Diorama!

A fairly recent growth in popularity within the photography art sector is the art of dioramas. To create an image by building the scenario specifically to be viewed only from the cameras perspective. In my studio lighting class we have been challenged to create a diorama to be photographed after looking at such artists as Aurelia Carbone. Here is what I have come up with :)

April 2011, 'Night Land'

So this is the completely raw image with no editing. The set built especially for this camera angle. I'm pretty happy with my first attempt at this. I hope you all like it too :)

Oh Frustrations!

Only just over a week ago I was under the illusion that I was doing well in my photography for this semester, then I had a class review and my eyes were opened. It's always difficult to tell how I'm going with my photography when I have no one really to discuss it with from an artist point of view. Anyway... Because of the realization of falling behind with my novice whatever type photographs I've decided to get really busy these holidays. I've also decided to focus more! Not just 'experiment with whatever' manipulations but looking more at the dream-like feel of a photograph and a bit of a look into surrealism photography. 
So this is what I have come up with this week.

April 2011, 'My Happy Place'

April 2011, 'Battle at Dragon Rock'

This first term is nearly over...

The first half of this semester is coming to end in the coming weeks! I thought I should probably update on where I am at right now in Photography Specialisation.

Brief outline of the project

For my investigation I have chosen to play with photoshop in manipulating images. I want to experiment with manipulated images that may appear realistic but could not possibly be real; such as floating, doppelgangers, etc. I am inspired to bring to life the occurrences that seem so natural in dreams and imagination but cannot be done naturally in real live. More specifically I want to experiment with images which look so real that some people may not notice the impossibility within the image and to the other end of the scale where I want to experiment with very surreal and obviously unrealistic images. I hope that through the experimentation of these opposites in manipulated images I may find a preference for either the hidden impossibility or completely surreal, otherwise that I may discover a balance between the two that I would like to continue exploring.

March 2011, 'Wet Wonder'

March 2011, 'Am I Falling the Right Way?'

April 2011, 'World of Blah'

April 2011, '2 Tangible-D'

April 2011, 'Something Else'

I hope you enjoy them because I just love making them :D

Beginning of the End!

Hello one and all.
I have now finished my first week of SP2 (the first 6 month semester of uni for the year) and I am anxiously excited about this being my final year at art school :D I really don't want to leave.
Firstly I would like to mention that I finally got my result back for my summer class Intro to Drawing!! I got a Distinction  :)
Secondly I would love to advertise vista print who I bought my business cards from and am very a pleased with. They are great quality, came at a bargain price and arrived weeks before I was expecting it.

(scanned image)

www.vistaprint.com.au

Now on to what I am going to be working on this semester. I am doing three classes; Film and the Moving Image is my theory class in which we will be looking at arthouse films and film in art, Photography Specialization B, and my Photography Negotiated Study.
The hard part of this semester will be distinguishing the difference between my two photography classes! Well after my first week of uni I think I know where the difference will lie. In my negotiated study I am investigating creative portraits and just portraits in general whereas in my photography specialization I am going to be working more with the manipulated image which may include the use of portraits as I have done a lot of lately.

Keep watch for my work throughout the semester :)

'Shadowlands' - Adelaide Fringe Festival

Yesterday I participated in Shadowlands run by the UniSA Art, Architecture and Design school for the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2011. 

Around 27 students participated in learning the history of Hindley Street and then designing stencil images inspired by the history. The group only had 4 hours from arriving at the lecture on Hindley Street's history to completing the street art.

To transfer the images onto the Hindley Street footpath outside the Kaurna building of UniSA City West campus we used white chalk.

Hindley Street used to be the main street of Adelaide. It was the place to go for a night out, but not in the same sense as today. Though Hindley Street now has a reputation of being full of drunks, clubs and gang fights it used to be a place with fine dining restaurants, cinemas, shops and even an ice skating rink! Back in the days when we were all proud of Hindley Street the King was paraded down that very street and it was also the street all the soldiers marched down after the second world war. Though even then there was a pub on every street corner.
Slowly but surely the shops moved east when Rundle Mall and Rundle Street were created. The cinema's shut down and the ice skating rink was closed. Nothing much was left but pubs and clubs which brought Hindley Street into it's downfall. 
This art project was an attempt at bringing back some of the old Hindley Street pride and I know that everyone I was working with was captured by the history of Hindley Street.

25/2/2011 Some of the chalk stenciled images to represent Hindley Street's history. The lower central imaged of three old architectural windows with alcoholic drinks was join project between myself and my partner to show a sample of the beautiful architecture that used be down Hindley Street as well as the old history of pubs on every corner.

25/2/2011 This is myself standing in front of the walk in K5 UniSA where the stencil's were pinned up for display. My stencil appearing just beside my head. 

