Book assignment

I decided to use a combination of some of my favorite quotes and some of my favorite photographs for my book. My boyfriend took the pictures of me, but I edited them in photoshop to try and make them mine. I did take the thunder cloud and forest shots though and edited those as well. I feel like this selection of words and images sums me up particularly well.

Lab assignment: Table of contents

Obviously this needs some work; I didn't realize my text boxes could be seen outside of the program.....guess I'd better figure this one out quick eh?

Things that make me happy installment 4: California Redwoods

The California Redwoods are one of my touchstones; they always make me feel so small. Nothing can be so big that it matters in the redwood forest, or so I believe. With finals looming and the sun shining I am feeling pretty antsy these days and what better way to relieve antsiness than a mini vacation (as if camping last week wasn’t enough). We headed down to Sonoma this weekend for my cousin’s wedding and instead of taking I-5 we took the 101 to 299 to 5. Our trip back was about twice as long, but I got to go from my family and wine country, to redwoods, to ocean, to my hometown and In-N-Out, to a thunder storm on Siskiyou pass….and I wasn’t even driving. I will admit that I love being driven, if I feel comfortable with the driver, and when Nolan drives I am totally “chillaxed.” I took these pictures on our little trip. The first is of the redwoods, obviously, but I feel like this image does a good job conveying their hugeness; usually a comparison image is required. The second is kind of a comparison image; I’m inside a hollowed out Redwood (obviously I didn’t take this one). The third picture I took from the safety of the truck cab; the sun was going down as the storm was gathering strength. Snapping a photo of the lightening would have been cool, but that would have required me stopping, having the right equipment and knowing what the heck I’m doing….plus some luck I’d think. These clouds still look pretty sinister to me. The fourth picture is a fence and a pretty flower field. The composition isn’t exactly original in the sense that there are probably a million photographs taken similar to it, but I thought it looked kind of pretty. The sun was shining in just that spot, like it was winking at us or something.

photo sketch

For my photo sketch I used a picture taken on the California Coast in Legget. I'm not much of an artist, but I was suprised at how much easier the technique was than I expected. By sketching over the photo I have to pick the really important parts because detail is hard to "sketch." This seemed similar to the poster assignment in that both of them were about minimizing content but maximizing the use of what was there.

Things that make me happy installment 3: Andy Goldsworthy

Keeping with the theme of nature oriented artists I wanted to introduce Andy Goldsworthy to anyone not familiar with his work. My dad actually introduced him to me a year or so back, my dad also incidentally introduced me to Thoreau and Whitman as well. A photographer/artist/sculptor, Goldsworthy works in rural and urban settings with organic objects. His sculptures are made from leaves, rocks, snow...anything he finds in nature and his tools are his hands, teeth and "found" tools. No glue, only mud is utilized as well. However, for some of Goldsworthy's more ambitious pieces he used machine tools for safety. One example would be a piece he made entitled "Roof" in which he enlisted the help of professional dry wallers to make sure the piece was structurally sound.

Goldsworthy is known as a rock balancing artist, which means that he combines/balances rocks and stones in an arrangment that exceeds the power of nature. Goldsworthy's work is also classified as "land art" which was an art movement that emerged from the confusion of the sixties and seventies. Linked closely with the art, the landscape is the catalyst for the creation by providing content and materials. "Land art" is made outside and is altered/decayed by natural processes like wind, rain and frost.

Deterioration is part of the artistic process for Goldsworthy and he classifies his work as transient. He creates a piece and then photographs his "land art" making the statement: "My sculpture can last for days or a few seconds-- what is important to me is the experience of making. I leave all my work outside and often return to watch it decay."

This work touches me in an inexplicable way. I struggle with the idea that life is in constant flux and no matter how much scheduling I do, I will never be completely prepared. In a sense all humans are "land art"because we are shaped by our environment and are slowly deteriorated by natural processes. There is art in what the world already has to offer, we don't need to make it or freeze time. Art will always regenerate itself, we just have to know where to look.


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Ansel Adams photos monologue

Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman were good friends of mine growing up, their voices whispering about nature and beauty in simplicity, about the emptiness of existence and the fulfillment found in loneliness. Paradoxically i also grew up loving Barbie and playing dress up with costume jewelry and make up pilfered from my mom. Keep in mind that I played with Barbies up until I was 12, albeit behind closed doors. By that point I was familiar with Thoreau, Whitman and Dickinson, even though we weren't as close as we are now. The point is that I feel a tug between the Thoreau-esque part of me that wants to sell everything and live in a yurt and the part of me that wants to spend $80 on a purse (I'm a college student, i don't even try to pretend like i could justify the purchase of an accesoy above the very generous limit of $100).

Ansel Adams is a photographer that I have always connected with. Taken in black and white, Adams' photographs illicit traces of feelings we didn't know we had and draw the viewer in through the use of shadows, symmetry, persepctive and generally mind blowing landscapes. One of my personal favorites has always been "Rose and Driftwood" but I posted two others to compare and contrast instead; much the same way I have been comparing and contrasting myself. One is a photograph of tree roots, the other an arial view of freeway passes in L.A. The two "objects" photographed reflect eachother in designand both serve "neccesary" purposes in life. Roots provide nutrients and stability as though they are the freeways of the natural world. Freeways make trade, travel and consumption that much easier, the human construction of a root base.

For me these two pictures bring up questions about my own conspicuous consumptiom and whether I am really doing my part or merely imparting a slightly smaller amount of damage to my enviornment than a handful of others. I can see the beauty of freeway passes, L.A. and New York and Portland. Imagine all night Chinese takeout, Broadway shows, fashuon week, art museums and jazz clubs blue with smoke and beatnik incense. I can see how flashing neon lights and towering buildings can seem magical, mystical and sear itself onto the eyeball. But I aslo know the earthy scent of the redwoods and the heady drunkeness that accompanies the scent. I know hoe the tops of little red mushrooms sometimes look like faries peeking out at dusk and how a pristine beach free of litter can feel both alien and like coming home. Empty woods make me feel like the first person to walk across hallowed ground and rainbows feel like personal presents.

If I had to make a choice I think i would choose the roots over the freeways; the redwoods over the billboards. I think the flashing lights would make my head hurst enventually, and a sky scraper could give me a nose bleed. I love chinese food, but too much MSG and my brain might melt, you never know. The redwoods soothe my soul and titillate my imagination. a clean beach stretching farther than my limited eyes can see makes me feel rejuvenated, like I could accomplish anything. If I had to choose the purse or the yurt I'd take the yurt. I can still keep the shoes though....right? Haha.

Ansel Adams Photos