Exhibition Text
The goal of this piece was to emphasize the two sides of my life. My artist inspiration directly related to this, by using the bright and happy colors to compliment the subject matter of sadness. My hopes are that the happy and sad parts of my life are symbolized and relayed in my piece. |
"Fall-ing"
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Essay
The only reason I'm here writing this today is actually a strange story. I used to attend a separate high school, one I was miserable at. But something triggered a switch in me one night I tried to commit suicide. If my mother wouldn't have walked in I wouldn't be here today, and for that I'm truly grateful. I wasn't perfect, I know-I'm still not. I've felt the impact of depression my whole life, it's nothing out of the ordinary, plenty of people worldwide struggle with depression and anxiety their whole lives. I've seen how my depression affects my family and friends just as much as it affects me. Mine arose when my parents got divorced and I had to move an hour away from the home I grew up in.My parents used to fight constantly, screaming scaring my little siblings, I was forced to grow up faster than most kids do. I still, though, always find a way to keep myself afloat. I honestly am way happier at Reagan than I was at my old school. To be completely honest, I'm thoroughly happy. I'm excited for my life, I'm excited for my happiness and my future career. I'm excited for the people I am going to meet and for starting a family. I'm happy about who I am and where I come from and what I have been through. I can't wait for what lies ahead for me and what I’m going to do. I haven’t come this far to only go this far.
The only reason I'm here writing this today is actually a strange story. I used to attend a separate high school, one I was miserable at. But something triggered a switch in me one night I tried to commit suicide. If my mother wouldn't have walked in I wouldn't be here today, and for that I'm truly grateful. I wasn't perfect, I know-I'm still not. I've felt the impact of depression my whole life, it's nothing out of the ordinary, plenty of people worldwide struggle with depression and anxiety their whole lives. I've seen how my depression affects my family and friends just as much as it affects me. Mine arose when my parents got divorced and I had to move an hour away from the home I grew up in.My parents used to fight constantly, screaming scaring my little siblings, I was forced to grow up faster than most kids do. I still, though, always find a way to keep myself afloat. I honestly am way happier at Reagan than I was at my old school. To be completely honest, I'm thoroughly happy. I'm excited for my life, I'm excited for my happiness and my future career. I'm excited for the people I am going to meet and for starting a family. I'm happy about who I am and where I come from and what I have been through. I can't wait for what lies ahead for me and what I’m going to do. I haven’t come this far to only go this far.
Artist Inspiration
My artist inspiration was the artist Deborah Cauchi. Deborah Cauchi was the perfect artist for my inspiration because her artwork relates to my life quite accurately. Her pieces consist of a sad and dark subject yet the colors used were bright and happy. This directly relates to my life because although everything might seem bright and happy in my life in reality everyday I have to struggle to keep myself happy. Deborah Cauchi has this theme throughout her work and always uses women in her pieces, which relates to me because I am a woman who is also going through struggles just as the women in her paintings do also. Deborah Cauchi paints what she is passionate about which I, as an aspiring artist, am trying to do. I want to create things that I love just as Deborah Cauchi paints her childhood retro toys. Below are examples of Deborah Cauchi's work: "The Forgotten One", "All By Myself", and "Hidden". I wanted to reflect the style in which the women are sitting in these pieces in my work. I wanted to use body language to represent the emotion in my piece as in Deborah Cauchi's pieces.
My artist inspiration was the artist Deborah Cauchi. Deborah Cauchi was the perfect artist for my inspiration because her artwork relates to my life quite accurately. Her pieces consist of a sad and dark subject yet the colors used were bright and happy. This directly relates to my life because although everything might seem bright and happy in my life in reality everyday I have to struggle to keep myself happy. Deborah Cauchi has this theme throughout her work and always uses women in her pieces, which relates to me because I am a woman who is also going through struggles just as the women in her paintings do also. Deborah Cauchi paints what she is passionate about which I, as an aspiring artist, am trying to do. I want to create things that I love just as Deborah Cauchi paints her childhood retro toys. Below are examples of Deborah Cauchi's work: "The Forgotten One", "All By Myself", and "Hidden". I wanted to reflect the style in which the women are sitting in these pieces in my work. I wanted to use body language to represent the emotion in my piece as in Deborah Cauchi's pieces.
Planning
My sketches included different compositions of the same images and a use of different pictures as seen on the top left of my sketches. I planned to use me for the dark figure on the right and my sister for the picture in the center. This is done because my sister is always happy, she is always the light when there's only darkness, she is what helps me through those dark times that I knew a bit too well. I planned to use both the mobile Photoshop app as well as the PC version because I liked the filters from the mobile version while still having the versatility of the PC version.
My sketches included different compositions of the same images and a use of different pictures as seen on the top left of my sketches. I planned to use me for the dark figure on the right and my sister for the picture in the center. This is done because my sister is always happy, she is always the light when there's only darkness, she is what helps me through those dark times that I knew a bit too well. I planned to use both the mobile Photoshop app as well as the PC version because I liked the filters from the mobile version while still having the versatility of the PC version.
Process
To start my piece I first had to gather photos for my digital collage. I took two photos on a trail in the woods and one photo n my bedroom. The two photos in the woods were meant to represent the happiness I feel in fall and the picture taken in my bedroom represents the sadness in my life. I then began to use the mobile Photoshop app to add color correction and filters onto my photographs. After this was completed I then began to cut the background of the images so I could layer then accordingly. As I began to cut the background I noticed that it needed to be more smooth, so then I began to use "refine edge" on the cut images to get more smooth edges. After this, I began to layer the pictures and play with the composition of the piece, this took a little bit of time, but I was overall happy with the result. Once I was happy with the composition, I decided to make the background very opaque and I made the black and white picture very translucent.
