Midterm Inspo

The one person who was a great influence of my collage is David Villegas, a digital concept artist based in the Philippines. He specializes in hyper-realistic,stylized illustrations. Villega's ultimate plan is to create his own worlds and stories. His drawing, Dragon Watchers, was inspired by Dark Souls and Game of Thrones, and mixes 3D, photo-bashing and a lot of painting. He was the reason why I decided to make a 3D drawing and a virtual world for the collage.

Midterm Project

The subject of my midterm project focuses on symbolism and surrealism, much like Frida Kahlo. I decided to create a scene where I had lung surgery. The content of my image contains The Virgin Mary, a ladybug, a plant on a shelf, me in a hospital bed with my lungs exposed, a cross, an hourglass, and an IV stand. All of these images represent something that helped me get through my surgery. The scene that I’ve created was inspiration from Frida Kahlo’s The Flying Bed. I have also dug a little deeper in Kahlo’s museum and learned that she and Diego collected pieces of artwork called Ex-Voto’s. Ex-Voto paintings are Catholic folk-art that show scenes of people’s accidents or misfortune that is later fixed by the presence of God or a Saint. Each painting has a description below the scene, describing the unfortunate event that has occurred and giving thanks to the divine entity that appears in the painting. Frida Kahlo was inspired by the Ex-Voto’s and so was I, because the artwork is memorabilia of a pivotal moment in a person’s life. So, I decided to make one of my own and also added a bit of Frida Kahlo flair to it. The techniques I used was mixed media. I had painted the background on a canvas with acrylic, used different images, a sticker, and plastic string. I used a stencil to get a constant motif for the flooring. I manipulated the images to look as if they were handpainted.

    This project represents me because it was a crucial moment in my life. I had a very scary experience where I couldn’t breathe at all. It felt like my chest was collapsing. I was only 9 years old when this happened. My mother took me to a doctor to get this issue fixed immediately, but he made a slight mistake during my surgery on my lungs. I needed a second surgery after to have my lungs functioning again. I was taught in a Catholic school during the time, so I looked up to the Virgin Mary. I prayed to her before I went for my second time, hoping that the doctors can save my life (Which is why she appears in the corner, still attached to my heart). I felt like she watched me from afar while the doctor had worked (Which is the significance of the IV stand in my arm). I was lucky to have survived the second time, I needed that luck (the ladybug on my shoulder signifies luck. It is an old Catholic tale that ladybugs are a sign of luck from The Virgin Mary because of it’s 7 black spots). The doctors have managed to get my lungs to function again (the plant on the shelf signifies air). However, the process of healing took long and it was very painful (the hourglass means time).

    The colors of the strings are also symbolic. The black that is tied around my wrist and the hourglass signify uncertainty and fear. I was unsure of when I was going to get better and I was scared that I might not breathe again. The blue attaching The Virgin Mary to my heart means divinity. I am devoted to Mary with all of my heart. The white attaching my nose to the plant means purity. I was breathing fresh air after my surgery. The red signifies my suffering during the surgery. All of these elements that connect to me fought against time to save my life and I will always be grateful for that.

My project is based on the Two Fridas painting by Frida Kahlo. My version is more current, Frieda’s is more about what she could have been. My project is basically the physical manifestation of my internal struggle. I always try to be a good Christian living a pure life. But life’s temptations always gets to me some how. I become draw in, curious, to what I haven’t experienced in life. I have always grown in a way that keeps me from sin, and now that I have grown it almost feels like the world calls me. And since I always give the appearance that I’m a “Cristiano Ejemplar” in the dark I fall occasionally in sin. Inside it torments me it confuses me. It makes me second guess what I’m destined to be

Midterm Project by Suania Duenas

Midterm Project by Suania Duenas

For the midterm, I decided to get out of my comfort zone and paint. I wanted to include different pieces that represents me. I was inspired by the ocean, dentistry, and flaws. The drawing includes a molar tooth, dental instruments, the ocean,  the sky, and a dental abscess. The molar tooth and the dental instruments represent my passion and my professional goals. The ocean and sky represents a peaceful place/peaceful mind, my love for nature, the horizon, the sound of waves, relaxation. The dental abscess represents my flaws, a reminded that perfection doesn't exist, the negativity, but most important, it represents that it is not the only thing that defines me. I was inspired by Frida Kahlo since she had a deep connection with nature and her ability to represent imperfections and reality and also by Salvador Dali's  painting style of surrealism. 

