Speaker Events

Fostering Kindness

I attended the Foster Kindness event in which a Flagler Alumni started to help support children in foster care.  Children are often given a trash bag to carry their belongings in during moves. She realized how much of a toll that takes on their self esteem and wanted them to feel better, so she made it a priority to provide them with a duffle bag. She wanted to make sure they had all the necessities since a majority of the time it is hard for them to even get the basics such as toothpaste or deodorant. On top of all of the basics, she made sure each children had a blanket and stuffed animal to make them feel comforted and safe. I was very inspired by this event because it is something I would not normally think about. I would also feel like I wouldn't be able to make an impact on them because it is a government based, but this women made it her business to make sure these kids were taken care of. Id love to make a change like this in peoples lives!

Erin Brokovich

The activist Erin Brokovich came to visit our school and speak about her experiences. Erin Brokovich is known for her role in the case against PG&E for contaminating the water in Hinkley, CA. With no previous experience, Erin Brokovich was able to win over a case against PG&E for contaiminating water in Hinley, CA. She spoke about how she found interest in this case while creating a case file and noticed health records included. She dug deep, did her known labs on the water, and looked into every possible detail to build a strong case against the company. Hundreds of people were affected by the contamination and Erin wanted to give them justice. She made this issue her business and fought till the fight was won. Erin is a huge inspiration for fighting for what's right no matter what stands in the way. I was very grateful to be able to speak to her personally. She also spoke a lot about how she had dyslexia and she would use it as a tool instead of something that holds her back. I have learning disabilities as well and struggled heavily as a kid, I am still learning how to use them as a tool. Hearing her speak about this really reached me and allowed me to believe that I can do anything I set my mind to. 

Card Board Replica Coffee Pot

This is a cardboard replica of a coffee maker! The replica is make out of masking tape, cardboard, and duct tape. The final product is L 7in x W 7.5in x H 9.65in. I measured out the coffee pot all together and then would focus on individual spaces that can be connected together. An example of this was focusing on the top of the coffee maker (in the detail and process photos). 

 

Detail Shots

Progress Photos

Paper Model

 

Fluxus Box

Trying To Escape 

18in X 13.5in X 5in

The sculpture represents the longing to escape from the unescapable. Feeling like you are so close but never seeming to reach the other side. The box holds a visual representation of that of a suitcase covered in "stickers" that relate back to the theme , like the FREE ? photo. The suitcase contains items such as a key in a box that you can visually see but cannot take out, doors without handles, and a map that leads you only back to the beginning. This piece is supposed to make the viewer feel like these are all ways out, keys, but none of them truly are the key to the cage. 

Process Photo

Research 

These themes came from a movie called Don't Worry Darling. This movie is about men and women living the perfect life, or one might think. The men leave for work at the same time everyday synchronized. The women cook, clean, shop, and dance together. They come together at the end of the day to share a meal and host parties. Some women become mentally ill and are sent away. In the movie it is learned that they are all real people living in a simulation in which the women are trapped in their homes with mechanisms on their faces. The men choose to put their wives into this system to try and give them the perfect life and take care of them, but it is not freedom. The women who try to escape are just brought back in and are stuck in a loop of feeling crazy. 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10731256/

 

Fluxus Box Artists

Some absurdism in a box for you: George Maciunas's Burglary Fluxkit, 1971

Both Found in Flux's Box Artists

Asian Art Paper Sculpture

Paper Cutting Sculpture: Asian Art Inspired

The Treacherous Retreat

10in X 10in

Details

Inspiration

Winter Landscape

46.3 x 29.3 cm, Ink on Paper, Tokyo National Museum Collection

Autumn Landscape

46.3 x 29.3 cm, Ink on Paper, Tokyo National Museum Collection 

Gathered from Inspiration collection #1 on blog. 

The first piece of work I was inspired by was this drawing. I was inspired by the mountain and its texture to show the depth. I also took inspiration from the house on the left side of this piece. I chose to create a mountain that features a few small houses, a little river with a bridge, and a cave in the back of it. This work was created using watercolor paper, drawing paper, mod podge, and crafting glue. I created the texture of the mountain by crumbling small pieces of watercolor paper and attaching it onto a skeleton. 

