Portfolio Week Two

Concertina Book

  

I chose this concertina book because I found it different from all of the other ones that I have seen off of Google.  This concertina book caught my attention because of the amount of details that were placed into this. On the website that followed this image it said that the concertina book was created by a person who goes by the name of Kyoko but the website didn't give a last name to the artist. The book looks to be about ten pages long not including the front cover and the back cover of the book. The cut out images on the pages shows nature and some of the animals that are apart of nature.

Portfolio Week One

"Tatau"

An artist book that I decided to write about is called "Tatau." Tatau is a book that is based on the traditional Samoan tattoo designs, the ones that are worthy of having it and the artists that create that body art master pieces. The photographs in the book are taken by Mark Adams, the essays in the book were written by Sean Mallon, Peter Brunt and Nicholas Thomas. One of the main well known artist in the book is Sulu'ape Paulo II who is the pre-eminent figure of modern Samoan Tattooing. The images are photos that Mark Adams photographed while the tattoo artist would go to work or of the Samoan people exposing their tattoos so people can see the importance of the traditional tattoos. I believe that this book is important for the upcoming Samoan tattoo artists because this book explains just how important the tattoos are for not only the Samoan men but the Samoan women as well.

 The Sogaimiti is the traditional tattoos that the Samoan chiefs are blessed with. I say blessed with because it is a blessing to be able to receive such a tattoo which is why it is disrespectful to show it off in a way that's not acceptable. This also goes for all of the women who want to get a Malu or already have one. People in this generation now get the tattoos done just for public presentation but don't take the time to find out the meaning behind the tattoos that they receive. The Malu is a tattoo for the Samoan women that represents them as a protector of not only their family but their village as well. In the Samoan tradition family, religion and the place where your family is from are the most important qualities there are. Which is why every person that receives a Malu or a Sogaimiti should be respectful and keep it covered, the only time that it is acceptable is during the traditional Samoan where it is required to show your skin. I believe that this book explains the importance of all of that which is why I decided to write about this book for my Portfolio Blog.

Time, Space and Motion Week Six

"LA Light"

I chose to do my last blog on this video I found off of vimeo called "LA Light" because as I watched the video it brought back memories from my past when my parents and I used to live in LA. Most of the shots done in the video were wide shots and extreme wide shots. There were also quite a few panning shots into the video as well but not much. The video was in a time lapse motion through out most of the time till it got towards the end. The clip starts off with an extreme wide shot zooming in, then it cuts to a wide shot of the city with a couple of different angles. The video is mostly made up of wide shots showing parts of the city and its lights, the video also ends off in a similar way that it begins with the extreme wide shot which then dips to black as a final closing to the video. 

Time, Space and Motion Week Five

"WEENO"

I chose to do my week five blog on WEENO because he has a variety of usage in the way that he represents color in his artwork. When people think about graffiti they usually just see it as a destruction to private property or just a jumbled up image of weirdly formed letters. Some people don't take the type to stand back and take in the artwork for what it is worth. Watching this video you begin to get a time lapse version of how much work it takes to do a single piece of graffiti on the wall. Using a whole variety of colors just to make your piece stand out from all the rest and to also make it last forever. Another reason why I chose to do my Color Blog on graffiti is because I've always been fascinated by the way graffiti artists are able to create their own type of fonts. I found it fascinating because there aren't many people that are able to take the alphabet and mold it into a font that has a bit of their personality into it.

Time, Space and Motion Week Four

"Andy Warhol"

Andy Warhol is a well known artist who not only does pop art but also uses repetition in his work quite often. Repetition is the action of repeating that has already been said or written, but in this case it would be painted or drawn. I decided to place the image of his Marilyn Monroe artwork because when I searched his name under Google the results showed a majority of Marilyn Monroe's photo as a repetition art piece. Another reason why I decided to use Andy Warhol is because even though he uses repetition its not a constant repetition, what I mean by that is he doesn't keep the image completely the same in most of his work. The photo that I have as apart of this blog is a strong example of what I mean, he used the same Marilyn Monroe pose but in each photo the hair color is different, along with the background and makeup.

