drawings revealing the beauty of his work and the importance of recognizing his abilities. Sources http://www.edfairburn.com/?page_id=1919 http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/01/new-portraits-drawn-on-maps-by-ed-fairburn/ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2544783/Shes-got-lovely-features-Artist-turns-maps-portraits.html https://hifructose.com/2015/08/31/portrait-artist-ed-fairburn-uses-maps-as-his-canvas/ https://www.yatzer.com/Human-Geographies-maps-Ed-Fairburn http://www.edfairburn.com/?projects=stafford-lane http://www.edfairburn.com/?projects=denver-southbound 2/2/2018 0 Comments Tin Foil ExerciseToday in class, we did an exercise using tin foil to create art. Rather than molding the tin foil to create an object, I pressed the tin foil onto my face to create the general structure of a face. Then, I continued working with it and molding it to create the appearance of man with rather weathered skin. I found that rubbing the inside of the tinfoil causes it to smooth out, allowing me to shape the face more easily. Although this did not turn out exactly as I hoped it would, I enjoyed the experience.
2/2/2018 0 Comments Limitation Project ProgressFor my limitation project, I have decided to do a series of portraits drawn on maps, known as cartographic portraiture. This was inspired by artist Ed Fairburn. Using his work as inspiration, I will use the roads and the sections on the map to help me shade in the face. I have chosen to start with a portrait of a refugee on a map of Georgia, particularly near Atlanta's location, which is where I worked with refugees in Clarkston. I am both excited and nervous as I start this project, but I am very hopeful that the outcome will be successful.
2/2/2018 0 Comments Outdoor art exerciseThis week, we also did a project practicing making art only using outdoor materials. We were limited to only our bodies and the earth around us. I paired up with Grace and we used our feet to create foot-shapes with pebbles. We made it look as though they were standing around the flagpole in a circle. After taking pictures, we left the rocks there to see what would happen. The next day, the rocks had been kicked and scattered by students.
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May 2018
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