Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Artist Statement - Time
As I was brainstorming ideas for this project, I was having a very hard time coming up with ones and became frustrated because I was at such a lost. It wasn’t until I was doing my regular volunteering at Platte Forum, which host’s art camps for troubled teens, or children who don’t have art in their schools. While I was there I began to see objects that caught my eye, such as the red couch, the writing on chalkboard, and the clock on the wall. My brain started churning and I picked up my digital camera and started playing around with different angels. The words on the chalkboard were the most inspiring, for they were part of a long passage of a poem a girl wrote about losing her uncle. The artist in residency at Platte Forum currently is doing a segment on grief and was working with teens from The Joan Farley Academy, Third Way Center. She had each teen write stories or poems about anything they wanted, but centered around grief. This poem was extremely powerful and when I was taking the picture of my hand on the board I felt like I was touching a very sacred and heartfelt memory. The photo on the red couch was at the same place and I couldn’t help but take a picture with the couch being that magnificent bright red and the afternoon light coming through the window. Sitting on the couch, right after reading that touching poem and having the warm sun hit my face was a magical time for me. I truly felt something and stayed in that position minutes after the shot was taken, savoring that moment. The next two were while I was waiting for time to pass at the lightrail station and finally on the light rail. While taking these picture I realized that so much of our life is spent waiting for time to pass, when instead we should be living each minute to its fullest.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Time Pictures
Wishing.. Wanting.. Waiting..
The Last Time I Felt You
 |
| Tranquil Time |
Eight-thirty A.M
Passing Time
Melting Away
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Cultural Events
Cultural Event #1- Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
At the beginning of the quarter when I discovered the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet would be performing at the Newman Performing Arts Center here at DU I immediately went out and bought my ticket. They’re a very well respected dance troupe and it is a treat to see them live. I danced all through high school and even through I wasn’t even close to the level these dancers are at, I can still respect ballet as the beautiful work of art it is. The performance consisted of three, 20 minute long pieces that mixed modern and contemporary ballet with more traditional ballet. These dancers had such amazing talent and were so in tune with not only their bodies, but also each other’s. They could bring tears to your eyes one moment with their sensuality and grace and a lighthearted, inspiring feeling the next moment as they leap across the stage.
Founded in Aspen, CO in 1996, by Bebe Schweppe, the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet is one of the greatest success stories in American dance today. They travel nationwide as well as worldwide, delivering amazing performances in each city. They also host schools and camps in Colorado and New Mexico for children to come learn ballet. They are a troupe of ten dancers, and represent many different ethnicities as well as countries. On stage though they all move as if they were one.
My favorite piece they preformed the night I saw them was one called “Uneven”. On the back corner of the stage there was a single cellist in front of a stretched, white, triangular fabric, providing the viewer with a sense of asymmetry. The piece was presented in a series of duets. Often male and female duets, the dancers proved in many different, unique ways, how two bodies together can move, intertwine, and be lifted. The way the men so easily lift the women and the way the women gracefully move and contort around then men is truly breathtaking. Their bodies seem unreal, with the muscles in the men’s legs popping out under the lights of the stage and the way the women’s limbs seem to bear no elasticity. All together the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and its dancers was truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
Cultural Event #2- Denver Public Library Photo Exhibit
Our field trip to the Denver Public Library was an eventful outing that provided a wide array of interesting pictures at their photography exhibit. Upon walking in the room you were immediately drawn to the array of different pictures conjured onto one large canvas. The pictures seem to be candid snapshots of mostly women in shopping malls and some of them are frankly quite hilarious. This was a very interesting collection, for it’s something unique, compared to seeing pictures of people posed.
The next photograph that caught my eye for one very main reason; it reminded me of my hometown. The photograph was in the country, with an old rancher sitting in a lawn chair between two trees. Above him there is rope strung high between the trees. Hanging from the rope is the dead carcass of a deer head. It seems the rugged looking man is in a way, keeping watch over the dear head, his prize. The reason it reminds me of my hometown, Hotchkiss, CO is because this sight would not be unusual to see at many of my neighbor’s houses. My town is in the valley, with ranches and farms covering the landscape. It is not unusual for there to be a line of traffic following a slow tractor down the main street, which is 7 blocks long. Old-timers and hardy ranchers make up a large percent of my town, most of which love to hunt every time deer season rolls around. Many people would probably look at this picture and see it as a little strange and extreme, but I look at and feel at home.