Midterm- A Long way gone.

The whole scope of this project is to highlight my background, identity and the current obstacles that I face in the USA as a Muslim black immigrant from Senegal, West Africa. Additionally, I wanted to debunk the stereotypes that are often associated with Africa such as poverty, disease and war. Theoretically, Africa isn't poor. It is the mismanagement of our natural resources by our leaders that drove us to poverty. This is the reason why I used Gold stickers to accentuate the continent's natural resources such as Gold, Copper, Diamond, just to name a few. I also put an emphasis on my roots by focusing on Africa's wealth that are abstract. For example, ever since I came to the USA , I have noticed that Africans are perceived or portrayed  as primitive or uncivilized. This is because only one story is told when it comes to Africa, but there are other aspects that need to be mentioned. That's why I have spelled CIVILIZATION in gold as well, because we are civilized, it is just a different civilization. Family, culture, food, solidarity and government are part of a civilization. So they are worth noting. Furthermore, I wanted viewers to realize that even though America is the most powerful country in the world, it has its own sociopolitical problems. As can be seen, my profile picture is facing America because this is where I live now. And even though I enjoy the opportunity, the diversity, the DEMOCRACY and FREEDOM; I experienced xenophobia, racism and Islamophobia. It is something that is still new and chocking to me because I have never even realized or experienced it before I immigrated to America. Most importantly, Senegal is a black nation and 98 % of our population is Muslim. However, we get along perfectly well with Christians and live in perfect harmony. Islam, which means peace was also written in gold. My goal is to enlighten people about real Muslims who don't use religion as an excuse to kill or persecute others, and that is the reason why I wrote FEAR above my head. But I also spelled LOVE in gold characters to show that there is nothing but Love between America and I. I am grateful to be here and I love America, but I also wish she loves me back. The use of the stickers is an inspiration from Cindy Sherman. The bold characters really draw attention and are expletive. I was also inspired by Kehinde Wiley's paintings for the background of the collage and the map of Africa. So I cut a plastic bag that is usually used by African immigrants. I wanted to make my roots stand out just like Kehinde and that is why I used a traditional African  shirt to outline the map.

on the border of USA

The subject of my image is on the border of USA. I was inspired by Frida Kahlo especially her self portrait on the border of Mexico. So, I decided to mimic her ideas in terms of being on the border between my home country Egypt and USA like she was standing between Mexico and USA. I was inspired by her work when she drew the organs like her pelvis floating. So, I decided to design my project in the same form. I put my picture in the middle of the sheet facing USA leaving behind my home country Egypt represented by the Pyramids which are famous landmark of it, but when I left Egypt where my family, my friends, my memories and my lovers reside, I left part of me which is my heart and came here in USA without it. I am trying to convince myself that I folded a black page from my life book and started a new life, so I shaded the previous life with dark color on the left side.

   I used liberty statue to represent the USA on the right side to which I am facing donating the freedom of this country. My brain is out of me because my head was loaded with many things which I am doing right now like education, career, success, family, ect. On the right side, there are many obstacles facing me represented by the black spikes. I see that time is very important thing for me in this part of my life, so I decided to put clock in front of me to remind me with its existence. Within myself, I am keeping my religion represented in a cross. I feel that this is the only thing that I am still holding inside my soul.  I used paintings, pictures and words to address my identity. I painted the dark spikes and I cut the pictures and glued them. The same thing for the words.

