True Character

1. What is the subject of your image?

- The subject of my image is to show my characteristics and the way I would like to present my self in front of others.

2. What is the content of your image?

- My image consists of various images, such as the Ocean wave, Snow Mountains, Words, and a Car Image. It is all connected in a precise manner.

3. Why did you make the choices that led to this composition?

- These choices were made because I want to show my true self to everyone I know so that whatever you see on the outside it is the same on the inside. The words I used, Loving, Trusting, Fortitude, and Adaptive are words that accumulate who I am and what I would define as a good human being. 

4. What do you think this image conveys to the viewers?

-I would think that the viewers may believe that this picture is an abstract photo that contains words and images to show what a person should be and also if one looks carefully the Ocean wave and the snow mountains blending with one another would signify a profound meaning. 

5. What artists have influenced your self portrait?

- The artist I find that influenced my self portrait is Norman Rockwell. He is an American Artist and he is famous for "Saturday Evening Post Covers" and on the front page he has a self portrait of him labeled "Triple'Self Portrait" and even though I did not do a triple self portrait I decided to do a Double Self Portrait.  

6. What techniques have you used to create your image?

-There were two softwares I used to create my image, number 1 was an app on the Apple Store named "Photo Lab" and I used that for blending because it was much quicker and easier and number 2 was Photoshop for Mac and I used that to add the words and other images. 

7. Why and how does this project represent you?

- This project represents me the way my friends, family and most peers view me as. I would like to point out that the Image all the way on the left is an image of me with long hair and I was at a wedding of my cousins and then the word "Adaptive" is between that image and the Image in the middle which shows me in short hair and I would like to say that I am adaptable to any rational situation. In the image in the middle, I have my fists together and the word fortitude is right next to it and I would like to view myself as a courageous person and some one who can withstand any obstacle that comes my way. The Ocean Wave was blended with the Snow Mountain because I want to depict that the ocean is a deep entity and that I want to show that I too am a deep and profound individual. 

Group 2 Project

Surrealism 
Presentation by Dip Patel and Alyssa Duke

Definition of Surrealism: a 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature that sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images.

Artists to refer back to:

Eugenia Loli
Collage artist Eugenia Loli uses photography scanned from vintage magazines and science publications to create bizarre visual narratives that borrow from aspects of pop art, dada, and traditional surrealism She previously worked as a nurse, a computer programmer, and as a technology journalist, but has only recently found a calling in collage work with publication in numerous magazines since 2013.

Ignacio Nazabal
Famous painter from Havana, Cuba who left his job as a biologist to devote himself to painting. His classical surrealism draws on Magritte and Dali. He also draws on the late 16th century painter Arcimboldo's device for the figuring of heads and bodies using piled up objects. Nazábal particularly likes to use butterflies and fruits.

Salvador Dali
A Spanish artist and Surrealist icon, Salvador Dali began his surrealist phase when he started interacting with artists such as Picasso, Magritte and Miro.  From an early age, Dalí was encouraged to practice his art and would eventually go on to study at an academy in Madrid.

Vladimir Kush

Known as the Russian Dali, Vladmir Kush is a Russian born artist that seeks to have his audience see the world differently. His work is in fact inspired by the works of Salvador Dali.

-Leonora Carrington

-Paul Klee

-Marc Chagall






References:

1. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/surrealism
2. http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/10/surreal-collages-by-eugenia-loli/
3. http://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2012/03/jorge-ignacio-nazabal-1962-surrealist.html
4. https://www.biography.com/people/salvador-dal-40389
5. http://artinrussia.org/russian-salvador-dali/

