#BlackLivesMatter

When the assignment was first given, I had no idea what I wanted to do, what I wanted to say, or what I wanted to create with. The thought of using alternative media and going out of my comfort zone was a bit scary. Any time I tried to think of ideas, my mind would just go blank. And then one odd evening, my mom asked me to water the houseplants and then it hit me: flowers. My alternative media would be flowers. I browsed the internet, mindlessly, looking for inspiration and different ways to incorporate flowers into art and by the end of the night, the entire piece came together.

Black lives matter has been a very prominent movement this year. Although there is a lot of politics that goes in hand with it, the main idea is to promote equality amongst race. In light of all the shootings and homicides of black people, “Black Lives Matter” became a saying to advocate that the African American community is just as important as everyone else. Beyond this, the movement became a symbol of civil rights and egalitarianism. In opposition to this movement, “All Lives Matter” was created. Some people misunderstood that Black Lives Matter meant that black people are better than everyone else and started to oppose anything and anyone who supported this movement. Through my piece, I wanted to convey that black lives do matter, not more than anyone, but as equals. The deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castille, and many others have affected families and communities and thousands on social media, so my piece is a cry for systemic racism to end and for people of all races to be treated equally.

I aimed to portray this through two series, in which both are made of three individual pieces. I used a variety of media, but the prominent three are flower petals which were used for hair and clothing, coffee for the skin, and metallic paint for the wording. The first series is of two guns being pointed at an anonymous black man. In this piece specifically, the flower petals really add to the meaning. Since the guns are formed with petals, it makes the weapon look delicate. But that’s the total opposite of it’s intentions. And so the juxtaposition of these ideas makes the message a lot stronger. Also, the two arms are of different skin tones, since systemic racism can come in the form of white or black police officers shooting someone. The second is of three individuals who are protesting against racism; it’s quite evident through the emotions and actions of the three individuals. Both pieces prominently show color and texture. The colorful petals make each character an individual and the texture of the flowers and the stains of the coffee add to the stylized nature of this “campaign poster” if you will.

In terms of composition, I followed the rule of thirds for the second series. Each of the three characters are towards one side of the piece. This allows for the words to be seen, but they allow the eye to move around as well. In the first series, the two arms are very strong since they are diagonal, and they lead up to the middle piece. The composition of both pieces creates a lot of movement. Craftsmanship wise, the spray mount did get onto parts of the paper without petals, so it makes the paper sticky if you touch it. That was the only part I could’ve taken more time on. Besides that, the painted coffee sections turned out really well and so did the typography. I had a lot of control throughout the process of this piece, besides the spray of course, which makes the piece look well constructed.

Overall, I think my pieces really speak an important message. Some people may still disagree, but at the end of the day I have no control over what people think. I am stepping forward with my opinions and taking a stand for I what I believe, and for that I am really proud of myself.

MKE: MIAD & MORE

Last Tursday, my AP art class and I went to Milwaukee to spend time in the Third Ward and at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. For the first half of the day, we toured MIAD and went to a few galleries. Many of the pieces I saw at MIAD were very inspiring and interesting to look at. I was actually amazed at all the work people had done. I apologize for the quality of my pictures. My camera is getting old. 

This piece is by a Student Artist at MIAD. It is a mixed media piece that was the subject of their photographs. It is a piece that was photographed at multiple angles, as you can see in the photo. I really loved the colors that they used and how the colors interact with each other. So quite evidently, color is a major element within the piece. But the pot and leaves create a lot of movement. Your eyes are able to move around. I think the woman that peeks out of the plant is also prominent since it is in white. Since these are photographs, I think the way the light hits the piece makes the photos very strong. The piece is strong since the lighting is so amazing. Both of the pictures that are presented, however are very similar. They aren't very different in their angles or lighting. 

The second piece I found interesting was a Graphic Design poster. This student at MIAD had them hung up in their work space; it is most likely a digital piece that was printed. What caught my attention was the style and font of the words. They phrases were strong in their meaning and in how they were laid out on the poster. One of my favorite posters was the one that said "I am not throwing away my shot". I thought the way the words surrounded the fist made for it to be a call to action or political poster. The color scheme makes for the poster to have unity. The shapes that are used, not only in the topography, but the images makes it strong. However, the composition is quite basic since it is all the middle and together. However, it works even if it is simple. 

The final piece I really liked was by another MIAD student. I loved many of the works at the galleries, but my pictures didn't turn out so well. Anyways, this piece is a sketch using pen. It's a figure study, focused in on the mouth and bottom of the face. What I found unique about this piece is that the artist used scribbles instead of regular shading or flat lines. The boldly colored in hair contrasts the scribbled face. This allows for the piece to have movement and use of line and shape. The composition is quite cool since the face is zoomed in so far. Since it is a simple figure study, the lack of color is okay, but I think it could have been super cool if the hair was one color, the lips were another, and the skin was contrast to them both. 