Time, Space and Motion Week Three

"The V Motion Project"

The V motion project is a video that displays the way that technology can be used as a machine. The video shows the people using a machine that responds to their movement that creates music. This type of technology seems like an advanced and entertaining way of creating music, not only are you able to fully be involved into the production of the music but you also get to have fun with it as well. The video itself can catch the attention of anyone because of the way it is captured, wide view shots, close up shots and panning views.
 The reason why I found this machine to be interesting enough to write about over all of the
other machines is because of the way it is used to create music. The world is used to seeing the music control the dancers but in this case it is the complete opposite. The machine gives the dancer the opportunity to not only create but also control the music themselves. Although it seems as if this is the first of its kind there already seems to be many people interested in it which could lead to an increase on the number of machines that are created and used.

Time Space and Motion Week Two

It's Paper

It's paper is a stop motion video of different ways people travel and the reason why I decided to use this video for the journey part of my blog is because being able to create these pieces with details, then using the pieces to create a film is a long and hard journey on its own. Another way that you can see journey in this clip is by watching the cars in traffic, the people walking around, along with the planes and the helicopter departing the paper airport.

In the beginning of the short clip the video goes from a blackout to a circle slowly exposing what the video truly is about, which is the vehicles made out of paper traveling on the road. The first camera shot technique that they use is the "zoom," they use the zoom shot by starting off as a close up zooming out into a wide shot camera view. The wide shot camera view then cuts into a very wide shot camera view once the scene changes. Then after the scene changes again it shows a panning technique as it goes into a close up. 

Time Space and Motion Week One

Art Involving The Traffic Theme

 

I chose to write my blog about this piece of work because i found it interesting as to how someone can take an ordinary well known, often seen object and form it into something humorous for not only the enjoyment of the artist or children but also to enlighten the mood of most adults. When I clicked on the image to get further knowledge on the art piece itself it didn't quite mention the person behind it, instead the person who wrote about it mentioned a man named Peter Gibson. Peter Gibson is well known for his effect on to the public through his art work as apart of road work. 

 

This is an example of Peter Gibson's work. He took a ordinary pedestrian crosswalk and turned it into a washed out fish. When I look as his work I see it as a push for imagination and by that what I mean is when you look at his work compared to how the spot is normally supposed to look like it makes you think outside of the box and see things that no one else would normally see. People look at a pedestrian crosswalk as just thick lines symbolizing that it is in fact a crosswalk but Gibson looks at it and sees something completely different such as the washed out fish.

Jewellery Week 6

BELLE EPOQUE Lioness Ring Gold Opal H: 1.3 cm (0.51 in)  Marks: Eagle's head & indistinct maker's mark French, c.1900 Ring Case Literature: cf. The Belle Epoque of French Jewellery 1850-1910

 

I found this jewellery fascinating because of the stone that is placed in the middle. The stone is what I believe is the most captivating part of the whole ring itself. Once you get past the stone then you'll begin to notice the details of the animals surrounding the stone.

 This truly stunning three-quarter inch wide bracelet dates back to the early decades of the twentieth century - circa 1910-1920. The platinum bracelet centers on a glowing 2.75 carat round cabochon emerald that briefly interrupts a sparkling row of bright-white European-cut diamonds which, along with the two diamonds in the center section, total 4.00 carats.

 

I found this jewellery truly captivating because of the color of the stones as well and the fine details that surround the stone. 

 

Mary Queen of Scots’ Watch: Large SKULL WATCH given by the Queen to Mary Seton. The forehead of the skull is engraved with a figure of death between a palace and a cottage, and a quotation in Latin meaning ‘pale death visits with impartial foot the cottages of the poor and the castles of the rich’ (Horace). The skull is held upside down and the jaw lifted to read the silver dial. The hour is struck on a bell. Made by Moyant A Blois (1570-90). The escapement is unfortunately a CONVERSION to lever.
The skull is of silver gilt and is engraved with lines of Horace, figures of Death with his scythe and hourglass, Adam and Eve, and the Crucifixion. The lower part of the skull is pierced to emit the sound when it strikes, being cut in the form of emblems of the Crucifixion. The works occupy the brain’s position in the skull fitting into a silver bell which fills the entire hollow of the skulL The hours are struck on this bell by a small hammer on a separate train..
The case is opened by dropping the under jaw, which turns upon a hinge, while the watchworks occupy the place of the brain.