Half of me

This image I have named Half of me. When thinking about ideas of what my portrait should look like and be I wanted to express who I've become as an individual now. The subject of the image is legit half of me in a drawing I attempted to look some what of myself. The content involved in the image includes myself, roses, crumbled paper, bright colors, and little phrases/writings that describe the things I enjoy. When choosing how to compose this image I had no idea where to start and what my ideas would lead to. My inspirations for this were Mustard and Frida Kahlo because of how there work draws me in. With Mustard it was the simplicity but full of color art that makes me gaze for a while to really think about what is going on. Frida because of the embrace in culture she had with her country and how she kept her look traditional. Growing up I was and am still very proud of my culture and what my traditions are. Breaking down my image it starts off with a crown portraying the queen that I choose to be in a way of knowing my worth. The roses outlining my body show symbolism as to emotional connection I have had with someone who was in my life and the feeling of their presence still being with me. The colors demonstrates the light and brightness I welcome into my life. The paper being crumbled and laying over my face and body is to interpret how people only see what I allow them to see and know about me. I grew up to be a very to myself type of person and intimidated by my own thoughts. I always say you know of me but you don't know me. Referring back that is why I chose that title and was the idea I wanted to convey across to viewers. This is a big representation of who I am and how I'm still a very sheltered person because I see the value in myself and the secret me not many know.

Swag Human Body

Swag Human Body

What is the subject of your image?

The subject of my image is me expressing the fashion I would like to wear and how it may correlate to us as humans.

What is the content of your image?

A bunch of hot, new, pricy swag on a old picture of a drawing of the nervous system of the human body.

 Why did you make the choices that led to this composition?

I wanted to express the fashion I like and contrast it towards the human body.  The human body is very important to me because it is life and I believe everything in life should be amazing for everyone. I want to help make the world the best place ever.  

What do you think this image conveys to the viewers?

I believe the viewers may see a bunch of new fashion placed on the human body, but they may question what is the purpose of the human body.

What artists have influenced your self portrait?

Ana Mendieta is a big artist that have influenced me to make this collage. I could not stop thinking of her self portraits and her other works and how she must have felt during her time.  Other artists that influenced me is Vincent Van Gogh and Picasso because I always think of how interesting their art is and how it was made.

What techniques have you used to create your image?

I just used Photoshop and I resized the images and used the layers.

Why and how does this project represent you?

You can tell this project represents me because of the fashion. The fashion I picked is my favorite fashion.

Color Kid

The self portrait I name was color kid. The word color kid mean more to me then what people think about the word. Color kid mean to me a black kid who more then just one skin color but different and colorful in is future and proud who he is. When think about ideas for my self portrait, I was trying to connect in my own ways about myself. That why I decided to draw the other side of my self portrait because when I was young and still now I enjoy drawings cartoons often and watching them as well. So the other side of my self portrait was a printed half image of me. The image didn't came out so great but I had play around with Photoshop to remove and fix some of the pixels and try to let good friend help me but she didn't do much work on it.My first idea for the printed image of me was going be in color. However, I have change my idea to black and white because to show less pixels and to connect with color kid concept.  The black and white theme connect to kid color because back in the day during my grandma time in the south black people where name color and other minorities as well. Color signs was mostly everywhere like color bathroom, we sever color people, color movie theater, and even more to separate from the white people. So the black and white theme for me seems like back in the day in the south felt black and white and grey because of the separation of some skin color. The other side of my self portrait was to express and show the word color mean more then just a skin color but a rainbow. In my self portrait there where some items that descried me, people who care about and love, and myself as well. The three items drew in my self portrait was a road sign, Chicago cubs jersey, and pride flag. The road sign said  New Orleans 929 miles, reason include that because originally from New Orleans but raised in Chicago and Milwaukee. That why include the Chicago cubs jersey because I was raised there. The last item was the rainbow flag because I go to pride fest and proud who I am. The characters I include in my self portrait was my self and half of the people who I care about and love drawing them from actual photos. The artist that influence me to create my self portrait in this way was Mickalene Thomas and Frida Kahlo. With  Mickalene she influence me to draw the images from my photos because she had took pictures of her self portrait and drew them as well. So with Frida she influence me to make a collage in way, to draw the face with out eyes, and to include my homeland. Frida mad her self portrait in some way a collage, different drawings, and including her home land. This self portrait project I create was something that represent me because Im color kid with a proud culture and proud who I love with love wins. 

