Visual Art Session II: 2:00-3:00PM
Abstract Volume and Quick Reference Guide
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Artists listed in order of presentation.
AF 209A
Art
Stages of Life Collage
Artist(s): Chelsea Tate
Advisor(s): Micol Hebron
My life started in Clearwater, Florida where I lived before moving north to Rhode Island and now I am student at Chapman University in Orange, California. Within each of these stages of my life one thing was consistent and that was the beach, I've always been close to it. It's a place that continues to be where my best memories originate. In creating this piece it only made sense that the beach would be the landscape at which these stages my life would be expressed upon. Time period is shown left to right, starting with myself as a toddler and ending with myself at my current age, 19. The blurred appearance of myself at this stage is representative of the current unknown next stage in life, a common feeling for many college students. The numbers found in the image have significance, 906, found at the bottom left, is the address of the house I grew up in, in Florida. 401, found in the center of the image, is representative of Rhode Island by its area code. This piece is literal in the way that it is a depiction of myself growing up. The added color and effects are inspired by the psychedelic qualities that the movie "The last Unicorn" contains. Although not a cinematic masterpiece it is a movie that is greatly attached to the remembrance of my childhood.
Continuous Narrative Collage
Artist(s): Olivia Brewin
Advisor(s): Micol Hebron
I created a collage using Adobe Photoshop that represents the places, people, and things that made me who I am today. These elements each have certain memories attached to them and are placed with a purpose. Every image, except for the angels, are my own personal photos. The element leading from the left corner to the middle is a cropped bridge from a picture I took in Freeport, Bahamas. This location is very special to me because it is my home away from home. My parents met and married in the small town of Freeport, and we religiously vacation there in the summers as a family. I made the artistic choice to leave the silhouettes of some family members walking into the distance. The sign that reads “Pinecrest Schools” in the foreground was the sign that I saw everyday for the first 12 years of my life. It wasn’t until I moved to public school when I realized how lucky I was to grow up in a great, intimate community. I still remember every single grade teacher that taught me, as well as the same 50 or so schoolmates I grew up with until the end of my school career there. Up in the sky in place of clouds, is my dog Pepper. Pepper has left an indelible mark on my family and she showed us how important it is to love rescue dogs who had previously been unloved by owners. For the images of significant moments, I included a picture of my younger self that was taken at my grandma’s small apartment in New York City, a picture of me from my high school graduation and a picture of me and my significant other, Palmer. I placed the toddler version of me above my elementary school at the beginning of the bridge which leads to me at graduation, representing my long journey through education. Three cupids are shooting their arrows towards the picture of Palmer and I, which was taken after reuniting for the first time in two years. He serves in the military as an U.S. Army Ranger and is a significant part of my life since high school. I also decided to add in drawn stickers to stress the collage feel as art is a very important aspect in how I express myself.
A Film Fairytale
Artist(s): Megan Petroni
Advisor(s): Micol Hebron
As a means of research, I created a continuous narrative collage that studied characteristics and defining moments in my life that have changed and shifted my own perspective on growth and change. As a means of demonstrating my sense of creativity and character development, I found that photography and my passion surrounding the art of film was a major defining element in the path to finding myself artistically. However, many other components throughout elementary school, middle school, and high school played crucial roles in shaping the strong, willful, and open-minded individual I am today. The film, All the Bright Places, a sad yet heartwarming motion picture, addresses many important issues such as mental health awareness through life and death. However, although each viewing of this movie brings me to tears, the film never fails to make me smile and reminds me to cherish every moment in life. The places in this movie symbolize key moments of pure happiness which are portrayed as the background in this particular collage. I overlapped these various landscapes in a way that made the photos seem integrated into one another through a seamless transition. The photos I chose to include inside the film roll are either landscape photos I took on my camera or specific moments that were captured in photos that demonstrate how I have grown academically, socially, and creatively. The butterflies are a symbolic representation of the evolution of myself into the most authentic version of myself. I chose to include Poppies, the state flower as an element of where I come from and how I was raised. I have lived in California my whole life which has been a major defining element in my life based on the morals I have been taught and the lessons I have learned.
land of love date of kisses
Artist(s): Ru (Candace) Chen
Advisor(s): Micol Hebron
In this piece, “land of love date of kisses”, I hope to represent myself in a comical, whimsical collage. In the sky is Garfield, the cat, because I feel like I resonate with him the more and more that I get older. I think it is also hilarious to know that all of his thoughts are never said out loud and that he is just annoyed on the inside. The pinwheels that stick out of the mountains of the picture are a sort of symbol of my life. I have always really liked pinwheels growing up. One time, my mom knew how much I loved them and bought me a huge pinwheel; I wanted to include one on the collage as an homage to her. Another homage to my mother is are the Chinese stamps of her maiden name in the bottom and top corners of the picture. The background photo used in this piece is a picture that I took on a trip to Korea to visit some family. Korea is a place that I hold close to my heart because I used to go every year. The photo from my high school graduation that is above the water is a kind of way to show that I have reflected so much since my graduation from school then and the way that I have grown since. The photo booth photo that I included is from right before COVID-19 hit to which I have included the text, "oh how little does she know". From the time I was in quarantine to now, my life has changed 180 degrees. I think a major theme in my collage is "reflection" literally and figuratively. All of the included imageries are important times of my life and what I like to think about is the way that I have changed so much since each time.
