midterm

• What is the subject of your image?

I am the subject of my image. I used a clay mini sculpture to depict myself and how I believe the inside of my mind looks during a particular moment in my life. 

• What is the content of your image?

In the image there is a cardboard shoe box, a sculpture, acrylic paint, tape, and glitter glue *as rain*.

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

The choices that led me here were made up by closely observing the things around me -- as well as winging it. Which is a lot like how I live my life. For example, the head being detached was not something I originally wanted. But I left the head off because it was too heavy for the sculpture. After much reflection, I felt thing was so fitting for me and i left it. I literally lose my mind about once a week, and I felt like that was a funny way to show that. The colors chosen were colors I came up with when I was asked what color I was feeling as a form of therapy. They all represent a mood or feeling. 

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

To the viewers i feel like it would take a lot more explaining than i would like for them to understand but that’s ok. I feel like a lot of it could be open to interpretation, because that’s how people are anyways. I feel like this project is exactly me. People want to inquire about it, and don't understand it, until explanation- then it all makes sense. I hope this piece conveys confusion, nostalgia, youth in a sense of amateurism. I also just hope it makes people think and reflect about their feelings and the way they can associate something to that emotion, like a color maybe. 

• What artists have influenced your self portrait?

Basquiat influences me in the sense that he just had so much going on in the background and in his mind when he did create his art, that often times it did need explaining. I liked the way he used little patches of color to express certain thoughts or emotions. I tried to do the same thing as well. 

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

I used molding- with molding clay. 

Drawing and sculpting. 

painting

• Why and how does this project represent you?

Every single thing in this project means something about me. 

Sculpture- me

Tape- me trying to hold my life together

Rain - weather that reps emotions- how I feel mentally sometimes

colors - Rainbow - emotions. (scared, calm, happy, boundaries, thoughtful, lighthearted) 

Shoebox- a (my) bruised mind 

Stand- represents finding ways to make it work. 

Midterm

The subject of my image is origins and background. I wanted to use my parents as a influence of my self portrait.

The content of my image is a flag as well as a painting. The flag represents my ethnicity and my painting signifies my religion and love I have for art and creativity. This image conveys my religion, my fathers influence in my creative world and my country. I was there when he created it. Basquiat influenced me in the way his painting had his descents. What techniques have I used, Like Picasso said great artists steal they do not copy. This project represents me because its what you see of me literally. 

I am inspired by my mothers and fathers legacy. Here I have learned where I came from. The picture of the Ghanaian Flag (which isn’t here but was in my presentation) had a significant impact on my self identity. My skin, hair and body figure are from kings and queens of Ghana, I just was lucky to obtain it. My parents carried the genetics down to the United States and passed them down to me. My parents also gave me structure as a self identify. We grew up in Christian and that was my parents way of living and building spiritually. Their spirit landed me a proper home and food on the table for breakfast and dinner. They passed down their religious values onto me and named me out of the Bible. That was very meaningful to me because it was how I was raised. 

Midterm Project

There were two things I absolutely idolized during my childhood. They were comics and basketball. My midterm project represents just that. Comics and basketball are two very different things, however as a child, I saw both of them as one of the same. As a child, I saw these larger-than-life basketball players running up and down the court while people everywhere were cheering them on. I happened to have found myself amongst the people cheering them on as well. Every time they scored a basket, the people around me went wild. By the end of the game, the team that won the game, they were celebrated with cheers from everywhere. As a young kid seeing this, they seemed as if they were real life super heroes. However, heroes in the comic books were just that, “Comic Book Heroes.” They lived life only on the pages of comics strips. However, these comic book heroes made me invested into their stories of struggle and perseverance. As I was trying to find my identity as a child, I felt as if I shared similar struggles and feats as these characters. 

Trying to link both comics and basketball was difficult, but as I was casually flipping through old photos on my laptop, I came across Mike Alcantara, an artist who creates collages of old comic books and turns them into portraits of heroes. I met Mike in May 2019 at Comicpalooza in Houston, TX. I remember being so fascinated by his work and how detailed and precise it was. I can recall asking him why he does collages, and his response was, “It’s good to remember and pay homage to the artist that came before you. They brought you into this world of comics and super heroes. Somehow, someway, we need to continue their stories.” What he told me stuck to me, “Continue their stories.” As I was preparing for this project, I was going over much older comics I do not read anymore and realized that I wanted to tell “MY” story. With this collage I utilized all of theses elements to create my story. The basketball backboard is the foundation of my piece as this was my first ever passion. The comic strips is a commentary of the “Good vs. Evil” battle and the initial struggle of discovering who I am. 

