Final Metaphor, Crit

Official display

Frontal view of the mask

In the Mirror

When I went to the store to buy the materials I needed for my metaphor project "Lost in Translation," I saw this Styrofoam head, masks, and feathers and I really wanted to do something with them so I scrapped my original idea and decided on this new one on a whim. Probably not the smartest thing to do. Everyone thought it was too simple and I agree. I wish I hadn't gotten caught up in the moment like I do sometimes, but the way I had envisioned it, it seemed like such a great idea! I don't think the final piece even came off the way I intended. More than just "wearing a mask" in public, this was specifically supposed to be this girl trying desperately to be so "glamorous" or better than who she thinks she is but when she looks in the mirror she sees that you can't just cover up who you really are. I specifically chose the Phantom mask versus the masks that just cover up your eyes because the Phantom mask actually splits your face in two, which was perfect for what I was going for. Half of her face was going to be really beautiful, elegant, rich, and glamorous while the other half was going to be just plain white (who she really is, just plain white Styrofoam...ordinary, like everybody else). I failed, though, in making the mask strikingly beautiful, I should have used sequins and even more extravagant feathers-and still not have made it look like Mardi Gras!!!! But like I said, more that just wearing a mask and "hiding who you really are", this was supposed to be "trying to be someone greater than who you think you are, which is just ordinary." But if that didn't come off, then that's my fault.

Final 111/33 with Crit

111

More than anything, the greatest flaw of this piece was the craftsmanship. The edges aren't even straight, and this was before I knew that there's this thing that everyone else has been using to cut boards perfectly straight...so yeah that's what i'm going to be using from now on. And the design, well comparing it to others we saw that day, I'm going to say that it's a little simple. I could have been more ambitious, but [if you don't want to hear excuses, stop reading] sometimes I have problems with instructions. I'll hear what you're saying but I still will not be sure of what you want me to do. Also, maybe this could have been better if the lines had been bolder and brighter, but that was the best I could do with gel pens (which I used because they were shiny).

33

Now this piece I tried to make look like calligraphy, especially the cut of the board, it looks like a scroll. I'm not quite sure what else to say about this piece. I've never painted before and I thought it would be fun to try it for this project, but maybe that wasn't such a good idea. My "painting skills" were most likely taken into consideration when grading this piece, but let me just say that every brush stroke was intentional. If something looks sloppy, it wasn't laziness. I wanted it to look that way-that is to say, it didn't look sloppy to me, but it came out just the way I wanted. To improve this I would probably make it really big, like 5' x 5' and make finer brush strokes and then gloss it, laminate it, I don't know, finish it off somehow with a thin transparent layer on top.

Metaphor Concept Sketches

One of my ideas was to do a sort of "Heaven & Earth" piece based on me being (or having become) a Christian. This was inspired by a photo we at lecture once of life and death/destruction where there were white feathers hanging horizontally from the ceiling and then, I think, tangles and tangles of branches on the floor right beneath them. It was a really great contrast and I kind of wanted to do that with white and black feathers to represent me having chosen heaven instead of this earth (because the bible talks a lot about choosing the world or the Kingdom of God). Well I thought the feather idea was cutting it a little too close to that other artist's idea so I thought then to use jewels to represent heaven and earth. I planned on scattering blue and green jewels (to represent the earth) on the ground and then have a poster board hanging over them with constellations painted on it and having a really large and shiny diamond (heaven) right at the center. I wasn't sure though how I was going to express the act of choosing between them, maybe handprints?

By the way, that mustache looking thing on the top left is supposed to be lots of white feathers at the top and black (or green and blue) feathers at the bottom, my original idea.

Heaven vs. Earth

Another idea I had was to illustrate how I felt when I was in preschool and I didn't know english. I was going to put a figurine of a litte girl trapped inside a birdcage watching monkeys (figurines) outside of the birdcage laugh and play. The monkeys are supposed to be the other students, and they are going to represent monkeys because they might as well have been, I didn't understand anything they were saying.