Likely one of the earliest examples of horological “Memento Mori” (artistic reminders of ones mortality).
The original engraved dial with 18th century modified to a balance-spring movement by J. Moysan of Blois, France.  via The Seaton Family

 

I found the information of the skull off of Tumblr ( http://indigenousdialogues.tumblr.com/post/13713082659/bloodmilk-mary-queen-of-scots-watch-large ). I found this skull fascinating because although its just plain steel it was still able to capture my eyes and have me take the time to look at it and focus on the details that the skulls withholds. In my opinion the skull seems to represent life in a way. When you think of skulls you think of death, people who have been gone for a long amount of time. When you think of flowers connected to vines you think of life and how precious each part is. Then when you read the information that I copy and pasted onto the blog you'll also read that the skull is actually a watch, which to me represents the time that you have meaning your biological clock. Life and Death the two important things that people seem to always take for granted while the time continues to move along. Time waits on no man and people seem to forget that because their too focused on taking life seriously instead of just living each day as if it was their last. I always give my opinions on pieces from other artists even if my opinion might be fully off from what the artist was trying to put out there to the people because everyone's different and so we all think differently.

Jewellery this term was an interesting and difficult task for me. Although it was fun to create things from scratch especially plastics to make our jewellery recyclable I can't quite find myself becoming a jeweler. I can't find myself becoming a jeweler because of the fact that I don't have much patience when it comes to being delicate with an object that you are working with. Drawing is completely different from jewellery because with drawing if you make a mistake you can almost always take it back but with jewellery if you make a mistake you most likely have to start from the beginning all over again. Jewellery is a fascinating thing to be apart of it's just that I'm not the type to have patience with it or the type to start all over on something that could have consumed a lot of time already. This term was a good experience being able to see how a jeweler works and what they have to deal with it really makes you appreciate whoever made the pieces of jewellery that you wear today.

 

Jewellery Week 5

"Mark Vaarwerk"

Mark Vaarwerk is a Jeweller that people like to call a "super cycler" because

he creates his jewellery from plastics and found objects that he considers fascinating.

542 × 375 - kitandcaboodle.com.au

 

 

This is one of his work that I found fascinating because it reminds me of my childhood. The bracelet reminds me of my childhood because of the wire that he used to create the bracelet. The wire that he used reminds me of the wire that is usually connected to a telephone, the type of telephones from back in the days. The type that people would have as their house phones before the portable ones came out. 

 

This is a photo of the type of phone that I was talking about, the old fashion plugged into the wall type of telephones.

Photography Blog 4

"Fresh Gallery"

During our visit to the Fresh Gallery in Otara I found many pieces that were contributed in the exhibition fascinating. One of the many pieces that caught my eye was a piece that looked screen printed on to a canvas like paper. It was a transformer like the cartoon but had a cultural twist to it. I found that certain piece fascinating because I always take common well known cartoons and give it a twist by adding my culture to it.

This is just an example of what I mean when I say cultural twist. It's basically taking an image that is well known by many people including the kids and adding some of your own culture into it to make it your own in a way. Like in this drawing, I drew Tarzan and Jane. I made Tarzan Tongan and Jane Samoan to show the combining of the two cultures that always seem to be at war with one another. This drawing is basically just to show that the two cultures are able to get along some people just aren't that open minded sometimes especially when it comes to the hardships of the past between cultures. 

How can Photography be used to represent a community? I felt as if this video is enough to answer this question. http://www.ted.com/talks/jr_s_ted_prize_wish_use_art_to_turn_the_world_inside_out.html

Photography Blog 3

"W. Eugene Smith"

I chose to do my third blog on W. Eugene Smith because when I look at his photos he seems

to have a variety of different ways he takes his photos. Some are playful and fun while others may be serious and down to the point but in most of his photos I noticed that he sticks to the black and white effect which I honestly believe brings out the story behind the photos more than it would in color. 