Midterm (Metamorphosis)

My midterm project is centered around the idea of Metamorphosis. I came up with this idea to showcase the transformation from my insecure, unsure, secluded self to the mature, confident, bold person that I've become.

I used the process of assemblage to execute this. I thought, what better way to execute my idea than to use the insect that goes through the process itself? So, all of my materials are assembled on the model of a butterfly. I decided to showcase my transformation by contrasting my old self with my new self on the model. Hence, the black and white vinyls. The black represents a shadow; that which is behind me, so all of the objects and images on that side represent who I was. On the other side, the white represents the new me and so the objects and images also reflect this.

The overall subject of my image/project is my transformation. It centers around me from a teen, to now. The contents used to compose my project are as follows: clumps of hair, used to represent my actual hair; black and white vinyl, used to show the contrasting images; cardboard, used to make the vinyl sturdy, as well as the question mark; clippings from magazines, used to compose words; and pictures, used to represent me, my family, a crown, used to represent my worth, and comments from my Instagram.

The black side, my old self, features the hair, the word 'Yes,' a question mark, a picture of me looking shy, and pictures of my Instagram comments. I used the photo in the center to represent the shy me and connect all my old characteristics. I included the hair because for a long time I let it become the center of my beauty. It was the main thing that everyone complimented me on. I began to focus a lot of attention on my hair and ensuring it looked a certain way, at all times. I believed that in order to be noticed, my hair needed to always be curly and neat. Next, the word 'Yes,' is used to represent me being a people- pleaser. I always felt like I needed to please people in order for them to like me or to stay away from conflict. I was afraid of saying no to favors. Thirdly, the question mark is used to represent the time in my life where I wasn't sure what I wanted do with my life. I had no clue what my purpose was. I also felt like everyone was opposing my career choice and even started to wonder if they were right. Lastly, the Instagram comments are used to represent me always seeking validation. I used those comments to measure my worth. If no one commented on my pics, I automatically thought they were ugly.

The contrasting side, the white, features, the photo of a bold me, the word 'no,' a crown, and the clippings of magazine names. The photo of the bold me is used to represent me now. The word 'no' is used to represent me being unapologetic. I no longer care to please others. The only person I wish to please is God. I no longer care what people think of me. Thirdly, the crown is used to represent my confidence. I know that I am worth it and there's no one that can tell me different. Treat me like I'm worthy, and with respect, or don't bother at all. Lastly, the names of the magazines are there because I'm sure of my career as a Journalist. I no longer care what others think of it. It has to do with my purpose and passion so I'm sticking to it.

Now, in the middle of both these concepts, and possibly the most important thing on the board, are the words 'Holy Bible.' My transition is centered around God and his word. I know my purpose and worth because of what his word says. I, now, try to live by those words and continue to grow in Christ. Lastly, the antlers of a butterfly helps it to balance when flying so it is no coincidence that I placed my mom and sis there. They have both helped me balance my life.

The artist that influenced my self portrait is Mickalene Thomas. She puts a piece of herself and tells a story in all of her artwork. We may have not used the same technique but I also wanted others to see me in my project, as well as tell my story. I used one similar technique and that was painting. For the others, I simply cut, paste, and assembled the objects to execute my idea.

Midterm: Elements of Nat

This self portrait portrays myself as the central subject. I wanted my composition to not feel static but as if its in motion. The composition consists of elements that I strongly connect with and wanted to see surrounding myself. To the right side behind me there is foliage growing, using green string and different paints to create the stalks. Above me are clouds made out of a felt material and on the inside its filled with eyes watching back. The left side from underneath the clouds the sun rays are peaking onto myself. Underneath the sun is the water in motion coming up alongside me. I was inspired by a variety of mixed media and collage artists such as Glady Grauer. I saw her mixed media collage "Tomorrow May Be a Thousand Years" and I was inspired to create a textured collage where the eye has different layers to look at. Some of the techniques I used was creating the water using at first thick layers of acrylic paint but I wasn't getting enough texture. So I decided to use hot glue and then I painted more on top of it to keep the color. I created the greenery using glitter glue and pieces of string, and the entire string isn't glued down many parts overlap and create shadows. Using those shadows I kept seeing I painted with watercolor create some dimension. I thought the gold glitter glue was cohesive with the sun-rays coming from the opposite side. This self portrait is representative of myself because my friends often call me Mother Nature. I feel a strong connection to my humanity and Earth conservation. I inspire a lot of people around my circle to practice more proactively for the Earth. I see a great beauty in nature. Water is included because its a very comforting element of nature to me, even though it one of the strongest natural forces. The clouds with the eyes on it are more representation of self doubts and being watched. They come and go like clouds in the sky, part of the ever-changing cycle of life. The sun rays are reminder of good feelings and warmth which come from my favorite seasons. 