Cultural Event #1- Warhol Exhibit
Color, color, and more color. The minute you walk into the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Denver University Art Building this is the first thought that pops into your mind. An amazing display of Warhol’s classic works of art fill the room, including the infamous Campbell’s soup can. Along with this soup can was a dress, made out of the same Campbell’s soup can. This was a very interesting piece, for it turned something that was usually perceived as hard metal into fabric that flows. All the pieces in the exhibit pop out of the walls, something that Warhol is famous for. The faces that were one color and the lips and hair another color is a signature trademark of his, with one of his more famous one’s being of Marilyn Monroe. His quote, “Art is what you can get away with,” is definitely very fitting for his avant garde style, but that is what makes Andy Warhol the art sensation he is.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Annie Leibovitz
When first seeing Annie Leibovitz’s Vanity Fair pictures flash onto the screen it’s an instant visual pleasure. Vivid colors, beautiful costumes, extravagant props, and of course the dazzling and familiar face of a celebrity in the middle of it all. She’s one of the most sought after photographers in the country and travels to foreign places to photograph the world’s most beloved writers, politicians, musicians and movie stars. The journey to this stardom wasn’t easy for Leibovitz though. Death, drugs and rehab were all part of her life, but these obstacles only made her into the strong and passionate women she is today. As a child Annie traveled all over with her family and dad who was in the Air Force. Eventually, she ended up in San Francisco living in a tiny apartment and studying painting at the San Francisco Art Institute. Work by Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson inspired her and she soon started taking pictures for fun, landing a few jobs here and there. Her first real job as a photographer was with Rolling Stone magazine, which was just getting off the ground at the time and had no idea it would become as big of a success as it did. Here she worked for 10 years, taking pictures of celebrities in the height of their fame. She captured not only the glamour of their lives, but also the hard reality of it, humanizing them. Drugs were very prevalent and Leibovitz hit her breaking point after going on tour with the Rolling Stones. She checked into rehab, sobered up and turned over a new leaf in her life.
Her pictures became almost pieces of artwork and Rolling Stone readers looked for her signature work issue after issue. These pictures not only launched her career as a photographer, but also helped Rolling Stone become the famous magazine it is today. After her time with Rolling Stone, Annie began to work for a more high fashion magazine, Vanity Fair. Her amazing photographs with extensive sets quickly began making the covers. Around this time she met the writer Susan Sontag. They became instant friends, both drawn to each other’s work, critiquing and praising each other. Susan was often the subject of Annie’s personal photographs. Even when Susan was dying, Annie captured powerful and emotionally moving shots of her on her death bead and eventually in her coffin. Nowadays Annie can be found calling in whatever extravagance she may need to a photo shoot, ordering people around in a kind yet firm manner to get the perfect shot, and kissing celebrities checks. In the end though amazing works of art appear on newsstands around the world and Annie Leibovitz’s name lives on.
Her pictures became almost pieces of artwork and Rolling Stone readers looked for her signature work issue after issue. These pictures not only launched her career as a photographer, but also helped Rolling Stone become the famous magazine it is today. After her time with Rolling Stone, Annie began to work for a more high fashion magazine, Vanity Fair. Her amazing photographs with extensive sets quickly began making the covers. Around this time she met the writer Susan Sontag. They became instant friends, both drawn to each other’s work, critiquing and praising each other. Susan was often the subject of Annie’s personal photographs. Even when Susan was dying, Annie captured powerful and emotionally moving shots of her on her death bead and eventually in her coffin. Nowadays Annie can be found calling in whatever extravagance she may need to a photo shoot, ordering people around in a kind yet firm manner to get the perfect shot, and kissing celebrities checks. In the end though amazing works of art appear on newsstands around the world and Annie Leibovitz’s name lives on.
Artist Statement - Me Object, I Subject
Being in front of the camera was a significant change from being behind it. I was blind from the beginning. Not being able see what the picture was going to look like through my viewfinder was difficult. I had to put trust in myself as not only a photographer, but also as a model. This project helped me learn a lot about studio work and lighting and significantly helped improve my skills in the darkroom. I really learned how to dodge and burn, taking my prints from just average, to great. The long hours spent in the darkroom, producing print after print until it was perfect, paid off in the end seeing my prints hanging on the wall with my face staring back at me.
