Midterm Artist Statement Rough Draft

My Big Idea is Human Emotion. Human emotion is one of the most interesting and complex ideas to understand. As I continued to work on this midterm process, I began to really focus on what people feel on a day-to-day basis and compared it to what people want to feel. The images I have employed depict anger, sadness and other dark emotions on the left side, while on the right; I focused more on happy, carefree and bright emotions. This Big Idea is important to me because being a freshman brings about numerous changes and difficulties and I feel emotionally distraught quite often when I wish to feel carefree and happy.

Brainstorm:

ModMean:

Blog Assignment #2: Even Rain Can't Keep Them Away!

Creating Rain

Hyperlink: http://fx.worth1000.com/tutorials/161124/how-to-create-rain

1st Snapshot- In this snapshot, I have used the "curves" tool in order to darken the sky and give it a rainy day appearance. I wanted it to look as if the storm was rolling in, therefore the sky to the left is darker than the one to the right. Next, I used the curve tool again to darken the sidewalks. I wanted them to look as if the rain has been falling on them for quite some time. I used the magic wand tool for both of these selections.

2nd Snapshot- In order to create a cohesive image, I thought that making the entire scene look wet would make the rain look more believable. Therefore, I worked with the brightness/ contrast to work with the roof to make it look darker. I deviated from the tutorial because I wanted to work with the water, to give it a ripple effect using the filter menu in order to appear as if the rain was falling down hard upon it. I used the magic wand tool to select the water before giving it the ripple effect. I felt that the sidewalks looked a little unrealistic, so I made them a little lighter using the contrast/brightness tool.

3rd Snapshot- In the third snapshot, I created rain by adding a new layer, making it white, and then adding noise. After adding noise, I used the motion blur tool and changed the angle at which the "rain" and fell and the distance between pixels. I went to the layers palette and used the screen option and all of a sudden it was raining! I found this step the most difficult because I could not find the perfect opacity or level of noise to make it look completely natural. In the actual image, the rain appears a lot more natural than in the small picture shown below. I was aiming for a drastic image that would make others question why those crazy people were still in the pool while a storm was blowing in.

Big Idea Words

Big Idea: Emotion

Abandoned Compassionate Disappointed

Accepting Confident Remorse

Fear Conflicted Submission

Anger Denial Aggressiveness

Joy Desolate Awe

Saddness Devastated Contempt

Disgust Rejection Lust

Surprised Enraged Longing

Guilt Envy Nervousness

Worry Dismay Sympathy

Anxiety Excited Relief

Stress Greedy Caring

Agony Great Desire

Amused Grumpy Pride

Annoyed Hate Rage

Argumentative Love Confusion

Aroused Impatient Courage

Bitter Anticipation Pity

Joy Bothered Respect

Trust Awkward Horror

Depressed Cynical Homesickness

Deep Optimism Mortified

Blog #1

Laurie Simmons:

1. 1) http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/hd/pcgn/ho_1998.440.htm - Walking Gun

Denotation: The picture is in black and white. The combination of the two colors creates a gray color as well. There is a spotlight on the image of the walking gun, and a shadow around the edges. The spotlight creates a shadow of the walking gun behind the original image, making the background gun look larger and more prominent. The slender legs of the gun appear to belong to a doll wearing high heels. The legs are not facing forward. The legs look as if they are molded right into the gun. At the tip of the gun and near the muzzle, there are nearly transparent strings holding it upwards. The gun is facing toward the left. The whole scene appears to take place inside a shadow box.

Connotation: Laurie Simmons is well known for her use of inanimate objects such as paper dolls, ventriloquists, Barbie dolls, and puppets. She stages these objects and utilizes a dramatic use of lighting in order to create her images. In the past, women have been viewed as merely objects, just acting as a womb that cooks and cleans for their families. In today’s contemporary world, many women have the choice of what they want to do. They can choose whether to be a vessel carrying an offspring or they can find their place in the workforce or even a combination of both. The purpose of this picture is to show “women as objects.” However, even though women can be viewed as objects, they are still in charge. It appears that the string has the power of pulling the trigger. It is like a puppet and society is the puppeteer.

2. 2) http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/original/(Laurie%20Simmons).jpg -Glamour Pictures

Denotation: The image is colorful and bright. She is in a bathroom setting. There is a pink sink and bathtub, a colorful floor, and a black and white tiled wall. The Barbie doll almost appears to be an actual woman because of the lighting. The size of the doll is large and in charge which is apparent by the looks of the size of the bathtub and sink. It looks as if it is a doll house because the proportions aren’t feasible. She is set up in a provocative manner. The Barbie is slender, blonde, and busty. We can see her figure very well because she is not clothed. Her skin is tan and glossy and is contrasted with the white bathing suit and colorful background. The position of her body is awkward and she is staring at the ground.

Connotation: Laurie Simmons was asked along with nine other female artists for the 70^th anniversary of Glamour magazine to create an image of what their perspective of glamour is. Laurie’s perception of glamour is depicted in this piece. The position of the doll makes her appear “slutty” or “easy” as some say these days because of the attention drawn to her private parts. The attention is immediately drawn to the doll’s physical anatomy, thus objectifying her. The woman is purposely put in this position to be the center of attention of the shot. The Barbie’s gaze is focused on the floor, instead of straight forward, looking at the viewer. Because she is staring at the ground, she is most likely searching for something, or does not feel completely confident in herself. She is in a domestic setting and could most likely a housewife.