This photo is my favorite photo from W. Eugene Smith. I'm not quite sure why this photo became more eye captivating then all of his other photos maybe it was the his smile or the fact that I found this image to be both pleasing and horrifying. Horrifying because I have a weird phobia towards clowns but once I took the time to actually take in the full image I noticed that the clown isn't as terrifying as I made him seem. I believe that when you actually take some time out to view another persons work you begin to see more than what you saw at a quick glance. It's almost like the saying, "never judge a book by its cover." After taking the time out to view this image properly I began to think about the clowns profession how he's meant to please kids by entertaining them and making them laugh. I realised that being a clown might not be everyone's dream job but just by the smile he has in the photo he makes it seem as if its the best profession out there to be apart of. Not only does he get to bring joy to children but he also gets joy out of it by seeing the children laugh and enjoy themselves. He's a great example of someone who loves doing his job instead of being apart of a profession just for the finances instead of your personal reasons to enjoy what you do. 

This image is an example of his more serious photographs. When I first looked at the photo I automatically thought about the United States, California to be more specific. Although there are many times when I tell people here in New Zealand that California isn't that bad its actually a lot worse than how it is out here. In my opinion I believe that it's all about where you're brought up at. It's not the whole state of California that's dangerous just some places there, Compton is the main area that everyone seems to know about. The states came to mind when I saw this photo because it reminds me of all the older guys I used to see trying to teach the younger boys how to run the streets. Then I took a longer look at the photo and thought about the Military. The Military came to mind because to me it seems as if the man in the photo is a soldier that recently came back from fighting for his country and has time to spend with his new born. It looks as if he uses the time that he has to spend with his new born teaching him how to use a gun. Some people may think bad of this because it is just a baby but others like myself may think of it in another perspective that represents him getting his son ready to do what he might have to do one day which is one of two things maybe even both. Protect his family incase the father is lost at war or protect his country following in the footsteps that his father has already created for him. I think positively about the photos because I grew up with the army through my uncles and cousins so it only makes sense that a father would want his son to be prepared to protect his family or his country just as the father has done. 

After viewing many other photos I realised that the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" is actually beyond true. Looking back at my blog I can see that my opinion towards the photos change as the time I spend on each of the photo increases. Some people might not understand what I'm saying about photography but to be able to understand things myself and seeing the importance of photography is just fascinating to me. 

Photography Blog 2

"Mark Adams"

I chose to do use Mark Adams photos for my blog entry because of the fact that he

was able to capture moments that are considered to be precious moments for the people that are apart of my culture. Most of the photos that I have attached onto this blog are photos that I found off of Google but also remember seeing in a book called "Tatau." The photos are all based on people receiving a tattoo, a tattoo that remains sacred to the Samoan people. 

This photo shows a man who has a Sogamiti but hasn't completed it. A Sogaimiti is a traditional tattoo for the Samoan men which is mainly received by the Chiefs of the family. Receiving the Sogaimiti is a long on going process that is taken seriously amongst our people along with the Malu. A Malu is a traditional tattoo for the Samoan Women. It represents that the women is not only the protector of her family but her whole village as well. Looking at the photos taken by Mark Adams shows that the Sogaimiti and the Malu are more than just a tattoo used for decoration, it's a tattoo that is cherished and sacred. I believe that when others are viewing his photos they can also tell that the ink isn't just for decoration or show. There's more to it meaning once you take a glance at his work you can tell that there's a story that lies behind each photo, even if the photos are just of men getting their Sogaimiti because every man is different and so are the reasons for them getting it done. 

Week 4: Jewellery and Me

"New Zealand Jeweller

The New Zealand jeweller that I chose found interesting is Andrea Daly. 

When I searched Andrea Daly's name into Google I found this website (http://themultitude-contemporarynzjewellery.blogspot.co.nz/2009_07_01_archive.html) that held some information on the New Zealand jeweller. On the website it states that Andrea Daly is a practicing jeweller who works from her own studio and is a Partner in Fingers Jewellery Gallery. Fingers Jewellery Gallery website is where I located Andrea Daly's work along with many other jewellers. Daly is also known to be involved in teaching on numerous night courses, weekend workshops and guest lecturer sports as well as being a lecturer at Manukau Institute of Technology in the Visual Arts Degree Course. She now lectures Jewellery Design on the Hungry Creek Visual Arts Diploma and works in her studio. I found the coke cola can roses fascinating because of the fact she was able to take an ordinary object that people wouldn't normally see as something exquisite and creating an extraordinary rose out of an object that gets no recognition. Forming a new life from an object that has been around for decades is a mind boggling moment when you take the time out to think about it.