   I see that this project is representing me because it summarizes who I am; my nationality, my interests, my previous life and my current life. Even my future is represented by the fears of impediments that would prevent me from reaching my goal. Everyone has a healthy fear from something. It is considered healthy because it pushes us to do our best to overcome our fear. Here I have a healthy fear of failure may be represented by time which pushes me to go on and never give up.

Midterm-Trapped Feelings Within

For my mid-term project I took inspiration from the Greek mythology, Cerberus, often called the "hound of Hades", well known as the three headed dogs. My project includes three different heads that are attached to me. The three different heads represent three different moods, which include (Left to Right) sad, happy, and angry/fear. Sad, the effect of my face melting off represents losing loved ones that were once close to me. Happy, I feel that being happy is something that people expect you to be at all times or show at all times. I chose to exaggerate the smile that represents me faking one. I give off this impression to those that I meet that I am the happiest person on this planet but I'm really not, thats why its behind the other two heads. Angry/Fear, represents being angry or holding on to things that have happened once that I have not yet to get over, the fear of what is going to happen in the future for me physically and mentally. Without making these heads as basic as possible; for example for sad, have a frowning face, I decided to make it less basic by editing them. I was recommended two very talented artist for this project, Francis Bacon and Francisco Goya. Most of Bacon's paintings had this grotesque style, where faces and bodies were deformed and others seemed to represent violence and suffering. I came across the painting "Study for a Portrait 1952" and that inspired me to melt the face off for the first head. As for Goya, his paintings are disturbing where some are scary to look at or give off that "I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight" feeling. I came across the painting "El Tio Paquete" that inspired me to exaggerate the smile for the second head. The last head there wasn't an artist that inspired the way it looks, I got the idea from a book that I was looking over during class. For the background, I used watercolors and painted it this grayish/faded color because gray often associates with loss or depression. 

Mid-Term Project: Lady in Fabric

For my finished Mid-Term project I decided to continue with the concept of active art or art you can touch and move around. As someone who spends way too much time in fabric stores, I wanted to be able to include different fabrics and different textures so people can feel the art itself. although most of the fabric is quite loose so it can be moved around, certain corners of the fabric had to be glued down for stability. The girl behind the fabrics, in a photo, is me. I wanted to use myself as the model so I would have full control of the poses. The pouch I'm holding was also sewn by me and it includes little cut outs of images representing me, the pouch can be opened by the zipper attached. This work shows a lot of me because mainly it is a photo of me, I did all the embroidery, sewing, and gluing. The small cutouts in the pouch, give a small glimpse of the 'fun facts about me'. One artist who inspired me would be Laurie Heine, who does lots of patchwork art, some including dresses, which I thought were very impressive
One of the main reasons I decided to make this project using fabric, sewing, embroidery is because it has recently become a hobby of mine, that I try to keep up with. It's all something I learned when I was younger, either by myself or from watching my mother sew. I feel This project had a lot to do with my Portuguese side of the family, all the women before my mother were seamstress's, and had careers in the field. My mother although didn't make it a career of hers, she did learn on the sew for clothing and from her, my brother and I carried that information with us. My skills aren't as good as there's, for me it simply gives me something to do.

Mid term- Fearless

Although my midterm project was self created, Peter Clark’s work actually uses a similar technique and has many beautiful collage animals silhouettes made out of unused paper. One of which is titled "Smoked Fish III." 

In class we have discussed and got familiar with the word "Identity" and what it means in a more depth sense. We see through Cindy Sherman's work that identity doesn't necessarily mean being one's literal self, the characters she created herself to be are part of who she is. For my midterm, I tried to focus on the broad topic of identity, and who I am by using one of the words that describe me when we did the Frida Kahlo exercise a couple weeks ago. Visible to the naked eye is a galaxy like background with the Leo constellation on the left corner and selectively picked pictures collage together to form a lion’s head silhouette. The lion for as long as I can remember is always associated with very positive powerful words such as brave, powerful, fearless. 