I Am Not My Hair- India.Arie

The subject of my midterm project is what it means to be a black natural girl. The content includes a vase with painted blocks on it. The painted blocks represent what each color symbolizes in my life. For example, there is a large orange block because the color represents my playful and youthful energy. There is a white part because of my innocent nature and the largest block is green due to my natural essence. Inside of the vase there is a curl defining cream, an edge toothbrush and a ponytail holder. Which in other words is my natural hair routine. Standing up in the neck of my vase there are incense and bobby pins. Incense has been a huge part of my life. My mom used to burn it every day and night and I never understood why. As I get older I find myself doing not just out of habit but out of cleansing the air. Cleansing my spirit and my soul. There is also an elephant on the side of my vase. An elephant is, what I believe, my spirit animal. They are prideful, tenacious, sensitive and they have a special attachment to their mothers. Lastly there is a puff on top of my vase closing in the hair products.
I created this after many talks with myself about what is

 

the biggest part of my life that defines me. It is my state of naturalness. For almost all of my life I have been natural hair wise and practice wise. I have ate for the most part completely organic my whole life. My family has always instilled the idea that you at your natural state is the best state. My natural hair has been my biggest challenge but also become my greatest attribute. I think this image tells viewers that I am proud of who I am and being natural (although) a hassle, can also be simple. The artist that influenced me are Lauryn Hill and India Arie. Although they are not painters or sculptures, in their music and poetry, I have gained the confidence and peace of mind that me being me, is the greatest gift I could give myself.
All in all, this project represents me because I am just a figure made up by a good soul and a big fro.

Midterm: Unapologetically Us

My midterm project is inspired by Jean Michel Basquiat and Frida Kahlo. I chose these artists, because I feel like I can relate to them the most out of everyone that we have studied this semester. Their stories have inspired to express myself more through painting, and now I use that as a form of meditation or a way to clear my mind. What I love most about Basquiat and Kahlo is that they were unapologetic. Their confidence has encouraged me to be comfortable in my own skin. 

After learning about Frida Kahlo and her life, I became obsessed and eager to learn more. She was somehow able to inspire her own work through self portraits without coming off as conceited. Kahlo is the perfect example of a woman who was secure in my own skin despite not meeting society’s standard of beauty at the time. She embraced her uni brow and often exaggerated it through her artwork. I also love how she wasn’t afraid to play with gender roles. If she wanted to masculine one day, she would be that and vice versa. I believe that Basquiat’s legacy still lives on today, because of how unique his artwork is especially in the 80s when he was still around. He was able to make a great living off of his craft, despite the huge difference between his abstract art and traditional museum displays. Without his confidence, he would have never been recognized as the icon he is today. 
In my portrait, I painted a face that was half Basquiat and the other half Frida, because I see myself in both of them. I chose the words: Bold, Queer, Creative, and Unapologetic, because I feel as though we all have these in common.

Loss and Growth

My midterm project represents the idea of loss and growth. My grandmother passed away back in March and my grandfather the year prior. As one can imagine, it was a huge pill to swallow losing two very significant people in my life. Prior to their passing I never really experienced or knew what true loss was or felt like. So when it happened it felt like I lost my way, my guidance, and the people I relied on most. Something like a crutch ripped from under me. The loss of my grandparents forced me to truly find myself and find a reason to keep going. It was a super defining moment for me. 

            I’ve always had a connection to butterflies. But after my grandfather passed, I started to see butterflies around me way more than normal. Then when my grandmother passed, I started seeing butterflies everyday. I knew in some way that it was them telling me that they were with me always in spirit. I included a photo of me on my project in the Dominican Republic this past summer where I was photobombed by a butterfly. To this day I think it was one of grandparents. Butterflies also symbolize growth, which is what I have been doing tremendously ever since. 