My final six pictures for this assignment were, “The Hair is the Richest Ornament of a Women”, “The Unbalanced Ballerina”, “The Insecurity of Being Secure”, “The Eyes are the Windows to the Soul”, “Love Me Tender”, and “A Dancer’s Grace”. I originally started with the idea in mind of doing the theme of dance in all my pictures, for that is such a big aspect in my life that I am missing doing so frequently. Eventually, I realized what was working the best were the close up shots to really captured the emotions I was feeling at the time. In each one I am trying to convey different emotions, to make the viewer feel different with each shot as I did when taking the pictures.
Me Object, I Subject
“The Hair is the Richest Ornament of a Women”
The Unbalanced Ballerina
The Insecurity of Being Secure
“The Eyes are the Windows to the Soul”
Love Me Tender
A Dancer’s Grace
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Fun with Aperture!
Recently I've been playing around with some of my digital pictures in the program Aperture. Here are some of my favorites!
“Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity.”
I was deeply inspired my Sally Mann’s photography. The way she captured her children’s powerful expressions and expressed nudity as a beautiful thing and not something to be frightened of was brilliant. I’ve now found myself studying her pictures, looking at her use of lighting and the way she frames shots. I like how she developed themes throughout her work and how these themes came from something she was inspired by. The way she portrayed death as something beautiful was magnificent, for death is usually a feared thing that our culture doesn’t want to acknowledge. The following are some of the photographs that especially caught my eye and inspired me.
Sally Mann aka my new inspiration
“The things that are close to you are the things you photograph the best.” This quote by Sally Mann was very prominent throughout her life as a photographer. Born in Lexington, Virginia, Sally is the youngest of three children. Her father worked an average job, but at home was an artist and sculptor. Sally mentioned how he was a very brilliant man that she was intimidated throughout his childhood. At 18, Sally married Larry Mann, an artist that shared the same vision she did. He later on became a lawyer, while Sally continued on with her photography. She started taking photographs of her three young children, who were more often than not, nude. After developing a fairly large series of pictures, she printed them in a book called Immediate Family, which was released in 1992. After it’s release to the public, it became harshly criticized for being “child pornography,” putting Mann under fire. Along with the criticism though, the book was being called “a magnificent work of art that captures the essence of childhood.”
After the publicity of Immediate Family died down, Mann began to take pictures of landscapes; in particular, landscapes that had experienced death on their soil. This started her following series centered on the concept of death. The series included photos of her beloved greyhound dog that had died, decomposing bodies at a forensic body farm, the site on her property where an armed escaped convict was killed, and the site of where one of the worst battles of the Civil War occurred. Mann ends the series with pictures of her children’s faces, representing hope and life. The series, called What Remains, was scheduled to be featured in an art exhibit in New York City. Four months before the big day, it was canceled, breaking Mann’s heart. One of Mann’s beliefs as to why was that, “American’s are scared of death and don’t want to see it as an organic part of life.” She eventually showed the series in a museum in Washington D.C. After the show, Mann reflects on how instead of feeling relief, she feels deflated and anxious and unable to ever take another picture. However, she just grabs her camera, goes out and takes a picture and falls easily back into the process and onto her next series of great photographs.
Artist Statement: The Juxtaposition of Masculine and Feminine
If I can produce a picture that evidently expresses the connection I felt when taking the picture I consider it a success. In this assignment, I had a deep connection with the people in my pictures, making it easier for me to photograph them and for them to give me that same connection back through their body language and eyes. After the first assignment I’ve found that I’m very drawn to photographing people, because of this powerful connection that comes through in my pictures, making it that much more magical for me and for my viewers. In Sally Mann’s photographs of her children and husband, this same enchanting connection she had with them came through in her pictures. She even stated, “The things that are close to you are the things you photograph the best.”
My final five pictures are, Love Me Forever, Inked with Desire, Till Death Due Us Part, Heal My Heart, and Battle Wound Beauty. In each one I wanted to capture the rugged feeling of a man and the supple feeling of a woman. In the beginning I went the more obvious route and photographed a couple I’m close to. The outcome of this was my first two shots Love Me Forever, and Inked with Desire. I then tried taking more abstract shots, with objects I believe represent male and female. In my head I saw female objects full of beauty, sensuality, and tenderness and male objects as more rough, intense and powerful. I loved being able to use my imagination and creativity for this assignment as well as being able to explore this thrilling feeling I experience with each click of the shutter and the anticipation of wanting to know how each shot will come out in the darkroom.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Juxtaposition of Masculine and Feminine
Love Me Forever
Inked with Desire
Till Death Due Us Part
Heal My Heart
Battle Wound Beauty
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
One's passion is one's heartbeat
Back alleys were made especially for photographers
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Green truck despise
The truth is in the eye of the beholder
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