25/2/2011 Shadowlands, the finished product.

More photos on my Additional Art page.

Summer Intensive Course

For the past two weeks I have been doing my summer intensive course Introduction to Drawing. I believe that I am capable of drawing well however I am easily frustrated by it which made me do the intensive course so it would be all over in just two weeks. I had a lot of fun with it and feel I accomplished development in my skill but I still stand by the idea that I wouldn't like to do a half year semester of it.


This is the work that I did and an overview of each day (which was an 8 days or contact course!):

Day 1. Observational

A1 cartridge paper, compressed charcoal and willow charcoal

I struggled on the first day with measurements. I got the angles right but the measurements wrong and got quite frustrated.

I feel it looks too simple and quite amateur.

Day 2. Composition

A1 cartridge paper, willow charcoal and compressed charcoal

I felt the second day went a lot better and I am quite confident with composition. I am very pleased with the outcome, especially the ram skull :)

I feel like I achieved something better than I thought I would have.

Day 3. Perspective

A2 cartridge paper, fine liner pen, colour pencils

Perspective was something I've known since primary school however I had never done a three point perspective before! I like my drawing of this building and I'm happy with my finished version.

I think it worked okay but at first looked quite bare and needed something to bring it all together so I outlined the building to make it stand out and followed the idea that all the pieces looked like they were exploding out by thickly drawing lines from the center outwards. Then I shaded the background red and I feel that it looks a lot better, but not brilliant.

Day 4. Negative Space

A2 cartridge paper, fine liner pens

Day four was a lot of fun and though the teacher was anxious about me attempting to scribble an A2 paper with fine-liners I was confident I would get it done :)

Half way class review

The teacher pointed out that Day 1. Observational and Day 4. Negative Space were my strongest pieces. My classmates commented that the ram skull from Day 2. Composition was really good... or great. I think they used the word 'great' :D
I didn't feel like any of my pieces really stood out but I am pleased with what I achieved on Day 2. Composition.

Day 5. Mixed Media

A1 cartridge paper, variety of textured papers, photocopies, texter, coloured pencil, fine liner pen

I've never really liked doing this kind of mixed media because I struggle to make the picture work as a whole. I stopped at this point because I was happy with the current composition.
I feel that the reflective papers used for the light bulb are a bit distracting and sharp on the eyes but I feel that it works compositionally and does have a rotational effect.

Day 6. Tone

A1 cartridge paper, willow charcoal, compressed charcoal, white conte

Learning how to do an indirect drawing was a lot of fun and I like the way it makes the picture look more finalised :) I love the drawing on the left, I feel it's my best thus far.
I feel that I have really achieved a great image with my indirect drawing :) and my direct drawing isn't too bad either!
I feel like I have made some real progress in my drawing skill throughout the past week :)

Day 7. Colour

A1 cartridge paper, soft pastel, coloured pencil

I chose to go monochromatic purple indirect drawing because of my success the day before. I don't think I did as well but I feel the shapes were more complex and closer to my drawing paper altering the perspective.

Looking at the set up and comparing my drawing I can tell I did things wrong on all objects but I'm still pleased with the outcome anyway :)

Day 8. Linear

A4 cartridge paper, fine liner pen

The last day was fairly simple. I remember learning how to transfer an image using a grid in year 3 at school. It was a nice exercise to finish with though :) I'd hate the last day to be complex, stressful and a lot of work.
I took the source image from a tissue box and found the image slightly challenging but it worked effectively.
I am pleased with the outcome and chose not to add colour or tone as an added option.

Final Assessment!

All set up for final assessment!!! I just have to leave it there for the assessors and pick it up after a few hours then wait until early March for the results! 

I hate having to wait for the results so wish me luck!

Adelaide Street Art

Since my Art in Public summer course last year I have been thoroughly fascinated with street art. Occasionally when I come across a particular piece of street art I like to take a quick photo on my mobile. Now I'm going to run through some of my mobile photos of 2010 and show you the Adelaide street art that has caught my eye.

This has been here since I remember spotting in 2009 sometime... Still there! 

I quite enjoyed pressing 'reboot universe' to cross the road :D

I love spotting street art because it adds something new the scenery I walk past everyday on my way to or from uni. It reminds me that there are creative, witty people out there amongst the crowds. Sometimes it's easy to forget that every person in a crowd is an individual of their own but street art brings to mind that there are unique individuals and they could be anyone I pass on the street.
Some little pieces or just simple pieces of street art I think are effective in catching attention, a smile or a laugh. Some street art can get people thinking about a new idea or concept. I admire the witty simplicity of some street art around Adelaide.


Keep up the good work Adelaide street artist! I'll be looking out for your work :)