In Process Photos

 

Semiotic Triptych - Icon, Index, Symbol

 Final Work

    The materials used for this is acrylic paint, paper, black paint marker, white paint marker, and magazine paper. I used acrylic paint to create the background. I drew out the tree on three separate pieces of paper then used an exact knife to cut it out. I then pasted it onto the background. 

This is not the complete final development of this project, I intent to add a white backing to it so it can be held as one. 

    For this piece I chose to focus on growth. Growth can mean a number of things but it always means changing and going forward in some way. Growth can be mental, physical, emotional, or relational.  You can mentally grow, change your mindset, break through, or looking deeper. You can physically grow by becoming more active, grow in height, or building discipline. Emotionally facing trauma or breaking through being uncomfortable. Finally, you can grow in your relationship with others, with yourself, and with our Earth. I think it is very interesting how our physical and mental characteristics mirror heavily in our environment. I have always thought that growth was never linear, it takes 'planting seeds' as my mother says. Making small changes, learning new information that changes your way of thinking, and actually taking steps to grow. 

    To achieve the goals you may want to accomplish, you will have to make many of these changes, which is signified by the roots. Roots are one of the main signs or growth (the icon) as a plant has to have roots to grow. As they build up you find how they all connect and interlink. They begin to morph together or intertwine. The rings that make up the foundation of your goal may be an indicator or index as you take more steps. Plants create leaves and the leaves may fall and flow through the wind as seasons change. Leaves are not directly linked to growth itself but can be a symbol of growth. I also created a butterfly and swirl using the leaves because those are both also symbols of growth and change. 

Progress Photos

Questions for my peers

Do you think that the message about growth is well represented in this piece?

Though it may seem indirect, you think the three different segments of this piece reflect the icon, index, and symbol?

Do you think that adding a white background to this piece will take away from it?

Tonal Portrait (Hue and Meaning)

 Sketches

This was my first sketch inspired by a monochromatic poster for the movie Hairspray that I saw on Pinterest. I really liked the layout of this design but I was just not feeling like it would fit well with the vibe I got for Isabel. 

This was my second idea for a movie poster. The main part of the poster would be a silhouette of Isabels side profile. The two shapes on the left would be parts of the movie scenes that border her face. I liked the idea of it but it did not feel right for the ideas I had. 

This idea was just to create a very simplified version of Isabel along with her name at the top, but from what I gathered from meeting Isabel was that simple was not her style. 

For this sketch I was inspired by the idea of creating a fake movie plot for the poster and decided on a name.  I used the silhouette of Isabel and created film strips. I was really liking this idea, but then an idea for a camera came up because I remembered that she is also a photographer as well as an aspiring filmmaker. 

I ran with both of those ideas and wanted to use a camera because that reflects two of her passions. I liked this idea but it did not feel right. 

I was scrolling on Pinterest and saw a movie poster just like this and absolutely loved it. I was truly inspired by this piece to create my final piece. 

The Final Piece

When talking to Isabel I gathered that her favorite colors were hot pink or red, she is into photography, loves music, is a cinematic arts student, and her goal is to create films that have an impact on her viewers. 

 For the final work, I was inspired by different parts of each of my sketches. I knew I wanted to do a mixed media piece so I used some of my collage skills to pick out a vintage camera similar to a video camera. I used ripped up pieces of paper to create the triangles coming out of the camera to represent the videos she would capture or the light being projected when the film is being watched.  I created the lettering to resemble that of magazine clippings and chose to write out a brief summary of the plot for the fake movie. 

I overall think that the colors of the poster reflect Isabel's personality because it stands out. I think that the collage of the camera captures her passion for photography and film. I believe that the title resonates well with the plot of the fake movie because it is like the awakening of character Isabels first making of a film which awakens that new journey as well as the film she would create would awaken and impact it's viewers. 

Secret Lives of Color

 Woad

 

The color woad comes naturally from a plant called the isatis tinctorial. This dye is extracted and used in numerous ways like dying fabrics and threads. This dye is also used in traditional Celtic and Viking tattoos. I chose to create a digital collage using photos of the plant the color is extracted from, an illustration of someone with woad tattoos, and what fabric using this color would look like. 

Buff

The word buff originally comes from the word buffalo, this animal has a tan hide. The term itself dates back to the 16th - 17th century. European soldier's kit primarily used this color during this era. During the American Revolution the military uniforms and gear also used this color. The color was adopted by many and is a symbol of liberty. I chose to create a collage of a buffalo in front of the American flag to represent this.