Associating myself to the word fearless is a bit odd to think about in literal sense because there are a lot of things that I fear; but in a more meaningful sense, I have achieved many big/small milestones and have  people in my life that make me feel fearless. What better way to show that by replacing a lion’s face to my own and it’s mane to be those achievements/loved ones/and even dreams that make me feel fearless. Beginning from the very top of the mane are the dreams I wish to reach in the near future, that being a police officer or continuing my military career full time. I say this as being fearless because in order to really be apart of these groups, you have to be mentally strong and physically capable at all times. Going clockwise, some milestones would be graduating High School and being able to lead as president for the National Honor Society my senior year. I personally believe that these milestones we create in our life time are the ones that keep us going to want to achieve more, but none of that is possible without emotional support. This is why the next section is all about my family and my partner. The support they have provided has always made me feel like I can accomplish anything and nothing or nobody can stop me. It's a great feeling, a fearless feeling. Following that is one of things I am very fortunate of being part of. When I graduated, I knew I wanted to do something other than school, but I also knew I needed a back up plan in case something went terribly wrong. So I decided to enlist into NJ's National Guard to follow my own path but remain in school to have something to lean back on. Going through all that training and having to fend for myself for 7 months really put things into perspective for me at 18 and I've never felt more fearless. The next and last section is also a sense of support, but something I tend to look back at for when I need to remind myself what I am capable of. Starting high school, I was very closed in and reluctant to really speak out. I was fortunate enough to be selected to be in a group that its overall goal was to be the peer mediators of the school. But in doing so it required me to find myself, and really blossom. I don't think I would be so in touch with my emotions and have the mindset I have now if it wasn't for that experience.

But although I might feel on top of the world at times, the reason the background is galaxy like is because space is literally huge and lonesome. A recent issue that I presume to be normal for college students is feeling lost and not really knowing what is to come or what to do. I find myself in that predicament a lot for the last couple years and it’s slowly becoming more of an issue as graduation approaches. 

I really just want to show the viewers a bit about who I am through the very minimal pictures provided because although they are not all pictures of me, every single person or object in the pictures are a part of who I am. Even though I know what the pictures mean , I'm hoping with the lion silhouette and all, that people can grasp what I was trying to portray without a written meaning for it. Creating this poster was a bit challenging in the sense that I didn't know where I was going with it painting wise, since I have never painted but with the use of sponges and acrylic paint, I think it came out better than expected. The figure itself is thick stencil mounted on top for a more “pop” affect.

Midterm - Just Human

For my collage, I decided to include different words and phrases in it. Some are words I consider myself to be or things I find extremely important. I have things such as: health, intelligence, home, and culture. I also added different labels that may not refer to myself but other members of society. I wanted to bring out the fact that we focus A LOT on labels, but at the end of the day I am human, and so is everyone else. There should be equality.  I think words and labels have a lot to do with what we do, they help describe and they help us feel.

I wanted to put together a representation of myself, yet something that people can sort of see themselves in. Since we’re all the same, yet different. I love science, I love the science of evolution and that is the idea behind the fact that we're all the same, DNA wise and anatomy, we're the same species.

I decided to go with a collage, because I think life can be messy. I tend to stress, and when I stress things just get messy. I wanted to do a collage, because I think they're kind of all over the place, yet they're trying to convey one thing. I like the fact that we can make art with words.

I want the viewers to see different parts of life, I included gender, sexual orientation, politics, history, and different motivations that can occur in life. I choose to put the word start at the top because we all start somewhere. How you identify after that, is up to you. But the human and the word 'equal' is at the bottom, because I think it's important to remember we're all human no matter what we are identity is.

The artist that inspired me was Christopher Wool. He makes a lot of art with words, sometimes they’re phrases, and sometimes their single words. They’re interesting to read, because they’re words. They’re pretty transparent, you don’t have to think so far, but at the same time they can have a deeper meaning.

