Rising

More photos taken for potential Pointillism and Scratch-board material. They were made monochromatic in Photoshop, then had their contrast lowered to make the value more dramatic.

Rising, photo taken with phone and edited in Photoshop.

Gargoyle, photo taken with phone and edited in Photoshop.

Pull apart, photo taken with phone and edited in Photoshop.

"The bat as a totem animal is a symbol representative of transition and rebirth. A bat appearing in your life could mean that some aspect of your life is coming to an end, and rather than fear the change, you should embrace the transition and look forward to some kind of new beginning. It's a time for serious self-examination and self-evaluation. This may sound easy to do, but for most people change is a frightening experience. Bat’s appearance is there to help you soar above your fears by getting rid of those things in your life that are no longer needed. Only by facing the darkness of your uncertainties can you progress and find light in new beginnings."
—George Knowles

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Guardian Lions

I apologize for all the photographs recently! There will be more traditional things soon—in fact I took these as potential material to do my pointillism or scratch board assignment on! While I liked my other photographs, just in case I had photos too similar to other students I'll have something different on hand. If these statues look familiar, it's probably because you saw them outside of a Chinese Restaurant.

The Nurturer, photo taken with my phone, edited in Photoshop.

The Protector, photo taken with my phone, edited in Photoshop.

"The guardian lions  are always presented in pairs, a manifestation of yin and yang, the female representing yin and the male yang. The male lion has its right front paw on an embroidered ball called a "xiù qiú" (绣球), which is sometimes carved with a geometric pattern resembling the figure called "Flower of Life" in the New Age movement. The female is essentially identical, but has a cub under the closer (left) paw to the male, representing the cycle of life. Symbolically, the female fu lion protects those dwelling inside, while the male guards the structure. Sometimes the female has her mouth closed, and the male open. This symbolizes the enunciation of the sacred word "om". However, Japanese adaptions state that the male is inhaling, representing life, while the female exhales, representing death."

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The Rake

More photographs based on playing with light. These were also edited in Photoshop.

Grab on, photo taken with Ipad, edited in Photoshop.

The Rake, photo taken with Ipad, edited in Photoshop

The Rake (Alternate), photo taken with Ipad, edited in Photoshop.

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Gnarled, photo taken with Ipad, edited in Photoshop.

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Maintain

These were photographs taken with an Ipad, and edited in Photoshop in class. We were playing with lighting! With Photoshop express, I turned many of these photos Monochromatic and lowered the contrast for mood and to make the value more dramatic.

Preservation, photo taken with Ipad, edited in Photoshop. 

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Maintain, photo taken with Ipad, edited in Photoshop.

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 The Charge, photo taken with Ipad, edited in Photoshop.

Grip,  photo taken with Ipad, edited in Photoshop.

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Creeping, photo taken with Ipad, edited in Photoshop.

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Virtual Forest

    A piece done using geometric shapes and some line! It made me think of an artificial forest, hence the name. It all looked very tech-y, and the "sun rays" reminded me of circuits, while the 'trees' looked block-y and artificial, gleaming under the suns light. This one was done while playing in the DecoSketch App on the Ipad.

    This is a rather flat and simple piece with no 3D sense of space, but I think it has enough variety in shapes and color to keep it from being too boring. The sun would probably be the focal point, as it has the brightest intensity on this piece. Even still, it has balance as no one part of the artwork overpowers the other side. 

I overall like this one! It's simple, but that's okay. 

Virtual Forest,  made on the DecoSketch app on an Ipad.

Alternate Version Without Lights:

Virtual Forest,  made on the DecoSketch app on an Ipad.

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Under the Sea into the Sky

     This piece was made with Styrofoam plates, permanent marker and Acrylic on Wood, then given black borders in PaintTool Sai. It was one of our first projects! We initially started out by doing organic paintings on the Styrofoam plates, and then were allowed to cut them into whatever patterns we chose. The color reminded me of cloudy nebulas seen in our universe. I decided to go with a space and ocean theme, since we actually know more about space than our deepest oceans and some sea creatures are definitely comparable to alien life. I actually saw an 'eye' of an octopus on one plate, which is what I turned it into! The magenta colored 'nebulas' could also be seen as ink being swept up by the octopus. Then what could be seen as comets with tails, I turned into jelly fish figures. The other pieces (like the UFO) were for fun, really.

I did my best to add movement to this piece, by making it appear the figures were riding on the swirly textured vortexes painted onto the wood in the background. I think the octopus is probably the main focal point, as it has several bright blotches of white and more vibrant colors—as well as being largely proportional to the rest of the figures on the wood. The octopus, jelly fish and shark have line within their shapes to add further detail.

I liked how this piece turned out for a first project, although If I were to change anything, it would be adding a little bit more value below the space where the jelly fish are, to balance the piece out.

 Under the Sea into the Sky, Acrylic, mixed media on wood

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"The deepest oceans and the farthest reaches of space remain unseen and unexplored by humankind. In that aspect, both are quite similar—and possibly teaming with alien life."

Detail Shots:

 

 The Great Camouflage

 Jelly Fish or Falling Stars?

The Run Away

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