Lows and Highs of Recovery
Artist(s): Kristiana Cruse
Advisor(s): Kirsten Everberg
This series is entitled "The Highs and Lows of Recovery". I started this series to explore the steps of recovery from addiction. I wanted to portray a narrative of this unknown woman and her journey. The two displayed are entitled, “Enlightment (2021)” and “Relapse (2021)”. Enlightenment is a piece about giving in to a higher power and putting one’s hardships in the hands of faith. Within recovery, faith is all that some people may have. I decided to make this painting bright so that it vibrates and yells at you that this woman has found her higher power to confide in. The woman and eye are in the center to show how this is significant, to show the power she is not only giving up but that she is gaining by choosing this faith. The next piece is entitled, Relapse. Relapse is a step in recovery that people rarely discuss. People fear relapse and may think those who relapse are weak, yet those who relapse are just as strong as individuals that do not. It is a part of the process and it should be spoken about. Addiction is difficult to overcome and is not a linear process. In order to portray how I view relapse and the stigmatization attached to it, I chose to have a dark color palette. The woman has a light shining on her with a monster reaching out to claim her. I created a darker composition and added this spotlight to signify how relapse grabs whoever it can see in the darkness. In order to drive the power that addiction has on an individual, the monster has relapse written in its teeth. This shows that there are multiple fears when it comes to recovery and this is one of the many battles addiction faces.
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Artists listed in order of presentation.
AF 209C
Art
Mama
Artist(s): Hannah Scott
Advisor(s): Micol Hebron
“By writing herself, woman will return to the body which has been more than confiscated from her, which has been turned into the uncanny stranger on display” (Cixous, 1975). Through a depth of research into feminist perspectives on motherhood, I have created an art installation titled, "Mama". From my research, I have found many artists who make work about their experiences in raising children, women’s work and labor, and the trauma of giving birth. Louis Bourgeois, Natalie Loveless, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Mary Kelly, and Jenny Saville are a handful of artists whose work on motherhood has greatly inspired me to question my own relationship between the free-spiritedness of being an artist, and the pressure to conform to the gendered expectation to pursue motherhood. Julia Kristeva stated that, motherhood is the sole function of the “other sex” to which women may confidently attribute their existence to (1985). The idea that my sole function as a woman is to rear children is incredibly stifling, and I have felt immense pressure throughout my life to be a mother, from people admiring how well I deal with children to being told I have “child-bearing hips” at the ripe age of 10. How I contend with the opposing goals to be both a mother and an artist are felt in this piece through the tension of dual forces, created by the difference between two birthing chairs and two video projections. Through my research, personal narrative, and creative practice, I look to address domestic stereotypes placed on women, and in particular women artists. As a continuation of my exploration of craft, I have used the methods of woodworking and video to address ideas of domestic labor and child-rearing. In this installation, I have shown an acknowledgment of patriarchal structures and how they affect women’s existence, while also claiming ownership over my own fate in a subversive manner. Taking inspiration from absurdism, surrealism, arte povera, and “Womanhouse”, "Mama" confronts the harsh realities of motherhood and gender roles.
Journey Through Lexs' Life
Artist(s): Alexis Carranza
Advisor(s): Micol Hebron
I decided to do a collage on a few events that are important to me that have happened in my life. I chose the mountains and the water as my background because I am from Colorado and all the life events I chose to add to my collage occurred in the mountains. I chose to add a raving background in the sky because I love going to EDM concerts and they are a big part of my life. I chose to add the group of girls I went on my Kairos retreat with because it was a life-changing experience that I will never forget. The part where there are two images of myself with the Colorado and California background define my transition from moving from Colorado to California for college. I put Colorado on the right and California on the left just because I went from my home to a strange place where I was going to be living for, for the next four years. This was a huge change in my life and something I’ll never forget either especially leaving my parents for the first time. I added a husky in the right corner because I got my husky two years ago. His name is Remington and he is one of the most loving and crazy dogs I’ve ever met. He’s my best friend and he just makes my life so much better. All these images and symbols are part of my identity and I wanted to express that through digital media.