Jewellery Week 3

"M is For Mary"

"M is For Mary" is a brooch that was created in 2001 by a Maori jeweller who was

born in Rotorua. "The brooch is a oval silver brooch with an laminated inset depicting Mary. Mary appears to hold a McDonald's shape M in her hands. The M is cut into the laminated insert to reveal the silver backing."- http://ourspace.tepapa.com/media/3973. The materials for the brooch are fine silver, laminated card, and stainless steel wire. After placing her name into Google to find more information on Matchitt I found a site that carried plenty of information on Gina Matchitt. The website that I was able to locate more information on Matchitt is http://www.ginamatchitt.com/content.html?page=1. This website withholds information about her studies, her other art works and the museums that you can find her work at. 

"The Lovers" Rene Magritte [ richard ]

"The Lovers"

The lovers is an oil painting created by Rene Magritte in 1928. It was this image

that I found more fascinating then the others because it was this painting that I found eye captivating and mysterious to the point where I felt I was obligated to do research on the painting. I tried to research the meaning of the painting and only found that everyone has their own opinion on the meaning to this painting, meanings that the artist himself doesn't agree with. After reading all of the passages that I found from many different websites off of Google I realized that there were two main interpretations on the painting from everyone that tried to interpret the piece on their own. 

The main interpretation that I kept finding was the fact that everyone thinks Magritte

was trying to show the audience that "Love is Blind." Numerous amount of people believe that Magritte was trying to prove that love is blind through this painting because of the veils that both the man and woman have placed over their heads. They took as because the face of the man and woman are covered and they can't see one another it doesn't effect the emotions that they feel and to seal it with a kiss is another reason why they believe that this painting is about loving someone causes you to be blind. 

On the other hand, some people say that the reason why Magritte covered their faces

is because he could be traumatized from his childhood. They say that it because his mother committed suicide when he was still a child. Her body was recovered from the river in 1912 when Magritte was only 13 years of age. When they found his mothers body apparently her night gown was wrapped around her head hiding her face which is why they say he could be traumatized or that his painting could just be a piece he wanted to do in memory of his mother.

 When it comes to my interpretation on the painting it becomes a mixture of
what I have read from others opinions and my own opinion. The painting to me shows that love can be blind because when you're working on being in a relationship the person that you are talking to doesn't just fully unveil themselves at that particular moment in time. Even when you are in a relationship some people still don't know everything about their significant other. I also gathered that looking at this painting some people would love one another past death or until their dying days.

There are many ways that you can interpret this painting and I can continue on for days but these are just some that I came across and thought of on my own.

Jewellery Week 2

"The Kayan Women"  

  

 I chose to do my blog on the Kayan women of Northern Thailand because of the

brass coils that they wear around their necks. The Kayan women usually receive their first set of brass coils at the age of 5. The set weighs about 4 1/2 pounds, then slowly new rings are added. Researching about the brass coils that the Kayan women wear helped me grasp a better understanding on their traditions. The main thing that I found interesting is the fact that the Kayan women do not have their necks elongated. As the weight of the coils press down, the clavicle is lowered, and with each addition to the neck rings it falls further, compressing the rib cage as well. The shoulders finally fall away to give the appearance of an elongated neck. 

Jewellery Week 1

Art Nouveau Coral and Pearl Necklace

This image is a photo of a necklace from the 1900s that I found on a site called "Pinterest".

The materials that are being incorporated on to the necklace are 14 karat yellow gold, 1 round cut coral, 6 tooth and roundish freshwater pearls and 1 round button natural pearl. The measurements of the necklace is 6.18 x 9.50 x 0.00 mm. The necklace to me seems as if it's just for decoration, making a fashion statement type of decoration. 