            My two inspirations for my piece were from the artists Frida Kahlo and Mickalene Thomas. Frida Kahlo drew a lot of her ideas for her art from her family, death, and the loss of her unborn child. I found it interesting that she used yellow flowers to symbolize death, and so I did the same. As for Mickalene Thomas, I connected with her tedious technique of placing little crystals on her work. And so I placed each flower by hand on my piece and added a few crystals as well to pay homage.

MIDTERM: STEP INTO MY FRO

The subject of my self portrait is a woman with bright hair who has full on embraced her Natural hair. The content includes many colorful beads and rhinestones as well as some thread, flowers and glittery  fabric.  All these objects represent natural hair and depicts the different hair culture African Americans or Afro Latinas have. The thread represents what I went through and how I had to gain confidence throughout my years with my hair. The stems of the flowers show growth and the flowers depict how I have blossomed into loving myself more than ever. This is a visual representation of the beauty that leads up to our Natural hair and how I have grown and see my hair now. I used to always feel like everyone would stare at me because of my hair which is why I didn't like to wear it out but when I got to college I realized my hair is beautiful. This is a visual representation of how I feel when I embrace my natural hair. I feel funky, colorful, bright and bold. I also painted an African American women with a crown on her head embracing her own true natural beauty. The choices I made that led up to this composition is how I wanted to portray that natural hair is beautiful but without just throwing a women with her hair on a board. Rather I thought to myself what else represents my hair?  THE way I see myself when I do wear it. This should convey an idea of self care, self love and effort put into our natural hair and how lovely the process can be. Some artists that have influenced me is Mickalene Thomas who focuses on woman studies, different textures and colors in her artwork. My project represents me because i've always struggled in seeing the beauty in my hair until one day I separated feelings and my hair. I was able to see how outgoing my hair truly is and how different I am because of it. 

Midterm: Take Back Your Life

 The subject of my self portrait is my view of the world around me and my struggle within it. The purple background is a representation of how the world is in a gloomy state at the moment and how dark it can be. The eyes are representative of how I don’t like being watched, being the center of attention and how I fear that people are watching me and judging me. The tentacles are the gloomy experiences I’ve had throughout my life and is supposed to represent how those are the moments where I’m being pulled into this depressing reality of the world around me but I refuse to do so. The hanging pocket watch is a reminder to myself that I can never go back on what I say and what I do.

That my decisions are final and will always affect someone. The blood dripping from the pocket watch signifies that it’s my heart and that it’s been hurt plenty, especially as I begin to grow as a person. My hands, although red, aren’t meant to be bloody hands but rather a symbol of power because that’s when I feel my strongest. I have the ability and power to manipulate anything I create with my hands, the world I draw is mine to manipulate. My stitched mouth represents how I’m always silent and don’t really speak up much, my preference to not be noticed and just stay an observer.

The reason I decided to paint my self portrait is because I felt it would be the best way to describe my love for arts and crafts and to demonstrate the level of my skill. Although difficult to add details, I feel like the simplicity of the painting is more striking than something with overdone shadows and textures. The reason why the background is painted so inconsistently is because I feel like the world around me is always so hectic, in a rush and bustling, noisy, irritating. I wanted to express that with some shackie strokes in some areas and some very straight strokes in others. I was originally thinking of taking a different approach to the painting and making one with more color but I thought it was important that this painting be representative of how I’m feeling right now at the present, I’m feeling down and gloomy but hopeful and optimistic, which is why I’m so brightly colored in comparison to the background.

I believe that my self portrait conveys this chaotic swell of emotions and depressing tone of me to the viewers. Frida Kahlo’s work was a source of reference that I used for how I wanted my painting to be. I wanted it to be strong and powerful like her works but not as grotesque or gory as some of her other works. The techniques that I used for the making of this self portrait was an initial sketching phase where I sketched out the placement of where everything would roughly go, followed by 2 separate painting phases. The 1st was the base colors for all the shapes within the painting followed by the small details I added on. The slight tear at the end represents the slow collapse of the world around me.

I believe that this project represents me because its representing both the way I currently feel and how I think about the world around me. It might be somewhat misleading and confusing at times but for the most part I believe it accurately represents me. It demonstrates the gloomy world I live in and my casual stance as I lean on my heart is my refusal to give in to this gloomy world. I‘m bright and optimistic despite being discouraged and I stick to my heart (the pocket watch), even if it hurts.