Atlantic               City

       ^HAPPY

I chose to do my midterm project on Atlantic city because that's my home, my happy place. I chose to 

make a collage with pictures of my friends,myself, my old house, and other things in Atlantic city. I decided to use melted crayons because it was something different and I thought it would be a good thing to use, even though it was a little messy. All the pictures that is glued together under the melted crayons are the things that make me feel at home. The three pictures in the corner are the places where I feel out of place or somewhere I will never consider my home. I was born and raised in Atlantic city. Everything I love is all back in Atlantic City and recently I had to leave everything. Last month I had to move to River dale,Georgia but while my family was moving there I was moving back to Jersey City at NJCU.  I never imagine moving out from Atlantic city , well out of Jersey. With all the new changes in my life that happen these pass months , I will never forget where I came from and who was always there to make me feel at home . No matter where I move Atlantic City will always be my home and happy place.  

"Representation of Me, Myself and I"

What is the subject of your image?

The subject of my image would be the "Representation of Richard".

Everything in this image has to do with something that I enjoy.

 What is the content of your image?

The content of image is me, myself and I. The items has great significances.

Why did you make the choices that led to the composition?

Everything in this image has a meaning, The shoe box lets the audience know that I am into Jordan and any types of sneaker. The Footlocker shopping  bag stand for my place employment, also if you noticed there is a "Kids" in front of "Foot" that represents the different branches (Footaction, Champs, Kids Footlocker, Six02 etc.) with in the Footlocker Inc. Then on the bag there is different theme on the top left is, "Athletics" it tells the audience I like Nike, ADIDAS and Jordan. The bottom left stands for always be alert any let your guard down. Trust me if you close your eyes for one second someone will try to stab you in the back. Lastly, the pants on the footlocker logo and the bottom right stands for unique. No one in the world is normal. Everyone has their unique flavor. 

What do you think this image conveys to the viewers?

The message I am trying to convey will be: Uniqueness, Representation and the over all objective is that once a classmate or audience looks at this image they will know a little more about me by just looking at the picture.

What artists have influenced your self portrait?

The artist that influenced my self- portrait was Mickalene Thomas, after learning about her from one of the presentations her portraits always had a lot going on. When I look at here portrait I just do not know where to look first. 

What techniques have you used to create your self portrait?

The technique I used was more of a messy route, beacuse in life majority of the things in life that is thrown at you is never prefect and pretty. Most of the time you will need to take matters into your own hand, so if that means start from scratch then so be it.

• Why and how does this project represent you?

Everything in this image has todo with something in my life. Ever single item that is placed in the image has significance in my life.

Growing Up

The subject of my image is myself, and I had chosen to create a gif to demonstrate the transformation from when I was younger till today. The content of my gif consists of school portraits from 1st grade to senior year of high school, these photos were then combined together in which I used a cross-fading technique. The way in which I had created this gif was I aligned the features of my face, meaning I marked where my eyes, nose and eyebrows were at every photo. After I had marked all the features of my face that is when I used the cross-fading technique in which I faded every photo into other ones. Essentially, my plan was to cut out one strip of my school portrait at every year and slowly combine them together to show my face with multiple versions of my face then. Although that plan did not necessarily turn out the way I had hoped, I then decided to reevaluate my idea. At the end, I came to the final decision of creating a gif in which showcased my younger self morphing to my future self. Through my gif I wanted to show how my identity has evolved and combined together through the years and has made me the person I am today. 

Within Myself

• What is the subject of your image?

The subject is all about me to give viewers an understanding of what and who I am within myself. 

• What is the content of your image?

The content of the image is my head opened up and all the words around it are things that have to do with me. These words include my values, things I like, things about me, my characteristics, and quotes I like to live by. There are also pictures that represent some of the words.

• Why did you make the choices that led to the composition?

There were pictures of works of other artists that I remember seeing of collages that were similar but not quite the same. I didn't want to do a silhouette since that is what a lot of self-portrait collages are based on, but something else. When I decided on the words, I wanted a variety of things, not just one specific category. For example, I included words of things that I value, such as family and friends, and also characteristics that describe me, like ambitious and determined.

• What do you think this image conveys to the viewers?

I think the image conveys an idea to viewers of who I am through different words. It will show viewers what I'm made of in a way.

• What artists have influenced your self portrait?

An artist that influenced the way I did my background is Phebe Shmidt because of her use of bright backgrounds to make her photos stand out. Therefore, I painted the board a light blue and then put a darker image on top of it, which is of myself, to have it stand out.

