Behind the Scenes "Through"

Check out this behind the scenes video for my "Through" series

Pushed Through

WAH HOOOO!

It is finals week and I am finally finished with this current series. Though I think that I will actually continue on using other fabrics, because I have absolutely loved this project. I thought it was fun just experimenting with the different fabrics and everything.

So for the finished product I decided to do photo transfers of my favorite prints onto wood. The wood I actually used was darker and rougher so when I did the transfers some of the image pulled up and looked like it was ripped its self and I LOVED IT! Then I went on to take the fabrics that I used cutting them out and folding them over on the images, trying not to cover the image, only cover a small portion on it.

These are the final results (sorry for the images, they were taken with my cell phone)

 

And look for a behind the scenes video coming soon!! 

Almost Finished!

This quarter is almost over, so that means this projects is coming to an end. I decided that due to a lot of the negative feed back I was getting over the images that I had of myself I decided to just go back and re-shoot with those fabrics and use a different model.

I also decided to add two more fabrics to the mix: Lace and Window Screen.

What was so cool about the both of those were the lace has this repeating rose pattern on it so it looks cool to have all of these repeating elements competing with the figure that I was trying to push through it. Then with the window screening because it was metal I was able to bend and crease and move it around the model, very similar to my original inspiration.

I haven't shown these images to class yet so I do not know what their response will be, but I love these new shots!

Let me know what you think!

More Through

I am not as satisfied with these images. I actually went back to photographing myself, and I totally hated it. The feeling was different. I was just being stubborn because everyone was telling me to photograph other people, and I did, and everyone else liked the images but I didn't. Then I go back to shooting myself, and I hate it.

UGH

Story of my life

I also hated using this fabric, I used tulle this time. It made my face feel weird and just wasn't right. Or maybe I was just in a bad mood seeing myself in the images. I don't know

So here are this weeks edition for my series Through

 

Basically...

Through update

I am still currently working on this project. For this portion of the project I actually took myself out persuasion all together. I actually used my boyfriend as a stand in. Because apparently when people who actually know me and see the images that I am making it worries them and hurts them and they apparently put the wrong kind of personal meaning behind it. So technically doing it this way I am still making self-portraits, but its more of the essence of myself, its my ideas so even though I'm using someone as a stand in, it is still a self portrait.

I LOVED these images and the way that they all turned out. This time I used a cheesecloth type fabric. To be honest it was this Halloween decoration that was on sell at Wal-mart, and I though to my self "This is perfect!" 

When I showed these in class I think they had a much stronger impact than the photos that I turned in before

Some of the comments I got were "These are stupid good"

Let me know what you think! 

Through

I have really started to embrace my weirdness. I have always been a weird kid but I never let my "freak flag fly" especially with my art work. But here lately now that I am finally making life decisions  I have let my inner fine art work, that just sits around in my brain, out. 

I have also started to really get inspired by surrealistic art work, especially painting and sculpture. So, I started looking for inspiration for a new portfolio piece, and I stumbled upon Maurice Henry's sculpture "Eurydice's Crossing". In the sculpture there was fabric that had been folded and creased all over with large round flat spots in various places. But in the top right hand corner there was a face pushing through the sculpture.

I automatically related it to myself. Thinking about the struggles it takes to get through life. And I, being someone who has dealt with a lot of depression and anxiety issues I know exactly what that is like. So I started working on my own interpretation  of this work. The series will be mostly self portraits, maybe some models, pushing through and possible breaking through different types of fabric like cotton, foil, plastic, etc. 

This is my first test shoot that I have done so far. I haven't built a frame yet but I used a whole bunch of push pins, and a frosted shower curtain and wrapped it around my bathroom door frame, leaving one corner loose. I would then put myself behind the curtain and push my way through using the timer on my camera to release the shutter. 

So far I am loving the results and I am extremely excited to keep working on this project further.

ENJOY! :)

Blank

For the past 9 weeks I have been working on this on going project for my special topics class. I have very much enjoyed working on this project, and it is my favorite project to date. It all started out with me being extremely interested in surreal art. The definition of surreal is: having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic. So I dug deep into my brain, and pulled out something weird and freaky, but personal at the same time

I have always been extremely insecure, especially when it comes to my face. And most of that comes from when I was growing up certain members of my family would always put me down, and I never felt good enough for them. But as I got older and grew into some more confidence, I started looking at my face and tried to find the one thing that I did like about it. And that happened to be my lips. I hold a lot of my emotions in my lips, when I'm sad, when I'm happy, and when I'm just being my kooky self. 

So for this project I took those two ideas in mind. I started taking portraits of people and taking them into Photoshop and editing off their eyes, and nose leaving their mouths alone. When ever people look at a photograph of a person, they automatically go to the eyes, and my images, the eyes are completely eliminated. And the results were this

The Story of Pepe

Several quarters ago in one of my classes I was given an object and I had to photograph the object and give it a personally, I was given a glass, and hence forth the glass was called PePe and this is his story.

This is Pepe

He is a Glass half-full kind of Guy

Pepe is a ladies man

But his heart beats for one girl, Sasha

Him and Sasha get married and have a beautiful baby, Raul

Pepe has a deep dark secret, and a hatred for ceramics

Pepe, had a tall handsome brother, Juan. Whom he was always jelaous of

Juan and Sasha run away together

Pepe is extremely upset about it

Now Pepe lives his life as a single parent taking care of Baby Raul

The End

Now I know that the photos aren't the best, I mean come on it was quarters ago, But I loved doing this project. I had so much fun making this story and making these photographs.



Inked

So I don't know why but I have always loved tattoos
Tattoos on men
Tattoos on women
Arm Tattoos
Leg tattoos
Chest Tattoos
I just love tattoos. There is no real connection to it either. None of my family members before me even considered getting a tattoo. To them it was strictly taboo or unprofessional. But they all really wanted one but they just never committed to it.
So 4 years ago I was going through a really tough time, my grandpa had just died and I was not handling it well. So I just jungle trotted myself down to the tattoo shop and got my first tattoo
I wanted to feel something other than just the emotional pain that I was overwhelmed with, so I settled for actual physical pain.
I have always loved all things nautical, I mean hey I want to be a mermaid. So I started off with the Anchor on my ribs

The guy said it would take 2 hours because it would hurt so bad and I would want a lot of breaks. So needless to say I freaked out. But 45 minutes later my tattoo is done and I barely felt a thing.
And I have been hooked ever since.
Getting the Dandelion next, only 6 months later

But then I waited a whole 2 years before I got my next one

The Owl

And then finally my most recent, my most fresh, my most awesome

The Gypsy

Dear Lord I love this tattoo

It was done my Stacy Smith at Anything Possible Tattoo studio in Mooresville North Carolina

I went in with a completely different drawing and she turned it into this beautiful piece

and the best part was that She was even more excited than I was just to be doing the tattoo

she loved it so much that shes putting it into her portfolio

Now everyone always ask what about when you get older, or want a job, or blah blah blah

and I literally do not care.

I am an artist and art is what I want to be doing for the rest of my life

And I want to be surrounded by art constantly so here it is, its right there on my body with me all the time

I will get tattoos until I cant anymore

And I will love every minute of it

And I will be the badass grandma who is covered in tattoos that everyone will love