The second half of the day we got to roam around the Third Ward. Allison, Macy, and I decided to go to West Elm which is an amazing home store full of furniture and decor. One of the many things I loved was the marble, wood, and copper aesthetic they had going on. A lot of the items they sold fell into these categories, which made for a very modern look. The lights they sold were one of my favorite part. I love everything that is marble, or copper, or wood. And since this store was full of things like that I couldn't leave. West Elm is honestly so cool. The set up of the items or the color schemes were very interesting. It reminded me a lot of my aunt's home. Her family just bought this giant house in Las Vegas and her decor is so amazing. I could see her buying everything in that store. It also reminded me of the Zoella's home goods line. She just released a bunch of new products with the same marble and peach theme. 

Along with this we spent our day at Colectivo Coffee. I had a Chai Latte which was amazing. Although I didn't capture the inside of the coffee shop, it was very rustic. A lot of the decor reminded me of the Farm House that was used in Glee for Kurt and Blain's & Santana and Brittany's weddings. The rustic theme made it feel very homely, casual, and chill. The outside of the coffee shop had this amazing mural as well. The style was very cool and futuristic (as you can see to the left, Macy and I stand in front it). I really hope to make something in a large scale, but not as large as a building though. 

Speaking of murals, the art gallery owner told us about this one on the side of the building. I thought that it was just a nice positive thing to look at as you are walking down the street. Many people who live in the city always have places to be and things to do, and to just take a second and look at this makes you feel a little less heavy. It was just very calming and nice to look at it. It just made me feel very warm inside.

Overall, this day was very relaxing and needed in the midst of all that has been happening in my life. I really needed a day off, and this day was perfect.Especially since we had Chinese food for lunch. This may or may not have been the highlight of my day. :)


<<< Also, I documented a few of these things in my sketchbook. 

You Pick Three and the Death of Gender Roles

Renaissance, pattern, and movement. My three words, at first, seemed to be a challenge. But, as I kept thinking and exploring these different ideas, many things came to mind. Starting with renaissance, I immediately thought about medieval times and my trip to Europe last year. The amount of detailed work and paintings I saw at the Louvre and France in general really sparked as inspiration for this painting. And so, I branched out of the Renaissance style of painting and used the word as a starting point. I had known I wanted to do some type of golden intricate work in my painting which would resemble the renaissance time period, and the repeated design would create a pattern. Movement, however, was the more difficult of the three words. And so, I decided to get started and think about movement along the way.

My main concept for this piece was to emphasize a person. I wanted to create a blank human form and have them wear a statement dress. But, by having no facial features, hair, etc they were just a person. This person has no gender and no sexuality. Some people may say that because they are wearing a dress they are female, but that isn’t necessarily true. I believe it is important to not assume who someone is and to not shame them for that either. And so, to make a stand on labels and gender roles I decided this painting would focus on that.

I painted the dress on a canvas and glued paper on top. I used watercolors to paint the background and the human form. I’m not very familiar or comfortable with watercolors, but I think it turned out quite well in this piece. To make the message behind the piece stronger, I decided to add triangles which acted like arrows coming towards the person. The bright red arrows coming off of the canvas really show movement since they point in different directions. Your eyes move in the direction of the arrows, but end up at the dress.

In terms of composition, I believe this piece is stronger than my previous ones. By placing the person at the right end of the piece, with the arrows on the top and side, the piece became more complex. There is balance throughout the piece because the arrows were added, and that made it much more interesting.

Craftsmanship wise, it took me a very long time to paint the gold detail and overall it turned out quite well. I really like how the sleeves of the dress turned out because the visible brush strokes make the sleeves look like satin with folds. Since I don’t work with watercolors, I tried to blend the colors as best I could and I think a lot of the shading I tried worked well. The way the red bruises on the person is subtle with the skin tone was well done too.

When looking at the piece as a whole it is evident that pattern and movement are a part of the piece. Although color plays a major role as well as shape, my two picked elements and principles are the main focal points. The renaissance art style may not be as evident, but since it was used as inspiration, I think it fits in well.

Overall, my work on this project was much better than my previous pieces. However, I could’ve taken more time in the dress since it seems quite flat. I could have made it more realistic, but I think it turned out okay. The use of mixed media makes my piece unique as well. Through this piece, I really pushed on my use of media and trying to make it complex, and I think I succeeded on that front. At first this You Pick Three assignment seemed like a nightmare since I was so lost, but having guidelines and something to work off of was a different and very cool opportunity. In the end, my message is strong and the piece is approved by my standards (as of now).