Another artist that influenced my work is Laurindo Feliciano. He has very surreal pictures and then I saw a picture of his that was a portrait of a man with his  head open similar to my portrait, but with objects in between, such as flowers. This led me to think about another, but similar way I can compile my project.

• What techniques have you used to create your self portrait?

I used a matte blue paint to paint the board. I then printed a portrait of my head on glossy paper and to resize it to try and make it life-sized. After cutting and pasting my head, in between and around the board, I cut and pasted a list of words and quotes that I had compiled about myself. The words were done in two diferent fonts. Some words are also in a larger font size, which showed they really mean something.

• Why and how does this project represent you?

The project is literally all about me, from my values, to my qualities, to my interests, it gives viewers a general idea about me as a whole. It represents me because the words I chose are specifically about me, if someone wanted to recreate my project, their words would most likely not match what I have.

"Who is She?"

I was very hesitant about using this as my midterm project, but this is the one idea I worked on that seems to show how I truly would like to express myself. I know the project was to make a self portrait, but I figured it might be interesting to show myself in a portrait in a way people might view me through their eyes.

I decided to use softballs as a big part of this because it was and still is a big part of my life.  It helped out a lot that softballs have a bold neon color because it is one thing in this picture I wanted people  to pay a lot of attention to.  Since about the age of 6 all I can remember is batting practice and lessons, and that is one part of me I am extremely proud of. I also added eye black to my face that I got from the cover of a sports magazine to show that although i have on a face full of makeup, sports is a big part of my life as well.  I didn't want to completely cover the back in softballs to show that I do in fact spend most of my time and money in makeup stores.  The original photo I had on a black shirt, and i used the logos of makeup stores to cover it to show that is a part of me.  I then added a beauty pageant sash across me. Some of my family members wanted to push me to be in pageants when i was younger, but I was never into it because of insecurities such as my smile, which is why I covered my actual mouth from the photo with a mouth that has straight pearly white teeth.

This image may catch the attention of a lot of viewers because at first glance it might look like a normal photo, but once you actually look at it you see the changes that were made. Frida Kahlo inspired me to make my collage this way because in a lot of her portraits, her background catches my attention more than anything else and that's what is wanted for mine.  Once I see something out of the ordinary in her paintings it made me want to look into depth of everything else she had in the picture.
I was happy that I got to use modern technology to create this project although this wasn't my original plan I used snap chat as an edit, but fro most of it I used a Photoshop app to add more detail and enhance the colors in the picture.

Who am I?

In This Collage, I tried to show my emotions of coming to America. Seeing that I didn't want to come here I went through a lot. I'm a very patriotic person so I taught what better way to make a self-portrait than to include where I'm from. The two flags merging represents the two different personalities that I have, my American personality and my Trinidadian personality. Each item in the collage represents the emotion I felt of being here for the first time. I also decided to put one item that  I LOVE most about each country. A carnival costume for Trinidad because it's my favorite holiday over there, and I put a question mark for America because I don't know what I love most about America that Trinidad does not have. Don't get me wrong I still love America but like I said I'm patriotic so no matter what nothing is going to beat my love for Trinidad &Tobago.
From this post the message that I would viewers to take is "This is the real me" everything that I am revolves around the fact that I am an immigrant. This portrait is photoshopped, using it for the first time I actually felt comfortable with it. It might not be perfect but I believe it is presentable for a first time user. Inspiration came from Frida Khalo. I can honestly say that the meaning of my portrait is similar to Frida Khalo's, her self portrait was all about her emotions and how she felt through her life.
I'm mine I talked about my emotions leaving Trinidad and Living in America, and how it affected my life.

The conflict

• What is the subject of your image?

-The subject of my image is myself. There are two versions of myself. The one on the left is my present self, while the image on the right in a broken, older version of myself. 

• What is the content of your image?

-The content of my image is yet again myself, because I want to show that this is me, This is what you are getting and when you ask me to describe myself this is my reply. Meaning that, I am self love. I am confident, and with my confidence I have the ability to do anything, be anything I choose to be, wear whatever I please, love whoever I choose to, defend what I believe in, and so on. With the ability to be whole again.

• Why did you make the choices that led to the composition?

