working on this I started a new canvas and worked with something more comfortable that I like to give me a jumping point. I painted a figure of a boney back and took my favorite image from my photos and worked on merging the two
Here I also used textures from my original image and used them in my new canvas which I like much more now. I think it also shows more of my theme of decay and forgotten places.
For this project I had a tough time figuring out a concept for the cyclical nature and what I wanted to do for this concept. It was very open for interpretation and so I had free range, but I wasn't sure where to start, so I began by taking pictures of my daily life and aspects I did in routine, reflecting the daily routine as a circle i followed. I tried not to think too hard on my concept because I would get entirely frustrated in being uninspired, so I let myself take pictures on things I found interesting about the environment. Eventually I found myself gravitating towards a concept of modern erosion and inorganic human work and contrast that to the natural aspects of nature. I was particularly inspired by how concrete eroded and dirtied over time, and to me it spoke to how everything works in a circle, eventually eroding back into nature. Also the concept of forgotten objects such as the drain and broken down fence fascinated me, leading me to always wonder about how it began as a useful object, now forgotten and eroding, perhaps the end to all things as time moves forward. Finally I ended with a theme of eyes; they are how we observe our world, and thought of ways to integrate all these concepts back to the source of how they are appreciated, and the individual influence it has on the observer.
You nailed it with that last one! I am always incredibly impressed with the work you always manage to put out. The colors work perfectly with each other and the figure in the middle gives off the idea of some other worldly being.
ReplyDeleteWhat I would think about doing is something a little bit more (or less) with the chain fence, either have it over the entire image or not at all.
I never would have thought to paint like this in photoshop! It's so great! All of the layers are really pulling it all together and adding depth. Maybe you could incorporate the chain link fence into the bottom of the image too to bring it all together. You could apply that filter that we did with elvis and the flag (i don't remember what it's called).
ReplyDeleteI love how the figure is partially transparent, definitely gives an ideal of time, and decay. I think it would be interesting to see the fence reappear on the bottom left corner, with that similar texture you applied to the head.
ReplyDeletegreat process, nice work. this is a hard image to critique, so personal a direction. but to suggest something radical, (you are already on board for the happy accident and experimentation) I would increase the canvas width and play with some containing devices for structure. everything seems to be amorphous and intangible, what you are after conceptually. My (very biased of course) tastes tend more toward distinct shape and figure ground relationships, maybe the academic in me. It seems a tad muddy right now, is there a way to work with this challenge-- dark and melancholy, but also engaging visually? What about contrast? great work so far tho.
ReplyDeletei like both images you are working with, but since the focus of each are both centrally located, many elements of both are lost when they are placed ontop of one another rearranging the composition could drastically help your image
ReplyDeleteLove the inclusion of the figure. You have the chain link at the top and cracks at the bottom for texture. What if you did something similar throughout more of the image? Shattered glass can work really well. More radical would be to add in more photorealistic elements over what you already have here. If you were to incorporate your pill bottle images, I think you could say something about the destructive cycle of anxiety.
ReplyDeleteI don't really think theres much I can say about this to help you push it further, I really think it's successful as is. But I do think all your pieces have been really centered so far in this class, so maybe playing with the rule of thirds and asymmetry could really help push this even further.
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