To start my piece I first had to gather photos for my digital collage. I took two photos on a trail in the woods and one photo n my bedroom. The two photos in the woods were meant to represent the happiness I feel in fall and the picture taken in my bedroom represents the sadness in my life. I then began to use the mobile Photoshop app to add color correction and filters onto my photographs. After this was completed I then began to cut the background of the images so I could layer then accordingly. As I began to cut the background I noticed that it needed to be more smooth, so then I began to use "refine edge" on the cut images to get more smooth edges. After this, I began to layer the pictures and play with the composition of the piece, this took a little bit of time, but I was overall happy with the result. Once I was happy with the composition, I decided to make the background very opaque and I made the black and white picture very translucent.
Experimentation
Throughout the digital collage project I tried out many different techniques but my main focus was that I had good craftsmanship. I used the mobile app for the color scheme because I needed to get my colors to show very happy and bright colors, this reflects the way Cauchi's paintings looked. I also experimented with the opacity of a practice image so I knew how to incorporate different levels opaques and translucence in my piece. I also experimented with the size of the ghost image on the right of my final piece, originally I had it much smaller and later I tried adjusting it and figured out it looked way nicer with the image being larger.
Throughout the digital collage project I tried out many different techniques but my main focus was that I had good craftsmanship. I used the mobile app for the color scheme because I needed to get my colors to show very happy and bright colors, this reflects the way Cauchi's paintings looked. I also experimented with the opacity of a practice image so I knew how to incorporate different levels opaques and translucence in my piece. I also experimented with the size of the ghost image on the right of my final piece, originally I had it much smaller and later I tried adjusting it and figured out it looked way nicer with the image being larger.
Reflection/Critique
Overall, this project was a very leisurely one. The process of this piece went very smoothly because at my previous school I developed many Photoshop skills given that in my photography class, I spent 3 months on Photoshop and used Photoshop to digitally enhance some of my photos as well in other units as well. My metaphor worked fairly well with my pieces, you see the joy in the image of my sister and you see the sadness in the image of myself. You also see the contrast between the vibrant colors and the black and white image of myself.
I feel as though my metaphor worked very well considering that the subjects are both sad and happy so you feel this balance of good and bad which is relayed in my life. The colors are bright in the background and on my sister with her hands raised, while the ghost image is black and white.
My piece relates to Deborah Cauchi's pieces because of the contrast between the subject matter and the colors. Although we used different mediums I still captured the essence of the contrast between happy and sad that I was going for. In my pieces I didn't have a specific color themes and there was more than one subject which is rare in Cauchi's pieces.
Overall, this project was a very leisurely one. The process of this piece went very smoothly because at my previous school I developed many Photoshop skills given that in my photography class, I spent 3 months on Photoshop and used Photoshop to digitally enhance some of my photos as well in other units as well. My metaphor worked fairly well with my pieces, you see the joy in the image of my sister and you see the sadness in the image of myself. You also see the contrast between the vibrant colors and the black and white image of myself.
I feel as though my metaphor worked very well considering that the subjects are both sad and happy so you feel this balance of good and bad which is relayed in my life. The colors are bright in the background and on my sister with her hands raised, while the ghost image is black and white.
My piece relates to Deborah Cauchi's pieces because of the contrast between the subject matter and the colors. Although we used different mediums I still captured the essence of the contrast between happy and sad that I was going for. In my pieces I didn't have a specific color themes and there was more than one subject which is rare in Cauchi's pieces.
Connect to ACT
1) My inspiration is incorporated into my work because of the contrast of subject matter and color used. I used bright colors and dark subject matter just as Deborah Cauchi does in her work.
2) I wanted to capture the essence of Wisconsin fall culture. The trail walking, photo taking, bright leaved Wisconsin.
3) While I researched my artist I realized how much Deborah Cauchi's art meant to her, I noticed that everything she loved and related to was incorporated into her pieces. She loved retro toys and thus began to paint them. I loved fall so thus I began to photograph it.
4) The theme around my research was the contrast between happy and sad, which Deborah Cauchi's art features spectacularly.
5) While reading my research I made inferences about the life that Deborah Cauchi probably lived. I believe she lived a life similar to mine, appreciating the little things and going out of her way to make others happy while she sits there constantly fighting with her internal struggles.
1) My inspiration is incorporated into my work because of the contrast of subject matter and color used. I used bright colors and dark subject matter just as Deborah Cauchi does in her work.
2) I wanted to capture the essence of Wisconsin fall culture. The trail walking, photo taking, bright leaved Wisconsin.
3) While I researched my artist I realized how much Deborah Cauchi's art meant to her, I noticed that everything she loved and related to was incorporated into her pieces. She loved retro toys and thus began to paint them. I loved fall so thus I began to photograph it.
4) The theme around my research was the contrast between happy and sad, which Deborah Cauchi's art features spectacularly.
5) While reading my research I made inferences about the life that Deborah Cauchi probably lived. I believe she lived a life similar to mine, appreciating the little things and going out of her way to make others happy while she sits there constantly fighting with her internal struggles.