This project represents me because, I like the idea of equality and I think I have never really asked myself the question “Who Am I?”, I only know I’m Katherin. But I can be my intelligence, I can be my home, my health, or my interests. But at the same time, I like when people can relate, that’s why I wanted to create something that not only was me but was human. I am human. 

Midterm-Too Small of a Shell

       For my midterm project I decided to make a collage that did not have a picture of me, instead I decided to use an animal(turtle). Each piece has a different meaning but the main idea was to portray how it feels to move from my home(Puerto Rico). I chose this topic because its an unprecedented event that has made a great impact in my life. At first the contents seem innocent, almost like a kid's drawing of a landscape, but there's more to it.I wanted to use objects so that it could be more interactive but to also make the tangible objects the focus of the project.
      The landscape in the back was taken from a picture I have of Puerto Rico were both coast and country can be observed. I decided to keep this part slightly detailed because it represents simpler times and the mountains as the background because it used to be my past.The palm tree is mostly coconut at the bottom because it represents my roots and how they remain solid. However, going up the palm tree there's a sort of missing piece that represent the disaster that came after Hurricane Maria. Which us the main reason why I moved, also from this point up the rest of the palm leads to what it's become one of my main priorities after moving, which is financial stability. Also it shows how consumerism has made a big impact on me as a person.The water seems heavily disturbed and the colors are meant to symbolize moments of confusion,anxiety,sadness(black) but also happiness and clarity(white)and some gray areas, which are more of an in between. The turtle is in the water which is a representation of me, because that's how I feel my life has become ever since I moved to New Jersey. Also I picked a turtle(tortuga tinglar from Puerto Rico) because I can relate to what they are know for which is a sort of calmness and patience but yet I can find myself in murky waters when I'm too stressed.    
     The idea to use my home was inspired by Ana Mendieta and the way the mountains and water were painted was inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe. Also, the idea to make some of the content in a different material was influenced by Mickalene Thomas. This project represents me because, regardless of where I find myself, I identify myself as a Puerto Rican and acknowledge that I'm heavily influenced by its culture. However, I also wanted to add elements that would also show how living in a different place has changed my point of view of myself and others.

Midterm- We’re All the Same

In my project, I painted the Guatemala flag and the Honduras flag in half. I chose these two countries because this is where the most important people in my life are from. Like you know every country has a their own coat of arms. And instead of drawing their own personal coat of arms, I printed and cut out the faces of those close to me and combined them into one. I put the faces in the center of the white stripes because the white on a flag always represents peace and purity and this is what i feel when I’m around these people. What I mostly want to get out of this is that people see that no matter where we are from or what our culture is, we are all the same people. 2 different artists from Guatemala and Honduras are very much related to this project. Andres curruchich and José Antonio Velazquez both are the most famous artists from their country and their work focuses on the country itself. Curruchich focuses more on the culture and clothing of Guatemala while Velazquez focuses on the one city in Honduras that he fell in love with. Andres Curruchich paintings are on the Guatemalan culture. Having been there a couple times for several weeks, I’ve visited a few important parts of what makes Guatemala up. Andres seems to touch upon all of it. His paintings include exactly how they dress, eat and live. His painting are shown all over a small town, San Juan comalapa, which has since become the centre of Mayan art in Guatemala. José Antonio Velázquez is the most we’ll known Honduran painter. He found his inspiration when he moved to a city called San Antonio de oriente. If you look up his paintings it’s all based on this one city and this compares to my project because I want to focus on that one things that connects us to this Honduran flag. Where you’re from is always gonna be something important to me. And the best way to show it is simply the flag itself. I feel like this project represents me because I always think of the family I have back at home. I’ve visited my country before and I fell in love with everything it had to offer. It became a big part of who I was which is why I put the national flags. 

