Digital Collage
Title: Guidance
Medium: Digital Manipulation Size: 61 cm x 91 cm October 2015 Exhibit Text
This piece was created to give an insight of Alicia's life including, the deaths she overcame, how she built up strength, and to express the wisdom she gained by surviving those difficult experiences. This piece also focuses on her cultural background, and an artist named Jose Posada who inspired her. This piece was made using Adobe Photoshop CS6. All objects were self-made excluding the skull which was found. |
Process
First, I wrote a list of ideas I could include that connected to my artistic inspiration, culture and personal experience.
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Second, I created a few planning sketches to choose from.
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Meaning Behind My Piece
"Guidance" is a collage that represents difficult times I experienced in my life and how I managed to overcome them. Growing up I experienced the death of both my great grandmothers, and the divorce of my parents. When I was young I took things for granted, because I thought people would always remain in my life and that I would grow up with two happily married parents. Unfortunately I was wrong, and it was not to easiest thing to accept. There was a point in my life where I thought I would never be happy again, I gained hatred to those close to me, so I gave up. I lost the motivation for school, trying to keep my grades up, maintaining relationships, I just didn't care anymore. Losing myself and those close to me made me completely empty.
I chose to make my piece black since it symbolizes death, and white to symbolize heaven. The hands reaching for me symbolize my grandmothers who lift me up and keep me going. I chose to make them gray to symbolize knowledge and wisdom they left behind for me. Lastly, the skull over my face represents strength, guidance, overcoming death, and surviving through a difficult time. As time past I was able to see the good with these difficult times, and appreciate the time I had to spend with them.
I chose to make my piece black since it symbolizes death, and white to symbolize heaven. The hands reaching for me symbolize my grandmothers who lift me up and keep me going. I chose to make them gray to symbolize knowledge and wisdom they left behind for me. Lastly, the skull over my face represents strength, guidance, overcoming death, and surviving through a difficult time. As time past I was able to see the good with these difficult times, and appreciate the time I had to spend with them.
Artist Inspiration
My artist inspiration comes from Jose Guadalupe Posada, known as an icon of Dia de los Muertos. He is a printmaker, cartoon illustrator, and lithographer who incorporated Mexican politics into his work. Posada's zinc etching of "La Calavera Catrina" also known as the "Elegant Skull" was created during 1910 through 1913. It is a female skeleton dressed only in a hat befitting the upper class outfit of a European of her time.
Website : http://rockypoint360.com/la-catrina-the-woman-of-mexico/ However, in my piece I decided to interpret the female as someone others look up to, and in my case, I looked up the my grandmothers. Which is why I decided to place a skull over my face. Not to mention, during this time period times were cruel, which I could relate to. |
Reflection
This was an extremely difficult project for me. I struggle with overthinking, and figuring out how to say what I want say. However, throughout this project I have learned many things including to not think when creating something, to just create. By this I mean, sketching is the most important thing in creating artwork, its a way to get down all our ideas, have them laid out in front of you, and putting them together to create something that's meaningful rather than attracting and not. I learned this the hard way, because its much harder to make something and have to find the meaning afterwards. Photoshop was another struggle of mine, but after multiple tries I began to get the hang of it, and experimented with different edits. One of the good aspects of my piece is that I was able to blend the skull to my face, as well as myself to the background. If I were to do this again, I would manage my time more efficiently, and ask for help much sooner. Overall, I am satisfied with the outcome of my piece and plan to keep working with Photoshop to become more advanced with it.