- I drew my eyes black with the words,"I am self love" because I wanted to make a statement that now I see my self worth. The only thing I see is my self worth and my self love. With that I believe I can make a change, and enjoy life to the fullest. My mouth is wide open to show that my mouth will not stay shut. I will open my mouth, so that you will hear what I have to say. Regardless you are not going anywhere until you hear me and I will make you hear me. I will fight for my rights, I will defend myself. As for the glass shattered pieces, I made that concept to allow the viewers to question who is that or what is that. The shattered glass pieces is what I view as my old self. Before I did not have the strength to believe in myself. I felt like I was dangerous to others cause I was this huge ball of sadness and negativity. If you got too close you would get hurt. I also decided to twist that and add the, "you need me" because sometimes there are moments where a bit of doubt can come my way, however that doesn't stop me from being okay with that because with the way things are going in this awful world that we live in, it can be quite understanding for anyone or someone even so positive to get upset. In my head, I just seen it as someone taunting you. Last but not least, the box. The box says "see you later," this pairs along with the taunting line I created "you need me." When in reality I don't need you. I don't need that negativity. 

• What do you think this image conveys to the viewers?

-What I hope this image conveys to the viewers would be hope, strength, and confidence. Things will eventually get better. They might see anger, a conflict between the present self and past self. Self defense, courage, confusion, etc. 

• What artists have influenced your self portrait?

-Leonora Carrington influenced my self image project.

• What techniques have you used to create your self portrait?

-I used rubber bands to create my curly hair, a broken CD painted with red blood to display a broken version of myself, acrylic paint to add some color of pop and boldness.

I N N A R D S

  I wanted to make a piece that represented how I am currently feeling about my self and my own thoughts. I wanted to push my comfort level in making something that was more sculptural and interactive. The box is supposed to represent my body. On the outside are magazines that were glued on and scraped off, to represent a reinvention. Currently I feel that the way I present myself is changing now that I'm becoming more focused on the inside, reconstructing an outside that would feel more genuine.

The inside of the box are the innards of the body. Ideas and feelings are blossoming. The "monster flower" is the heart of the "body". It is a pure raw emotion that yells instead of speaking. This part of the body is detachable and the view just takes it for what it is. The inside of the "body" is  lined with red paper. The flowers and leaves are silk painted over with fabric paint. The monster mouth is made from air dry clay that was painted over. I was inspired by the artist Alexa Meade . She's a photographer that paints on her models to make them look like living paintings. I wanted to make the innards similar to my watercolor paintings. (Bottom picture is one of mine). I wanted to put a contrast between the inside of the box and the outside. There are these lively ideas and feelings blossoming and growing and the outside doesn't show it. The idea is that it will soon.

"I am Woman"

In my self portrait I am naked to show my vulnerability to the world and I am covered in blood to represent my menstrual cycle. I use a lot of purple in my project because my favorite color is purple and representing my head is a butterfly. I have a butterfly tattoo and I consider a butterfly to be my spirt animal so I found it to be a good substitute for my head.

Two artists by the name Nancy Spero and Mary Beth Edelson inspired me in my collage. These two artist are major feminist artists who express themselves through their artwork. I admired the way Spero uses simple silhouettes and the way Edelson uses objects in place of heads. Along with my drawing are a few powerful words which say, "Yes I am a woman. Yes I get my period. No it does not make me inferior. It makes me stronger." These words come to my mind when I think of myself and what I believe in. I am strongly for women's rights and am pro-feminism. I am tired of women being treated differently than a man just because they get their period and men do not. In my opinion, men and woman are equal.

Group 1 Project: Women and Identity

Presentation by: Yvette Reynoso, Ernest Lassiter,  Candice M Fernandez

These female artists make comments through their artwork on the "male gaze". How we as a people are portrayed in the media. They take this view and either poke fun, criticize, challenge, or even embrace it. Each artist use their voice to comment how women and even men are portrayed in the media.

First here are some definitions to refer back to:

• Gaze - Refers to the way an audience views the people presented
• Male Gaze - The theory that all pictures of females are meant for the pleasure of men. Degrades women and compares them to objects
• Female Gaze - Creates a more inclusive, feminist vision that allows women o be seen as fully human beings. 