Happiness Blues

The subject of my image is a mosaic piece which I ended up using glitter pens for coloring each of the tiles inside with. I wanted to use different shades of blue because it has always been a color that bought me joy and represented the ocean which is a place I adore. The reason I added glitter is because I wanted to add something that I loved and was a part of my personality. I feel like the image conveys happiness, I remember when I took the picture I used in this artwork I was having the time of my life. My midterm was inspired by the famous Spanish artist Antoni Gaudi. I took pieces from his artwork in Park Güell which were composed of mosaic stones. As a result, I have made my midterm to look like a mosaic with the different array of shapes. I wanted to color them in blue to represent the color of the water in an ocean. I thought that this connection of the ocean and mosaic tiles were interesting because when someone looks at an individual tile, they are not able to see the larger picture until it is all pieced together. The ocean is connected to all parts of the earth. Being that I want to travel, I identify with the ocean, metaphorically speaking. Similarly, the oceans water is clear, but when water is in an ocean, the other aspects beneath the ocean and reflection of light make it blue. In short, there is a different meaning to things when small parts come together. I also identify with the ocean because it’s the one place where I feel at ease. I love the feeling of the water breeze on me. 

Prepping For Midterm

This is an image I decided to incorporate into my midterm. The stones behind me reminded me of mosaic tiles and how I could put those in the background of my piece. This picture was actually taken in Park Güell so the inspiration for the mosaic tiles came from the artist Gaudi who designed the park. I would be putting his tile work from the park around the image and color them in with glitter pens.

Prepping for Midterm

                           

                                                                                                                                                                    The purpose of my midterm project is to highlight my background and my journey as an immigrant in the USA. I will be headlining touchy subjects that are really important for me. I am going to use alphabetical stickers (inspired by Cindy Sherman) to describe how I feel about my original home (Africa) and my adoptive one (America). I was also inspired by Kehinde Wiley who is a contemporary African american artist. 

Midterm

My mid-term project is inspired by the Greek mythology, Cerberus, often called the "hound of Hades", aka the three headed dogs. My project will have three different heads that represent different types of moods that connect to my body. 

Midterm inspiration

I picked this picture because it's a visual explanation for my midterm. Some of the elements used in the project can be found in this picture. Also the main concept is expressed but with a different subject. Instead of using an animal, I'm the subject of this picture and it's meant to show my reflection in the water. The tone is adapted to the focus of the project.

Mid-Term Ideas/Progress

The attached image is the "in-progress" idea that I chose to create for my midterm project. Ideally the lion's mane will include images of what I believe to be the definition of fearless. These images will consist of accomplishments, loved ones, and aspirations/dreams. The background although might seem minuscule, actually plays a big part in my project. A more in depth explanation will be posted on my next blog with the final results. 

Midterm Self Portrait: 3D Simulation/Virtual World

My collage consists of me being in a simulation or a virtual world. I am the subject of this collage because video games have been a great experience for me. When I was young, I used to not be good at much games (someone who would click random buttons). Today, I have become a master of many games because I continue to practice through hard difficulties. It makes you feel like you are a part of a whole new world full of adventure. This collage contains a drawing of me and a 3D simulation room with images of Sony's Ps4 and Microsoft's Xbox One. I decided to place my drawing onto the simulation to make the image feel more realistic and making me the character of a game. Another reason is for the disappointment of gaming. The console names are on the portrait to explain the disappoint of how video games are now compared to the past. To play a game and get stronger, you use micro-transactions just to speed up the process. This is a problem we are losing money on a game that should be meant for fun. People have lost thousands of dollars just to get fake money in a game and new downloadable content that unlock more maps or activities. Games used to be more complete , but now they are incomplete. I used a pencil to begin creating the 3D simulation hallway and used the black marker on the same areas as the pencil. Then I used a dark blue color pencil to color the walls and black color pencil for the outer part of the simulation. I also used images showing the name of gaming consoles, because without these consoles where would this virtual world be without a console. The point is games can only be played using a gaming consoles which is why they are important. Many people can view this collage as a simulation from a video game or an image full of shapes. The one person who was a great influence of my collage is David Villegas, a digital concept artist based in the Philippines. He specializes in hyper-realistic,stylized illustrations. Villega's ultimate plan is to create his own worlds and stories. His drawing, Dragon Watchers, was inspired by Dark Souls and Game of Thrones, and mixes 3D, photobashing and a lot of painting. He was the reason why I decided to make a 3D drawing and a virtual world for the collage. This represents me as a gamer.