Manipulating the Image Conclusion

"Manipulating The Image Conclusion"

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time," Thomas Merton. When you look back at all the work that you've done you begin to realise just how lost you can get when you're working on a piece that you find interesting. I can honestly say that I have gained and experienced many new things this term. From working with text and numerous amount of fonts there are in the world to screen printing, one of the many things I have never tried until now. There were difficult times during this course when I thought that I could catch up with my work but once I understood what needed to be done I began to work harder and more efficiently. Out of everything that we have done this term I believe the task that i found to be the most challenging was the screen printing. Screen Printing was a challenge to be because of the long process that you have to go through like washing your screens, making sure you don't mix up the inks and then having to be careful when you're drying you screens to make sure you don't burn holes into it. Although everything was a long process I can actually see myself doing more of it. The "Manipulating The Image" course is by far my favorite course so far and I can't wait to see what else is in store for next semester once we begin Photography and Jewellery. 

Manipulating the Image Week 5

The task this week was just to come up with ideas to create posters for the Grounded theme that has been going around at the creative arts center at MIT lately. Grounded is basically creating sustainable art, meaning art that won't harm the economy or making something that can be recyclable. We were told that we were going to screen print our posters meaning we would have to work with gray scale when we begin to work on our images in Photoshop.

The image above is the image that I created using Photoshop. The whole screen print isn't my design. My part on the design is everything in black and white, the pink flamingo is a drawing by one of the other students in my class Albert Taala Nili. I just borrowed his flamingo to collaborate with my lions to create a collage. The image that I placed at the bottom is the same image just with effects added on to it.

Manipulating The Image Week 3

This week we created our own handmade posters using transparent paper and brown paper. The goal of this assignment was just to make an image on a poster using text. I found this task exciting and difficult at the same time. Exciting because I love working with text and difficult because of the different ways that you can use the text to create an image.

The handmade poster that I created was one about beauty. I started off with just tracing the school girls face off of a magazine book that I had and then remembered one of my favorite and most famous quotes while I was working on this, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." I wanted to use this quote because with the way society is now it makes people feel like their not good enough for the world. What I mean by that is, people feel as if they have to look a certain way to be considered as beautiful or handsome. They watch the celebrities on the television and think that they have to look just like them to be known and seen as beautiful or handsome when in reality society is just messing with everyone's heads because everyone is beautiful in their own unique ways, if we were all meant to look the same then life would be boring. "If all the birds in the forest sang the same songs, then the forest would be quiet," a quote that I remember from an essay I had to write back in middle school to back up my thought on how everyone is meant to be different.

This image is my handmade poster just with some added effects to it. 

Sensing the Surface "Portrait Painting"

" Portraiture Painting "

One of the portrait paintings that caught my eyes was the portrait of Zack Klein by Peter Stichbury. I found his paintings interesting because of how he can paint the portraits of people flat. I realised that painting flat is a difficult task to accomplish, so to see him master flat painting in portrait amazes me. 

The other portrait that I found interesting is the portrait by Stephen Allwood. I found this portrait interesting because of how it's a portrait and a self portrait in one. In the pair of the mans glasses is the artist that painted this, Stephen Allwood.

Sensing the Surface "New Zealand Painting"

"New Zealand Painting"

The first art work off of the "New Zealand Painting" powerpoint that I found

fascinating is the work that John Pule did. The reason why I found this one fascinating is because of how much details there is in all of his paintings.

The second art work that I found alluring was the work

done by Seraphine Pick. I just found it interesting how she plays around with scale in her paintings and the the portraits she puts into her paintings.

After painting explained in my own words is basically just you painting your

response to a painting that you're looking at. It's just your part take in the art work, it's not like a Forgery where you just copy the image but where you take techniques or a certain piece in the painting that you like and make it your own.

Manipulating the Image Week 4

This week we focused on creating our own magazine cover. Although I do read magazines quite often I still found this task to be difficult. I found it difficult because I kept losing the concept of what we were supposed to be doing, which was to make an actual imitation of a magazine cover but with our own effects to it and using images of people that we actually know. Most of the magazines that we looked at had an issue number, the date the magazine was published, the title and main articles along with a main image on the cover. 

This magazine cover that I added into this blog is an example of what we were supposed to come up with. 

This image at the top of the passage that I'm writing is what I the cover that I created. Telesa is the name of a Samoan book series that I honestly can't stop reading by Lani Wendt Young. The man on the Cover is the man that represents Daniel Tahi one of the main characters in the book. 

