Line Artist Statement
Based on the renowned series “Gossip Girl”, I created ten drawings while following five of the main characters through the first ten episodes of season five. Taking notes on the ever-changing plot, I used different kinds of makeup and hair products to indicate shifts in emotion while playing with density to accentuate the severity or degree to which they felt. The y-axis is marked by character (from top to bottom: Serena, Blair, Chuck, Nate, Dan), and the x-axis is marked roughly by time. Embarking on this particular project meant examining the ways in which each character’s individual storyline and issues may have overlapped with another, while some characters embark on a journey of their own. Lining up characters by their emotions can accentuate how fortunate some are over others, as repetition or stagnace in any one emotion can speak loudly on its own.
Newspaper Artist Statement
We often forget that newspapers are a form of media, just as social media is, and functions off of its own algorithm to gain attention and retain viewership. Whether it is the size of headlines, or images they choose to plaster on the front cover, newspaper companies know what is effective and use it routinely. Sarah Charlesworth noted that while looking at the photographs of newspaper covers alone, she noticed that it almost always featured a male figure of power speaking on some matter (typically war), male figures congregating, and/or pitcures of bombings accompanying the men.In a similar fashion, I recognized that newspapers often headline subjects that are most shocking. These sensational subjects are usually tragedies, scandals, and the like. Especially this year, it seems that we are continuously bombarded with terrible stories that overwhelm the positive ones. For news companies though, it may have been a great year for content and viewership. Playing on this idea, I sifted through each newspaper, cutting out all of the negative headlines and titles and brought them to the front cover. To further the satire, I embroidered, in red thread, the lyrics to Sam Cooke’s Ain't That Good News to the covers of each of the papers. The lyrics contrast sarcastically with the content of the cover, drilling in the fact that a notable portion of the news we receive on a daily basis is negative. Over the course of this year, it seems that the news can’t get worse, until it does.
Shapes Artist Statement
I resonated with Glendalys Medina’s perspective as objects as extensions of oneself. I focused on objects that my ear now carries. My ears both carry a mix of personal items, and necessities. My hoops are an accessory resembling my personal style. My mask is now a necessity. But my headphones are both. My headphones carry the music that transforms my daily experience and moves me emotionally. With these objects I feel secure, and at home wherever I am taken next.
Colors Statement
A consistent thread in my work are flesh tone colors and blues. I make it my aim to capture subjects of color, and often use natural light to accentuate the hues of their skin. While the inspiration image for these colors does not use natural light, I found that the tones resonate with mood as well. The colors feel like home to me. The slight blushes of the latter three colors feel like a warm embrace that I want others to feel seeing the works. Though color and eye contact, I try to form a connection between myself and the subject via my viewfinder.
3D Model
With classes being online, time has become obscure. There are no bells, or alarms for travel time, making deadlines feel more real. As a college student, you schedule is completely up to you and is your own responsibility to keep up with. With these conflicts in mind, I chose to use a memo that I wrote on to make a list of my to-dos and schedule for the day. Crumpling it up, shows its finality for my own use, regardless of whether or not I truly finished the list of to-dos.
I struggled with using the program Metashape for weeks. After at least fifteen reshoots of my object, I was able to align some of the images and build some semblance of the crumpled memo. I listed three of my attempts, showing some progress in the recreation of the model.
Gettin On Bad: Zine Statement
The American feminist movement has resurfaced in recent years, and has focused on empowering women to feel confident and expressive with their bodies. While it may be revolutionary to the United States, this has confidence and bodily form of expression has been present in the West Indies for decades. By looking at pictures of Caribbean Carnival and backyard fêtes, we can examine the ways West Indian women embody what women in the States desire.