Pheobe Schmidt is an Australian photographer, who criticizes how we view images in the media. Her work adds both elements of desire and disgust. Her models are meant to be neither dead or alive, just objects.

Leah Schrager is a photographer who takes the idea of the male gaze and embraces it. She explores this idea by taking erotic pictures and manipulating them, taking ownership of her body. She challenges views on censorship and what is categorized as art versus porn. She also has online personas called "ONA" where she does the art celebrity thing and naked therapy.

Cindy Sherman is a photographer that takes pictures of herself as various different characters to comment on how we are viewed by society. Using wigs, prosthetic, and various costumes she can transform herself into anything. Some of her most popular works are centerfolds of women who appear to have been victims of an assault, in contrast to playboy centerfolds.

Mickalene Thomas is a painter who depicts powerful women in her work such as, her mother, celebrities, other iconic figures. Her work explores what is defined as beauty by using references from art history combined with contemporary culture. She uses a veriety of materials such as acrylic, enamel, rhinestones, and patterns in her work.

Zanele Muholi is a visual activist from South Africa . Her photographs depict men and women from the LGBT community. Her photos are a means to bring awareness to the LGBT community in South Africa, that is other wise ignored and looked down upon. She challenges the cultural norms and has been considered very contreversal.

Reference Links:

• www.manrepeller.com/2016/09/male-gaze-definition.html
• phebeschmidt.com
• www.ignant.com/2014/08/22/candy-colored-photography-by-phebe-schmidt/
• http://www.thisisjunk.com/phebe-schmidt
• http://www.cindysherman.com
• https://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2012/cindysherman/#/0/
• http://www.theartstory.org/artist-sherman-cindy.htm 
• http://www.leahschrager.com/
• https://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamlehrer/2017/04/25/artist-leah-schrager-proliferates-sex-positive-feminist-selfies-through-social-media/&refURL=https://www.google.com/&referrer=https://www.google.com/
• https://www.artsy.net/artist/zanele-muholi/works?medium=photography
• https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/jul/14/zanele-muholi-365-protest-photographs
• http://mickalenethomas.com/gallery.html

    

"Home is not a place, It's a feeling"

Sam Caruso.

Home. 

Home is where I lay on top of.

Home still wants me there even when there is crust in my eyes, dried drool around the corners of my mouth and prickly hairs pointing in odd angles.

Home still opens the door for me.

Home and I don't know know such a thing as worry, but I have seen home at its destruction and home has seen me in mine.

Home knows the kind of tea I like and what mug to pour it into.

Home knows the right kind of lighting I prefer when I read poems.

Home knows the right temperature.

Home knows I like my windows open but not my closet door, cause in my old home opening closet doors and coming out got you kicked out. 

Home knows not to wrinkle my sheets but to place itself nicely the way I 
was placed into home's heart. 

Home is safe. Home is Comfort. 

Home is joy, peace, and all the other     
wonderful things.

Home is a place I never want to leave.

Born and Raised

Safe Haven

I chose these images based on what home is to me and my comfort. I grew up on the island of Puerto Rico and the relationship I've always had with my family has been over everything.

"It takes a Village"

These two photos come across to me as "home" because I was raised by a single mother with the help of family, especially my god mother.

"Home is where the heart is"

Mood Board

This is the board I have in my room with the mirror that I do my makeup in every day. For the past few years I have never felt that I really had a physical place I could call home, however I always have keepsakes. I am the type of person that has knick knacks, that keeps every holiday card, and saves movie stubs of important days. My board is filed with these little trinkets from different memories of my life. Every once in a while I would rearrange it, but it mostly stays the same. This to me is home. All of the happy memories and mementoes of family (and friends that are way more than friends to me) and quotes that inspire me. Each thing on this board really is a memory that I keep and to me this is home. A place with people you love and care about that has rich memory. 

"COMFORT"

Papa and I

To me, home is not a physical place. Ever since I was a little girl I have always spent most of my time at my grandparents house. My grandpa is the person who I feel closest to in the family. I look up to grandpa and admire him. He has always been there for me and I am very grateful to have him in my life. To me home is where your loved ones are.

All about Me!

Shooting in the Gym

Workaholic 

LOML