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?

Project 2 - 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. 

Project 1 - Design Principles and Foundations

Three Sketches    

  In these pieces I wanted to represent how our energy can change and affect us. 

For this piece I focused on how we can mold to our environment. This can be both a good and bad thing. I didn't focus too much on if it were a good or bad thing, but used lifework to show that it can build up our thoughts, feelings, and character using the swirls and shapes getting smaller. I liked this way of representing our environment while also having organic shapes to represent nature. 

For this sketch I wanted to represent protecting your own energy and not letting other negative things impact your own light. I liked how detailed the lifework was but felt like it was missing something. 

 

For this piece I wanted to represent how our environment can affect us. I drew out a quick sketch of squares with lines going through to represent positive and negative energy. Some of the squares are filled while others are hardly touched. I wanted to reflect how some let the energy pass through them instead of linger and affect them. I believe that you can also listen to others without absorbing their negative energy, which is what I tried to show in the prominently white squares. 

The Final Piece

I chose to kind of represent all of those pieces into this one. I layered pieces of paper to draw your attention to them but also represent how they stand out from the crowd. Most of the glued on pieces are ripped which represents their desire or willingness to grow. The lifework is detailed to show energy passing through or consuming us. Though our environment may not be the healthiest, despite all the negativity we can push through and not let it consume us. We can be a positive influence on each other and our Earth, which is shown through the lighter marks. 

 Three questions:

- I was trying to make it look like lighter lines, almost white in certain areas. Were you able to identify that? How would I be able to improve on that?

- Is this a piece something you can look at for a few seconds or something that makes you think?

- What significance do you think the ripped edges has on the meaning of this piece?

Experimental Sculpture Collection

 Research A

Haluz

Artwork by Tomas Vacek

Rocking Chair

Research B

Pabellón Cuerda 

Artwork by Kevin Erickson

Kevin Erickson

Research C

18 Grams

Artwork by Terry Kreiter

terrykreiter.blogspot.com

Cardboard Replica

 Research A

Corrugated Fountain

Artwork by James Grashow

healdrich.com

Research B

Photo Booth

Artwork by Shannon Goff

Shannon Goff

Research C

Auto Taxi

Artwork by Chris Gilmour
blogartsper.com

Art 21 Response

Mary Reid Kelley

You Make Me Iliad

• Lost voices
• Unsettling

Pasiphae at Fence

Pillar Corrias

This work by Mary Reid Kelley uses both value, pattern, and line to convey her message. Kelley chooses to use black and white in her pieces to keep them timeless to reflect how women are being treated no matter the time period. She chooses to create a pattern on the women's legs to make her look unshaven. She creates lines on the women's breasts and eye line to bring attention to them. 

The Syphilis of Sisyphus

Kelley: Artwork Survey

This still shot from Mary Kelley's The Syphilis of Sisyphus uses both line and value to emphasize how cosmetic beauty is seen as more beautiful compared to natural beauty. The women's hair, eyes, nose,  and lips are the darkest parts of her face. This is to draw views towards them since they are the most common things women may feel insecure about and change with makeup. This can have women feeling unworthy unless they have their hair or makeup done. This is an ongoing struggle women deal with daily.