Lost in Translation

The third idea I had was based on how Christians are supposed to be the "light of the world," so I was going to put a candle inside a hollowed box and each side of the box was going to have a picture of very worldly/influential/addictive things on it like a TV, cell phone, computer, and a magazine (probably Vogue). Maybe they should be painted blue and green....

Light of the World

Exquisite Corpse

Ugly, bananas, hit, blue, gun
"Ugly bananas were hit by a blue gun"

Quickly, tree, run, crunchy, silly bandz
"The tree ran quickly on crunchy silly bandz"

Strongest, fish, inspire, fleeting, hint
"The strongest fish inspire fleeting hints"

Photo Lecture Homework 3-5

a. This is a photo of my grandparents at their 50th wedding anniversary. (They're the couple at the right of the tree.)  After renewing their wedding vows we all went to my grandparents' backyard to eat where we surprised them with a live mariachi band. I keep it because it was a very important day for all of us-how many people actually get to celebrate 50 years of marriage? I chose it for this assignment because I like remembering how much fun we all had on that day and I'm very proud of that fact that they've crossed this milestone.
b. The emotional relationship between them and I is pretty great-they're my grandparents! I tried to take this photo in order to show them having fun while showcasing the entertainment. I wanted to show the nice location of the party, with the trees and the sunny lighting, there's even a pond behind the trees. My grandparents though don't realize the photo being taken, which I prefer because it captures them in a more casual and natural state.
c. This photo is intended to be viewed as a family photo by family and friends for, hopefully, a very long time. As long as it'll last. I might not remember this photo in 10 years but it'll be there whenever we need it.

a. This is a photo of my baptism last May. I keep this because this was a very important moment in my Christian walk. I was only 19 when I was baptized but all my life I've felt a burden to get baptized. Ever since I was little I could remember the need I felt to do this but I've always put it off. I was actually baptized when I was 4 or 5 but to me (and God) that doesn't really mean anything since I didn't do it by choice. Well I was so happy to finally do it on this day along with my born again aunt and cousin. I chose this photo because I love sharing my faith and, being more than just a photo of me, this photo captures the direction and general purpose of my life.
b. My dad took the photo and I'm sure he tried to capture the best shot he could to remember this moment for a very long time. He was very happy that I got baptized, I was the last in the family to do so. I knew he was going to be taking pictures but I was more focused on being dunked underwater I didn't pay him much attention. Anyways, at this moment the pastor was praying so I had my eyes closed.
c. This photo is intended to be in remembrance of my spiritual growth. It's also my testimony to others, anyone who'll take it. I probably won't remember this photo in 10 years but I'll definately remember the experience.

a. This photo was taken by a journalist for National Geographic Magazine during coverage of the Soviet war in Afghanastan. I keep it because it truly is a striking, iconic, and even historical image that has been dubbed the modern Mona Lisa. I chose it for this assignment because it's so rich in content, meaning, and purpose. This photo is significant for me because it's such a great example of how a "picture is worth a thousand words." Such a simple photo....
b. The photographer/journalist must have had some strong feelings for this girl to take such a strong photo. The girl I'm sure didn't feel much for him, you can tell this is not a pose. He captured her in her real self and life and she didn't try to hide. Not knowing each other helps the photo because it gives it a sort of raw and unbiased quality and depth that would be very hard to imitate had they known each other.
c. This image is intended to be viewed as a journalistic photo, a real moment of this girl's reality caught in a shot for everyone to see and be informed. If someone mentions this photo to me in ten years I think I'll definately remember it. Maybe not pixel by pixel, but I believe I have this image almost engraved into my head simply because it's so iconic and genius.

Bio-Map Progress

So I decided to pin a paper butterfly onto a bulletin board the way insects are in collections for display and put my map on the inside of the wings, and also my name means butterfly.

I'm cutting the outline for one of the wings.

The wing cut out

The designs I used to make the wings. They're images that nicely fit into my map like a music sheet because I love music, postcards for the places I've lived and traveled, etc.

33/111 Progress

I decided to use the left half of this picture for my 33 project.
I painted it with white ink against a type of black poster board.

For my 111 I had narrowed it down to the following:

And then I finally decided to go with a different version of this one