Luis Gispert

I found his way of critiquing these issues/ places very inventive and interesting. I immediately look at this series and think about how fantastic it looks and with that it doesn't look like "regurgitated" art. And then I think about what they mean and what he wants to say with these images. It is just super original and thought provoking. He brings up real issues with out spelling it out. He treats his audience like intellects whom appreciate beautiful images. I like him.

The environment has me thinking..

I have been thinking so much about the direction of Catholicism and the seven sins, but I keep imagining places where man doesn't seem to have tainted the land too much. Very natural, open spaces. At the same time I have been reading so much about environmental law, at some point they kind of converged and made sense to me. I mean the way in which we blatantly, vulgarly interact with the land can be directly related to the seven deadly sins. The ethics that we lack in terms of the environment is something that has been really bothering me lately. Kyle also had some fantastic suggestions for me about not necessarily structuring seven images to all relate to a sin, but blending the sins into a few images- mostly to avoid one word solutions. With that in mind, I have been thinking of basing my project more on a critique of how we "beautify" our environment in terms of ethics. One image that wont leave my mind is wrapping a tree in gold wrapping paper because clearly that is way prettier than a tree left the hell alone. This law class is going to turn me into such a hippy!

Progress?

Quick and sloppy. I want to do an image with an excessive amount of light bulbs. I was having a hard time imagining how I would construct it and light it taking into account the unpredictable reflections. So I bought a few and taped them up. I definitely want to find cords that they can screw into and hang from that. I wanted to be cheap but this is ridiculous. It was messy and unattractive. So Home Depot I go. Hopefully the fellas there will have a few suggestions.

Joel-Peter Witkin

special..

Nick and Sheila Pye

David Opdyke

similar to what i am thinking about for 'Capital Vices'

Capital Vices

Project Description: Locations will be found on hopefully cloudy days. I am referring most to the painterly aspects and distortions of Maleonn's work in 'Nostalgia'. I will be shooting 35mm as I feel more comfortable with the process and feel I can better achieve the color correctness.

Conceptual Concerns: I will be creating scenes of excess in a natural setting. I am addressing issues of over-consumption and a basic overload of feelings/objects. I decided to go in a direction of the seven deadly sins and use an excessive amount of objects in seven different settings that are foreign to these objects. I want to make great efforts to not just find one word solutions for the seven deadly sins and leave them a bit ambiguous to provoke thought. I want these images to have a painterly esthetic as the idea of establishing the seven sins was metaphysical. They were so significantly based upon people's religious faith and a fear of eternal damnation. Being raised Catholic and catholicism having such a prominent role in the art world- I found this suiting for me as an artist.

Technical Skills Covered: Through this project I hope to master a creative way to manipulate an image without having it be obvious of which photoshop tools I am using. I am hoping to master color in a cohesive body of work- being able to use a palette that works for every image. I am hoping to gain more knowledge and be more aware of every step in this process and to keep in mind that every step gages how I achieve the end result. I think working in digital would be most beneficial because if the distortion I intend to make a large part of this project.

Formal Guidelines: I am planning on shooting 35mm color. 11x14 and seven images. I think that presentation is important and I am still trying to decide how it would best be understood as a comment on traditional Catholic beliefs in relation to out society's over-consumption.

Artistic Reference: Maleonn. Nick and Sheila Pye. David Opdyke (one particular image).

Readings: Kurt Vonnegut "Sirens of Titan" is what I am currently reading and I think it had something to do with my ideas because his metaphorical references to religion/ the Bible. His fictions are very imaginative and are surreal.

Due Date: I want to have three photos printed by midterm and the complete series by finals.

Grade: My grade should be based mostly upon my final product. I feel that I don't lack motivation or commitment, but I do have issues in efficiencies. I think it is a combination of knowing my capabilities and time management. These are things I am really focusing on.

Goals:

Have all materials and have shot three scenes by September 30

Scan and print and post-production to have them ready for midterm

Have all materials and have shot four scenes by October 30

Scan and print and post-production to have them ready by finals

Any reshoots and extra work- all complete by December 7

Scouting...Locations lacking humans!!