Midterm project

My project will be different portions of 6 people faces that are important to me. This is just the beginning. I’ve only cut the faces and put them together but there is more to be done.

midterm self portrait

In my midterm project, I am trying to describe who I am. Being a recent immigrant from  Egypt, religious, student, mother holding many responsibilities and facing many obstacles. I decided to include all these in my self portrait. I am leaving behind me my home country, my family, my success story where my heart reside and seeking a new life a completely different country with new culture and new goals. My mind is in front of me trying to do many things, but there are many impediments which facing me and trying to prevent me from reaching my goal. However, my dream is to let my mind and my heart return back to me and live happy together after reaching my goal and fighting my fears. I am using collage in my portrait like words, photos and some fabrics.

Midterm Inspired Project Idea

It's still under construction, but I was inspired by Frida Kahlo's portraits. Lady Guadalupe appears in several of her paintings. The Virgin Mary plays a big role in my religion. So far, I have a background down which contains religious music sheets.   

Mid-Term Project inspersation: Samantha D.

My Mid-Term project will be made from a base photo of me with various types of fabrics glued/ sown on to represent my clothes. I will be using different layers of fabrics and yarns to create a collage effect. I like the idea of creating artwork that you can touch and can move around because I feel it makes it feel a bit more personable. I'm focusing on two main types of fabric, a type of cotton fabric and a lacey fabric. The cotton fabric will be used as a top and be also have embroidery designs and fabric roses glued on. The main fabric on the skirt will be the same fabric as the top with a lace overlay (similar to what you can see). Sewing and yarn work runs deep on my mothers Portugues side of the family and has recently become something I have taken an interest in. I want to use this project as a small start to what may become a hobby of mine.

Midterm Inspo

The midterm has to be a collage about myself. I was planning on involving things that reflect who I am and this includes, pictures and words. The mirrors in this picture reflect my physical appearance, but with my midterm self-portrait. Mirrors show who you are physically, but I want to touch on traits and different aspirations/motivations. 

Susan Sontag Quote #2 – Suania Duenas

Susan Sontag Quote – Suania Duenas

“On Photography” by Susan Sontag is an article that illustrates how we perceive reality through “photography” and the role it plays in our lives. A memorable quote from her article is “Finally, the most grandiose result of the photographic enterprise is to give us the sense that we can hold the whole world in our heads -- as an anthology of images”.Photography has the power and ability to mean different things for different people, it creates a controversial world. While some prefer to stay away from the camera, other are rather addicted to it.  Images are used for learning purposes, one can visualize and understand different cultures, animals, and their habitats, we can literally learn about the world. As a result, we feel that we have some kind of power and even control in our hands. In this selfie, I am in a place where I feel happy, free, in power, and in control. As you can see, I am wearing scrubs and I am next to a dental chair. I work in a dental office and I love my job, that’s why I feel in control and with power. I also decided to sit in a nontraditional way because I wanted to break a little the idea of “how women should present themselves”. 

Inspired by Cindy Sherman #1 - Suania Duenas

                                            Inspired by Cindy Sherman - Suania Duenas 

While studying Cindy Sherman’s artistic perspective I was able to notice how incredibly she uses light, mannequins/dolls, and facial expressions to open concepts such as: femininity and identity. Some of her work can be defined as “peculiar”. “Peculiar” because her images can be disturbing. 

