Drawing II: Project 4 "Fear"

The thing that I fear the most are rats, they are very scary to me and I can't help but run and hide every time that I encounter one. My greatest fear however, is the "unknown" and all of the questions that you may never know the answers to, such as all of the "What if's?" in life.

I think that a lot of people in our society relate to a fear of rats and of the unknown. Our society is always coming up with diffferent ideas of what they believe that the unknown consists of. Some examples of these question are: what lies outside of outside of our solar system, is there life on other planets?, religious views, what happens when you die?, etc. Many people on this earth have different beliefs about what they think the unknown consists of, but the truth is, we may never actually have any or all of the answers that we are looking for.

My fears are both concrete and abstract ones. The terrifying rats are a concrete fear, as they actually exist and the unknown is an abstract fear which has been created.

Photo of fear:

Fear multiplied in size:

Fear emphasized:

Fear minimized:

An artist that I found on The Drawing Center's Viewing Program Web site is Sarah Hardesty. Her art relates to my views specifically in the portion of her artist statement that says she likes to "create situations that anticipate, but alleviates the potential for damage". I believe that by anticipating certain situations fear can be diminished, which is just what I am trying to portray in my photo of fear minimized.

Drawing II Commercialism/Consumerism/Social Commentary

Commercialism can be defined as the manipulation of products through advertising in order to make a profit for the company. Consumerism on the other hand can be defined as the wanting to purchase products or services in an amount greater than what one would actually need.

Some examples of commercialism are: advertisements for many products and places such as restaurants and stores, commercials on television, ad listings online, placements in the yellow pages, etc. I think that some good examples of consumerism are "Sam's Club" because that is where many people go to shop for items in bulk, another example would be within the food industry that you can always "super-size" your meals and drinks. One place that I love to visit that is full of these things is Las Vegas, NV. There is too much food, too many people, too many buildings, and too much gambling... for some!Commercialism and consumerism affect my lifestyle in many ways, such as my eating habits (good and bad), smoking habits, political views, decision making, shopping, fashion and television watching.

I would define a social comment as something that can be said or portrayed about an individual, product etc. that defies it's actual intent.

In an artists world, some examples of social comments are: art pieces that thumb their nose at society and can be done in any medium. These could consist of comments about homelessness, beauty, politics, patriotism, race, gluttony, and the list goes on and on.

The headlines that most affect or impact my life according to todays (Saturday, March 5) Salina Journal newspaper are: "Bill would repeal ban on smoking", "Senate panel opposes governor's arts plan", and "Why not drill for oil here?".

An artist on The Drawing Center's Viewing Program web site that relates to my definitions is: Robert Mott. His art relates to my views in the way that he says he likes to provoke an audience by "delivering concise statements about humanity from cynical humor".

Cultural Metaphor

My definition of culture is your own personal community, society, ethnicity or personal background; where you come from.

My culture consists of many different things such as farming, animals, 4-H, America, bars, interior design, travels/vacations, camping, skydiving, hunting, and fishing. The cultures that I most identify with are 4-H, camping, skydiving, family, friends and interior design.

My definition of a metaphor is this… a symbol that stands for another object, emotion, action, etc.
Some examples of metaphors of my identified culture are… Skydiving is freedom, 4-H is life experience, a wind turbine is energy, and family is love.

The artist I have chosen from The Drawing Center's Viewing Program website is David King. His art relates to my views of culture and metaphor as he is pointing people to find their own self-satisfaction and peacefulness along their own path in life.

Drawing II- Project 1

Definition of Beauty...


Beauty to me is something that can be one of many things found organically grown in nature. It becomes beautiful to me, because not only is it healthy for you, but it appeals to your senses of sight and smell with colors, textures and shapes.

Definition of Repulsion...
Repulsion to me are things not found in nature or organically grown... such as man-made, unhealthy foods which can lead to many things like heart disease, diabetes, low self-esteem, acne and/or obesity. They are repulsive to me because they are items of convenience and not quality or nutrition, usually filled with calories and grease or sugar.












Non-objective marks...






The Drawing Center's Viewing Program...


Artist Name: Chris Mateer


How his art relates to my views of Beauty & Repulsion:

His art relates to my views of beauty and repulsion, because he is captivated with the false assurances made to our society & American culture. Especially those things like fast food restaurants and the like. He speaks of how he is drawn to the places that people repeatedly visit and the products that people purchase due to convenience, although we know that they are not necessarily healthy foods for us.