Inspiration for my proposal..

Maleonn

Wedding Photograoher Jeff Newsom

I tend to feel that all wedding photographers are the same and lack creativity. I came across this wedding photographer who is bringing so much creativity to something so cliche and is breaking the "wedding photographer" mold. Still wedding photography, but at least it isn't lacking art.

Color Analysis-Personal work

I found working with color in this particular image was successful as I was able to achieve a neutral image. I enjoy color most in this image because the simultaneous reflection and complimentary blue and orange tones. The subtle green in the center is a good contrast and then the blue in the top right is small but still in having that there keeps the viewers eye  moving about the image and ties it back together with the blue in the lower half. 

I found this image successful for the use of color to balance the image. The peach tones in the left to contrast the blue on the right. The image also has symmetry in multiple ways: having similar tones on the far left and far right to bring it all together, the dark of her skirt and the dark of under the bed, the highlight in the window with the contrasting dark under the bed, the highlight on the left portion is mirrored by the highlight on the side of the bed.
This image started difficult as it is night and there are a couple different light sources. The blue in the sky became muddy as I adjusted for a neutral. The greens in the tree and the grass started to become red. The biggest challenge was the grass on the right side had tones if blue while the other side had tones of red. The more I adjusted the more and more unnatural it became. Overall, I think it had yellowish tones and just hard to look at.
This image was a harsh mix of green tints in certain places and red tints in others. It was a mixture of different light sources. I added a layer of blue to the sky which helped a bit with the greens and reds. It made it a little better to look at and maybe even a little more natural. Everything on the lower half remained muddy. Both in this image and the one above, it was poor planning and poor lighting. 

Carrie Yury- Color Analysis

Seminar teacher Sam Lee has a gallery in Chinatown (Sam Lee Gallery) and this is one of the artists he had recently showed.. 

Carrie Yury interested me not only for her inventive way of rethinking the figure and portraiture, but also for her consistent attention and careful approach to color and the way it relates to the people and their personal space. These diptychs are shot from different angles with mostly natural lighting. It is apparent that she attempts to use primarily natural lighting and even the same time of day, but because of the different angles and the way light reflects off of different color paint, it is clear the issues that she had encountered. 

Yury's issues most obvious to me in this particular diptych, where the left side is much brighter and has a little more red in it while the right has more blue and is a tad darker. Aside from that struggle it is obvious she strategically used a green yoga ball to accent the red tones in the walls and her skin. It also brings out the color of the sheets which draws the eye back to the window. Well played Yury!

Below: Red and green compliments. Clear as day!! She uses the blanket on the bed to tie in all the colors in the room and to mimic the shape of her body. She uses the white open door to also mimic the white the window. She extensively uses color to direct the viewer where to engage.

Below: I was pretty impressed as the top half of the image is blown out white and the bottom half of the image is a combination of dark wood, black furniture, and dark red couches. With a big obstacle, I thought that this image was one of her best as far as color balance. The subtle way in which Yury puts the green pillow on the chair to compliment the great amount of red was subtle and sophisticated. 

CAMP

Coooooooolllllllll!!!  Public art projects up in San Fransisco. On their facebook discussions tab they talk about how they came about and what they do. 

Carlos Van De Roer

I really enjoy his work as the conceptual aspects really excite me. Although the one above is cheesy, I like it because it deals with the idea of auras. In this series, he just touches on this subject in the most obvious way.

In this series above, he found a fantastical/dreamlike way to talk about orbs. But he doesn't take himself too seriously with the manner in which he crudely introduces a huge colored dot almost as an after thought. 
This series is Blinded by the Light. I love it!! It is just so funny. He uses these taxidermy sets surrounded with glass and uses the flash from cameras (I like to think it is from other people's cameras) and talks about a subject that tends be serious. He also doesn't hesitate to leave all reflections in the images. Genius! 

Some things that I have been thinking about the past few months in having to do with the vulgarity associated with organs outside of a bodily casing and questioning this in relation to what our society consumes in excess. 

I guess I just think it is so weird and I just get lost in the many ways that it is and how it directly relates to me.

In the works