            I wanted to create a photograph using some of her techniques/characteristics, as you can see, it is a black and white photograph, I have included a doll, and I am a part of the scene as well. With this image, I wanted to create an unusual atmosphere, since it is not the type of pictures that I normally take. In addition, I was looking to generate an image with a meaning behind it, which is crucial when admiring Sherman’s art. 

             

            This image shows how this game is not going exactly as expected. One of the swings is sideways, one of the tea cups is upside down, I do not look happy, and yet it looks like I am trying to fix the set of tea cup.

            Childhood is an extremely important stage of life. It is the stage where we learn what it is expected from us as members of the society. Often times, we are forced to follow rules and in many cases punished from been “different”- not fitting in. It is expected for girls to play with dolls, that way they will learn how a “nice lady” should act. Creating our own identity and be true to ourselves is not the easiest task for all of us. Many, struggle with it because of people who are narrow-minded.

Selfie # 3

I took this picture because I felt like home. I felt safe and comfortable, the green grass which is part of nature reminds me of the landscape of my hometown.
15 words describing this Pic: Joy, cold, funny, safe, impulsive, late, hurry, dedication, impromptu, nature, courageous, primal, traditional, weather, curiosity.
15 words describing Frida's art: Promiscuity, infertility, sorrow, sexuality, infatuation, fearless, seductive, love, femininity, closure, illness, hopelessness, death, braveness, sensuality.

digital selfie #3

15 words to describe Frida Khalo:                  15 words to describe me:
1. feminity                                                                 Blonde   
2. death                                                                      Portugues
3. birth                                                                       woman
4. pregnancy                                                              beauty
5. identity                                                                   religion
6. culture                                                                    home
7.violance                                                                   emotional
8. fabric                                                                      normal
9. beauty                                                                    fun
10. poetry                                                                   scared
11. family                                                                  family
12. animals                                                                tradition
13. religion                                                                simple
14. flowers                                                                 love
15. animals                                                                 rooster

Vejigante

Frida's art                   My picture
reality                           heart-break
tragedy                          change
fertility                            pain
patriotism                      culture
nature                            identity
origin                             reality
passions                         history
identity                        childhood
womanhood                    time
culture                         patriotism
feelings                         pride   
pain                                past
death                             home
denial                       peacefulness
forgiveness                    love

#3

15 Frida Kahlo Words: 

1. Creative, 2. Symbolic, 3. Spiritual, 4.  Pain, 5. Courageous, 6. Empowering, 7. Death,  8. Truth, 9. Independent, 10. Depressed/Broken, 11. Disturbing, 12. Strong, 13. Cultural, 14. Heartbreak, 15. Charming

15 Jennifer Rosas Words:

1. Creative, 2. Introvert,3. Optimistic, 4. Fun, 5. Cultural, 6. Determined, 7. Colorful, 8. Mysterious, 9. Grouchy, 10. Unique, 11. Altered, 12. Boring, 13. Futuristic, 14. Emotional, 15. Strong

"Two Fridas"

15 Words Describing Frida Kahlo

Death

Empty
Honest
Life
Determine
Hurt

Strong

Colorful

Empowering

Religious

Love

Sexuality

Disturbing

Intelligent

Femininity

15 Words About My Selfie

Empty

Youth

Education 

Expressionless

Mexican 

Dark

Mysterious

Curiosity

Pain

Life

Two Mellanies

Simple

Helplessness

Nature (sky)

Sad

Frida Kahlo Inspired Selfie

15 Words Describing Frida Kahlo 

·      Death

·      Love

·      Pain

·      Lonely

·      Rebirth

·      Life 

·      Heartbreak

·      Emotion

·      Religion

·      Nudity 

·      Mexican

·      Identity

·      Colorful

·      Family

·      Sexual

15 Words for My Selfie  

·      Floral

·      Colorful 

·      Happy

·      Hijab

·      Identity

·      Religion

·      Love

·      Nature

·      Life

·      Beauty

·      Culture

·      Truth

·      Genuine

·      Fun

·      Focused