The goal of the assignment was to create collages that were harmonious. I immediately heard the word harmony and thought about music. I wanted my images to represent different sounds or patterns in music.

Self-Critique:

1. I would say that the strongest aspect of these images is how I chose to mimic the sound. The top image represents a staccato sound with all the angles and diagonals. The bottom image shows a echoed or base pattern.

2. I probably should’ve added some extra three-dimensional aspect to the images, as I was told by one of my professors. This is the weakest aspect.

3. The composition probably could be improved by adding some type of imagery that would improve the music aesthetic even further. Maybe some added angles to improve the staccato pattern.

4. The concept is pretty straightforward, I wanted the images to show different patterns of sound and I think that I’ve accomplished that, so the concept is already pretty strong.

5. Well technically these images were supposed to be collages. I should’ve cut and pasted something to the images but nothing I found was conducive to the music concept.

I was going for mostly a music vibe in these photos, I couldn’t find any scanned/found imagery that was conducive to my architectural photos. So I photoshopped my images to give them a music(harmonious) look. This one in particular has a sort of echoed, base look.

This one has a staccato pattern due to the sharpness and all of the angles.

This photo reminded me of the scale patterns primarily because of the levels of the staircase.

This represents a “bright” sound pattern or a high pitch sound.

The final collage has an unsteady and sporadic frequency.

Although I don’t recall the names of all of the presenters from last week, i do recall their work. Both of the photo majors showed us some very well done pictures of what interested them. Their work was visually pleasing and well made. One of the photo majors in particular showed us her photos of nature and informed us on her work with the Austin fire department. I thought her pictures had a great naturalistic feel to them. The other photo major commented on her love of fashion which has always interested me.

The graphic design majors gave us a look at some very impressive posters and logos that they’ve designed for SEU in the past. They also gave us some information on interning and what graphic design societies that they enjoy.

Finally, the art majors showed us some of their past work and work that is yet to be finished. The first art major presenter showed us a really well drawn portrait. She also sent a really strong message when she talked about the work she was doing to comment on the transgender nature in her pieces. The other presenter informed us on her love for history and her family, which has led her to create a video on the history of her family’s ranch.

Websites:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

I find Huffington Post compelling because it makes it easy for me to catch up on any news that might interest me. It is also simple to use and has worked its way up to becoming one of my favorite websites.

https://www.pinterest.com/

Pinterest is just one of those sites that is great for everyone, including artists like myself. It gives me helpful tips for small any small projects I choose to take on. The downside is it makes certain projects seem really simple at first but once you’ve began it becomes harder than previously predicted. Nonetheless, it is still a good site.

http://www.amazon.com/

Amazon is a website that needs no introduction. It is by far my favorite website because it keeps my attention and also saves me from having to go to a store and pick something up. I use amazon for books, movies, television, christmas/birthday shopping, etc. It has saved me in more ways than one.

http://www.art.com/

This a a newer website that has gained my attention. If you have a favorite artist but can’t afford an original piece of their work then this your go to website. You just search what artist interests you and their work appears in the results. A lot of the art on this site is really affordable and you can even choose to frame it. It’s a good site for artists and for those with an interest in art.

Takashi Murakami was born in 1962 in Tokyo Japan. He works in many different outlets throughout fine arts. The reason I went with this particular artist is because his work is very vibrant and captures my attention. I first saw Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow(top) and felt some type of a connection to it. The colors were so eye-catching that it instantly became one of my favorites. The style of animation he uses in his work reminds me of a few of the anime series I’ve watched throughout my life, I believe this may have something to do with the connection I have towards his work. Given that Murakami is a contemporary artist from Japan it is relatively easy for us to see this Japanese culture come out of his work. I later on discovered Flowers and Skulls(bottom) and was once again amazed by its liveliness. Both of these paintings inspire me to become a better artist and to one day hopefully develop my own style just as Murakami has done with his work. These are only two out of many of Murakami’s pieces for more of his art look here.

I wanted this final batch of images to illustrate the Gestalt principles by using architecture. The stairways make for easy continuation or repetition while the roof shows both continuation and repetition. The challenge was finding containment that wasn’t too easy or too obvious. I accomplished this by editing a few of the photos too give the illusion that frames were being formed around the image to show containment. I would say that the theme I’m going for here is architecture or patterns in architecture. This was not an easy task but this assignment has helped my photography skills to grow immensely.

I created these pieces to illustrate how men fight over their differences, when really they’re one in the same. Once I finished the first one, War, a former professor of mine wanted to see how this would appear in a three-dimensional form, so I recreated it and titled it War #2.

-War, color paper on black stock card, 10.5″x10.5″, 2014

-War #2, spray paint on gel texture on drawing mannequins, 11″x 22″, 2014

Time Tracker

The findings from my time tracker show that I most definitely spend majority of my time studying or in class. Other than this the rest of my time pretty much goes towards doing things that I enjoy doing.

Derrick Vanibuls

VISU-1311

Reflective Essay

         I think the images I chose to capture reflect Austin as a whole. I didn’t want to shoot images containing too many people but rather focus on the city itself. I really enjoyed getting the big picture of all of the buildings that surrounded me. I did my best to group the buildings instead of just capturing one at a time.

I don’t consider myself much of a photographer but when I went out to capture some images I could feel myself grow as an artist. I don’t really know what makes a good photo so I just started to point and shoot. Being the amateur that I am I was somewhat pleased with the photos I’d gathered. Majority of my images have a lot going on within them. For example, one photo not only focuses on the street, but also the people in the street and the trees alongside. I like to think this gives my pictures a bit of variety, as opposed to just choosing to focus on maybe a street sign or a person. Later down the line I might choose to focus on certain things when taking pictures. I would then compare how different a photo that gives the viewer variety, can be as opposed to a photo that just focuses on one thing. One term I’ve used in my previous art classes is called “unity with variety.” I don’t know if this term pertains to photography but that is what comes to mind when viewing my photos. This basically means that although there is a lot happening in a picture, it’s unified because everything happening in the image works well together. Hopefully my images demonstrate a little “unity with variety.”

           I’m hoping that these images I’ve gathered reflect my growing skills as an artist. From this point on, I want my photography skills to blossom just as my skills with art have been doing.

Derrick Vanibuls

VISU-1100-01

Blog Post #1

Part 1:

Main Points: “What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Artists” informs us how imperative it is for entrepreneurs to become innovative and creative, much like artists. “Are Artists Entrepreneurs” gives artists some insight on developing entrepreneurial skills and explains that the journey to follow their dreams can be challenging.

What can artists learn from their entrepreneurial cousins?

Artists can learn to leverage the many resources available to remove the burdens of doing business as an independent artist.

Do you agree that artists are entrepreneurs?

Yes I believe that artists are somewhat entrepreneurs in the sense that they are innovative and are essentially able to make money from what they choose to design.

Which of the 12 characteristics of artists do you agree with?

I agree that artists are humanist, craftspeople, storytellers, holistic, interdisciplinary thinkers, and that artists are passionate about their work.

What would you add to the list?

I would add that artists are somewhat perfectionists towards their work. They know what looks good and they don’t quit until their work looks the way they intended.

Part 2:

Do you have grit, or is this something you need to work on?

Yes I have grit, but not as much as I would like to have.

Something you could do to increase grit level.

I could become grittier than I already am by setting more goals and doing my best to achieve them. I could also benefit from becoming more organized and using my time more wisely.