Blog Week 11

Color harmony

1) Immediate Response

The thing that I notice first and stands out the most to me, is the green leaf with the pink background located centrally in this photo. It affects me because it points my eye in other directions and helps my eyes flow around the photo.

2) Objective Description

This photo has many various patterns and textures. Located almost directly in the center is a green leaf with a pink background. The color harmony is illustrated here with the simultaneous contrast of the colors involved. Your eye flows around the photo by seeing the other patterns of a blue spade within a pink circle, then a white on blue swirly pattern. The other noticeable pattern is a green outlined star shaped pattern with an orange background, yet another use of simultaneous contrast.

3) Formal Matters

This photo has a variety of line quality and color. It seems to be placed in space very well as the textures and designs run right off the edges of the photo. The leaf in the center helps with the placement as well. The swirling lines as well as the straight lines help to lead your eye around the photo. I really like the color involved in this photo as it has lots of simultaneous contrast. (Ex. the green leaf on the reddish background)

4) The Story It Tells

I don't believe that this photo tells a story, it is just kind of abstract. If I had to name it with one word I would call it... random.

5) The Work in the World

This photo connects in the world of Elizabeth Murray's drawings and paintings because it has similar line qualities and colors involved, much like her work.

Week 5 Blog

Week 5 Blog

Expression & Value

1) Immediate Response

The thing that I notice first about this photo is the crazy look upon this man's face. Something that stands out to me are his eyes. This affects me by making me wonder what he seems to be angry about.




2) Objective Description


What I see in front of me is a black and white photo of a man centered in the frame and is somewhat perched on some steps. He has a crazy look upon his face as he is screaming. His eyes are almost popping out of his head and may be very angry about something. In the background of this photo are paneled walls of a garage and a small well-used stepladder in the bottom left corner.


3) Formal Matters


I feel that the composition of this photo contains a lot of value and texture. The line quality of the paneled walls in the background really make the man in the center of the frame pop out in his expressive way the lines within his jacket seams really pop out in the center of the frame. The chiaroscuro involved in this photo helps to show many textures within the walls and the jacket that he is wearing. If you look closely, the faint cast shadow has very interesting color and texture as well. I think that this man is placed very well within the space because his outstretched arms take up almost the entire frame. This helps to convey the emotion involved in this photo as well.

4) The Story It Tells

I think that this photo does tell a story. It is a story about a man expressing what looks like anger, although it could all just be a farce as well. To name this photo with one word I would name it, "Scream!"




5) The Work in the World

I see several connections to Edgar Degas’ drawings in this photo. The first is that it is a single figure being used within the photo. Next, the black and white values contained within it are very similar to Degas' drawings and finally, expression is conveyed to the viewers by the solitary man.

Week 4

Chiaroscuro In Black & White

1) Immediate Response

My first impression of this photo is one of attitude. The thing that I see first is the cat with a look upon him that says, "What?" as if he was just interrupted in his bask in the sunlight. The shadow that he casts stands out against the light reflected on the floor and it has an affect me by giving a feeling of balance to the photo.

2) Objective Description – Describe what is in front of you. Describe the photo to someone who cannot see it.

My objective description of this photo begins with the cat as the center focal point. As I described previously he looks as if he has just been interrupted in his bask in the sunlight. He is sitting on linoleum flooring in front of a door with the light of the window shining through. The black and white contrast of this photo helps to show the variation in line and space. As well as the detail and different markings on the cat.

3) Formal Matters

I think that this composition has great balance between the light and dark. The light of the window and on the cats back is balanced by the darkness of the shadows. Also, the light reflected from the window on the floor and the pattern in the flooring itself shows a lot of variation in line quality. There are many straight, diagonal lines as well as curvilinear to keep your eyes moving about the photo. The many different shades of black and white help to show lots of detail throughout the entire photo.

4) The Story It Tells

The story that this photo tells is one of a cat with an attitude. He looks distracted from his daily routine and is not necessarily happy about it. If I were to name this photo with one word I would simply call it "Disturbed."

5) The Work in the World

This photo connects to Albrecht Durer's drawings because it has much of the same line quality and lights cast upon the different objects which he uses. It also demonstrates the same general composition of chiaroscuro in which he used.