Digital Surrealism

The message I tried to convey my photograph was the lack of awareness regarding Canada's water supply, and the fact that such an important matter can be so overlooked. I showed this by using a photograph of the water tower outside our school an attaching legs to it. I then placed the photo in the grass to make it appear smaller, I tried to make it look as though it was sneaking through the grass. I did this to show that although this issue may not be at the forefront of our concerns it's definitely a problem though less flashy and more discreet than what the media usually covers. I chose the legs that I did mostly due to how well the fit the colour scheme and style of the water tower.

I knew I wanted to create a robot like figure from the beginning of the project. I looked at many artists who had used mechanical figures in their photography which made me start to sketch some spider like figures. On the first day of shooting I didn’t really know what I wanted to photograph so I just went along looking for some inspiration. on the second day it was still too gloomy to get a good shot of the water tower so I started planning my idea and playing with the blending on photoshop. A few days later it was finally bright enough outside to get a well lit shot of the water tower, so I took a few shots of the tower and got some pictures of the grass. I then started work on the image, I started by creating a mask for the water tower (which would later have to be edited). I tested many different legs with the water tower before finally deciding to use the AT-AT walker legs from Star Wars, deciding that they best fit the image. I then had to combine the image with the photograph of grass I planned to use as the background, putting it on I realised I would need to edit the legs so that they would not awkwardly rest on top of the grass. After some fiddling around with masks and layers I finally got the look I was going for.

In conclusion this project taught me to use both layers and masks in new ways allowing me to artistically express myself in a more successful and organized way. Allowing me take photos and effectively and neatly compile and merge them together. I learned to effectively use masks when moving an image to a different background, and overall I am pleased with the final result.

Surrealism Prezi-tation

*blub*

Photoshewt *pew* *pew*

C&E

What an amazing start for new relations between Canada's government and it's indigenous people. Can't wait to see how things will look in the future!

7 Father Teachings Asignment

This is my representation of the beaver based upon the Seven Father Teachings we researched during class for our decolonization project. Our poster displays the beaver, which represents the trait intelligence. We tried to put emphasis on the beavers brain and its relation to the earth, overall I think we did a good job representing the role of the beaver in first nation culture.

Logo final designs.

Rough logo designs.

Furious 8 (buffalopocalypse)

The art I chose for the aboriginal Pintrest assignment is a piece called The Chase by Kent Monkman, it is done with acrylic paint on a 84" x 126" canvas. In the painting Monkman depicts a modern buffalo hunt with his first nation chasing the buffalo through the crowded streets on a motorcycle. The artist uses a variation of lines depending on what he is drawing, for example the buffalos are all drawn in different styles, some have a more geometric “surreal” look while others are done more realistically. If you look on the fence in the background you can also see what looks like an interpretation of a cave painting. The artist uses more defined lines on objects such as the motorcycle and the buildings while the clouds are done in a more “fluffy” light style.

The first thing I see looking at this piece is the motorcycle this is because excluding the sky Monkman uses mostly washed out darker colors which automatically draws my attention to the motorcycle. I like the sort of offset of focus used in this picture. Positioning the motorcycle to the right of the buffalo gives a feeling of motion, It makes you see the buffalo as being enclosed or corralled. I also like that the buildings are well done but colored in a way so that they do not draw too much attention away from the piece.

When I see this artwork I feel as though Monkman is trying to create a metaphor for how the first nations were treated something about a man using more advanced technology (motorcycle) to herd/hunt the buffalo out of a city really seems more like symbolic meaning to me. I believe this represents the first nations being forced somewhere they don't belong (plotted land, reserves) and then being forced to always leave for a smaller and less ideal place.

Overall The Chase’s visual style alone is enough to make it an attractive piece but I also believe that the many possibilities of meanings are what would make it appeal to most people I think it is a tremendously powerful piece of art and I enjoyed reviewing it.

Relevant.

Rhythm Asignment

My assignment for this project was to simulate rhythm using first steady and static lines then afterwards using more free flowing lines to create a sort of dynamic rhythm. For my first piece I think I used the lines to effectively create a steady rhythm while also using the negative space to create a sort of "implied lines". My second design uses more curvy smooth lines to create a sort of dynamic feeling, while also implementing a few straight lines I think it still manages to maintain its dynamic feel. overall I think they are both pleasing to the eye and follow the requirements to create repetition and rhythm through lines.