Sweet Bliss
Presenter(s): David Echevarria
Advisor(s): Micol Hebron
I tried to implement as many ideas from the worksheet while making it all fit together. The movies heavily inspire my college. I think about the Star Wars films a lot. I used a mix of the different ideas on the worksheet, such as the moon in the sky, which refers to the blue moon I saw on Halloween two years ago. The beach landscape ties into things like when I did water polo and swimming for two years, and I enjoy significant open landscapes. I added aesthetic things into the piece: the sky with the nebula behind the clouds and the barn owl flying in the air. With the images of me, I wanted to try and make it seem as if there were three versions of myself: having one side be in black and white, one in color, and one that has a balance of both. The one on the left is supposed to be about when I broke my arm and was in a sling for a week. It was my dominant arm, so it was challenging since I couldn’t draw or write, and I felt like I had lost a bit of myself. The image of me in color is supposed to represent me when I graduated from High School, which was a significant and happy moment in my life not only because I was graduating but because I was heading to Chapman. Hence, I thought that would be the most optimistic version of me and the most hopeful. The one in the middle is supposed to be me now as it’s neither bright nor dark, so it’s almost as if I’m living in the moment. It relates to the rule of thirds and acts as a past, present, and future.
Digital Arts
The Simulation of Life
Artist(s): Raquel Rosenberg
Advisor(s): Micol Hebron
To understand Einstein's perspective, we need a working definition of reality, an algorithm, if you will, for determining what thmgs exist at a given moment. -Brian Greene, Fabric of the Cosmos. Nothing we believe to see right now is actually the reality. We never see things as they are happening. Does this mean if every light source in the universe disappeared, then our reality, our existence, would be nothingness? Anything you see right now has already hap- pened. You are not seeing the words on this page as they are now; instead, if you are hoiding the book a foot from your face, you are seeing them as they were a billionth of a second ago. -Greene This book inspired the art created. Everything you see is not truly reality. I created a simulated view of reality with pink clouds, chaotic news filling space in the sky, and colorful lava bursting out of a volcano. Life is a whole lot of imaginative mayhem.
A Sunset with Myself
Artist(s): David Yang
Advisor(s): Micol Hebron
This collage is composed of me at three major events in my life, along with attributes of my identity. The one in the background is me at my high school graduation, where I said goodbye to lots of my friends and a chapter of my life. The one in the midground is me meeting my cat. This was somewhat unexpected for me, as my parents said that we would not have any more pets after our last one, Snowy, a guinea pig, passed. However, it was a welcome surprise, and I am happy to have another companion with me in my life. The figure in the foreground with the thumbs up is me in Korea, specifically on Jeju island. This was my first time traveling somewhere outside of America, so it was great to explore both an unfamiliar country yet familiar, as my parents grew up there. The foreground is Jeju Island, the midground is a desert setting, and the background is a sunset. These were landscapes I liked, as I really enjoyed the setting of Jeju Island with all its statues, the desert with its barebones element, and the sunset for its vibrant spectrum of colors in the sky. The three other icons on the collage represent parts of my identity. The Korean symbol at the top left is my surname, a basic element of my identity. The pen drawing a squiggly line represents one of my ongoing passions in my life, drawing, while the cartoon tiger, Hobbes from Calvin and Hobbes, represents my love of comics and my spark to draw. All in all, this collage represents my experiences of the highlights of my life, along with parts of my identity.
3D Techniques in Blender
Artist(s): Curren Taber
Advisor(s): Micol Hebron
Through my independent research course, “ART 491 3D Techniques in Blender,” I explore the fundamentals of 3D digital art using Blender. Inspired by Andrew Price’s 4-week Blender curriculum, the course outline includes a combination of video lessons and hands-on exercises related to a complete 3D workflow. Each week of the semester-long course explores a new topic, such as lighting, materials, modeling, sculpting, texturing, composition, environment creation, character rigging, aesthetics, etc. As I already knew the basics of using Blender, I tailored the focus of this course to an intermediate level. Computer-generated imagery takes up more and more of the digital media landscape as technology progresses. Popular brands use 3D renderings for product commercials, home designers use them for architectural visualizations, and the metaverse uses these renderings to connect people in virtual spaces. Through experimentation, concept development, and self-guided projects, this course encourages creativity while providing software-independent essentials for 3D art creation. On a typical week, the course involves watching one or more videos and completing a relevant homework exercise. Week 7 acts as a midterm, incorporating lessons I learned from the weeks before to replicate an object in Blender. The final project combines everything learned from the course and challenges me to make an environment scene with a character. This course aims to introduce me and any other student to the entire 3D art process, offering an opportunity to improve their skills and understanding of specific subsets. After completing the study, the student can use their projects for their portfolio. They will also have a digital log that documents each week’s progress.
