Earthworks

The two people we used for inspiration for this project were Alexander McQueen and Andy Goldsworthy. We liked the idea of not using anything brought into nature and just creating the object ourselves from the things we found. We drew this from Goldsworthy. We also were big fashion fans and instantly thought of McQueen who did a show based on nature, as seen in the monarch butterfly dress.

I feel that our project was very successful. We wanted to create a "mother earth" type being and we did that placing a human amidst the things we found in nature.

Real vs Ideal

Real Portrait

Ideal Portrait

In the ideal portrait, I wanted to portray a strong, confident young woman who looks you in the eye and does not care about what people think, and the stereotypes they might have. In the real portrait, I am more shy. This is true in real life. I would love to be more confident and outgoing, but in reality, I'd like to not look at the camera and to not know what other people think of me. I'm timid and afraid. 

I dressed up for these portraits because when I think of sitting for a portrait, I think of trying to look your best, of getting your hair and makeup done. 

A Mask

My mask would probably be best described as formalism. I was not thinking of a deeper meaning behind it when I made it, I was just enjoying having the chance to make art. I knew I wanted to do something with beads and glitter because I love them both. With that said, I do not feel that it bears any relationship to my real/idea self-portrait. 

"The Kiss" Klimt

"The Kiss" by Klimt is the art historical example I choose to relate my mask too. It is jeweled just like the one in the picture and the coloring is similar.

A Landscape

I feel that the idea that we own the earth and that we have autonomy over the earth can be problematic and good at the same time. For example in this photograph, there is a railroad. Our feeling of ownership of the land led to things such as railroads and roads. These things are very useful and have helped to advance human civilization. It is also bad because we tend to misuse the land and take it for granted. We destroy forests and wildlife habitats. I think that this photograph both mourns and celebrates the earth. It is a beautiful winter landscape  but it is cut in half by a railroad and telephone lines, pure human creations.

Getting Lost at the Winfield Mounds

This is a slideshow of images I took while at the Winfield Mounds in Wheaton, IL in January of this year.  In the beginning of the slideshow, I tried to focus on the some of the unusual colors found in nature, most of them being man made, such as the graffiti. The water pump that drains from color to black and white was my attempted solution at incorporating both the color photos I liked along side the black and white photos. We were required to add random media photos throughout our slideshow to be surprising and unexpected, or to maybe convey a message. I didn't really incorporate any theme into my media images. I think if I had the opportunity to redo the entire show, I would have made a statement with them, instead of random images.


The Way of Nature:
Nature is both static and dynamic at the same time. It is always changing in some way. Trees grow, plants flower in the spring time, the rivers rise and fall with the reception of rain water. Things die in the winter only to be renewed in the spring and summertime. Yet untouched by man, nature is always, nature. There will always be nature in some form.  


The Way of Culture:
I think that culture has a profound effect on nature. How do we see and value nature? Do we see nature as something we are in control of? Major problems of deforestation in the world result from views of man's dominion over nature. In Genesis God does give man dominion over nature to rule it, but He also tells man to take care of it. Ruling over nature does not give us permission to abuse it. It is there for our enjoyment and use but if we do not take care to restrain ourselves, nature may just disappear all together. 


The Way of Grace:
Nature has restorative properties that can be viewed and compared as a form of grace. Man has continually cut down trees, burned fields, and dug up plants, yet nature continues to plant new trees, fields have a way of growing back, and plants continue to pop up in places where they had been removed. With our ability to take what we want, nature never argues back, but simply gives up its treasures. 

An Image About God

College Church, Taken February 14, 2012

This is an image about God. When I see a church, I immediately associate it with God, and rightly so. A church is often where we go to connect with God and with the community of believers. I find it interesting in this picture that there are no people in the pews. Does that mean God is less of a presence then He would be on a Sunday morning when the full congregation is there? That is what this image is trying to answer. Is God found among the people or is God there all the time. If you look closely you will notice a man sitting on top of the scaffolding. It is almost as if he is trying to get closer to God by sitting on top of metal. 

Cristo Pantocrator, Hagia Sophia 6th Century

The light in this image specifically reminds me of God. I don't know why, but I've often associated light with God. It's ability to shine through small windows and openings reminds me of the way that God can shine through any and every situation. I tried to capture some of the lighting aspect in my own image.

This is a more contemporary of what I think could represent God. I view the plastic dome shape as God. He is covering the child, possibly protecting him. But also, everything the boy sees is through the plastic. When we have faith in God, everything we see is through His perspective. He changes our life and "distorts" it in a way, a good way. That is what this child would be seeing. I also could see this image in the reverse way. The child could be God, separated from the world by a thin film. He can't quite get through, which is often what we do to God. We keep Him in the room, within close reach, but put something over Him so he can't quite get through to us. 

An Interpretation of the Human Body

Catherine Holt, taken January 28, 2012

This image was taken as an interpretation of the contemporary human body. As women, we are told by culture what type of body is "attractive", what we should look like, and how we should act. There are so many negative connotations surround the image of a woman in our culture that I feel are wrong. I have encountered many women in my life that possess the qualities I feel are the most important to a young woman in this day and age. The purpose of this image is to portray a more positive view of women in the 21st century, so I decided not to focus on the body at all, but rather the characteristics that make up the person.

I asked Catherine to choose a word that she felt most represented a quality that women should possess. She chose "strength", so we wrote "strong" on her arm, because she is a strong woman of God. Coming outside of the physical aspect of society and focusing more on the inner self is what this image is about. I purposely did not show her face to try and draw focus away from what she looks like, her outward appearance, and instead chose to focus on the qualities she has that makes her a beautiful young woman. 

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich, 1818

Looking at this image I was reminded of the emotion I was trying to capture with my own image. Granted in this painting the entire body is visible as compared to only the face in my own, there is still a similar aspect that a can be drawn out of this image. In this oil painting by Friedrich, we do not see the face of the man, only his back, yet it says a great deal about him and his character. He is standing in the midst of the sea, looking out towards it. He is looking at it as if to say, I am strong and ready to take you on. He is facing his future. I look at this image as a picture of life. The sea looks tormenting but yet beautiful at the same time, which life often is. His hair is windblown and it looks as if he could have been standing there for quite some time.