Sensing The Surface "A Short History of Painting"

"A Short History of Painting"

The first image that caught my attention the most was the wood blockprint by Hokusai.
When I looked up the artist to find out what the name of the painting was I found out that the painting is called, "The Great Wave." I found this information on Wikipedia along with other information such as the date that the painting was published (between 1830 and 1833) and the fact that The Great Wave is his most famous work. The reason why this painting caught my eye is because I often get fascinated by the different type of art work in different cultures. In my own perspective I believe that the painting represents protection. I'm not quite sure what the waves are protecting but it does seem like its protecting a certain location trying to keep the boats from reaching that forbidden destination.

The other painting that I found pleasing during the Powerpoint presentation was 

"The Scream" by Edvard Munch. This painting was created between 1893 and 1910. The reason why this painting caught my eye is because i've seen the colored version of this art piece but to see it in black and white helps you see things that you might not have noticed before. When I saw the colored version all I saw was the man, the sky and the landscape but looking at it now in black and white I see that there's actually something in the water and that there are two people on the left side walking away together. My interpretation on this art work is that Edvard was portraying surprise, pain and the effects that love can cause. I said surprise because of the expression on the mans face is looks as if he's shocked and since his eyes are in the direction of the couple walking away I believe that he is in pain because of the way that he's looking at them as if that was his love that walked away with another man. I also mentioned the effects that love can have on you because looking at just the couple you wouldn't think about anyone but them until you see the man with the shocked expression on his face. The expression on his face is what makes me think that the woman left him for another man and caused him to lose his mind.

The first image is the image that I chose to do my forgery on and the image below it is a photo that was taken of some of the forgery's that the class did and the Roy Litchenstein forgery that I did of the woman in the mirror. I found this task difficult because it was my first time painting but it was a great experience and I can say that I have truly learned from it.

Manipulating the Image Week 2

This week we went more into posters by trying to break down the posters even more with the images and the text that are applied onto the posters that we received. We were also told to look up a poster on the internet and write down everything that we can get from looking at it.

The poster that i chose to do my research on is a poster about the 2nd Annual Island Reggae Festival. I chose this poster because this was the event that i wanted to attend before i moved out here to New Zealand because i enjoyed the first Island Reggae Festival. The poster states all the information that is needed besides the price of the tickets because the prices varied , it all depended on when you bought the tickets. If you bought the tickets before hand then they were $30 , if you bought them at the door they were $50 but i got in for free because the company that i worked for back in the states is linked to Rude Bwoy Entertainment which is named as one of the hosts for the event. The Festival is being held at an amusement park called Great America , looking at the name you can't tell that its an amusement park which is why they put a picture of the amusement park into the posted but just decreased the opacity of the image so that it can blend into the background. 

Manipulating The Image Week One

This week we learned what a poster is. I looked up the definition of a post on Wikipedia and read that a poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall. When the class was asked to come up with our own definition of a poster we came up with a poster being a way of combining text and image to convey information. They could be used for many purposes such as events , safety , learning , information , festivals , movies , etc. We even looked up some old posters and then tried to make our own afterwards. I actually found this activity to be manageable because writing in different a different font is what i do more than drawing. For my poster i took the original poster "Keep Calm and Carry On" and changed it to say "Keep Calm and Date a Samoan" to make it a little humorous. 

Drawing From Nature Week 7

This week we were supposed to find someone that works in the same area that we are basing our series on. I couldn't find an actual artist but there is a website that i found that involves everything that my series is heading towards and its endlesscanvas.com which is basically just the different type of graffiti work done in the bay area part of California.

I found this to be one of my favorite pieces because not everyone believes that graffiti can also be a form of art not just the tagging of letters. No one truly see's graffiti for what it truly is, when someone hears the word 'graffiti' they automatically think about the tagging they see around their neighborhoods. I grew up around that type of graffiti but also around amazing work that will always remain with me because of the details that the artist was able to input on the piece.

Drawing From Nature Week 6

This week we were just working on our individual projects by ourselves. So all i did was just continue to research the different meaning of animals.

I looked up the meaning of owl's and found out that owl's symbolize:

• intelligence
• brilliance
• perspective
• intuition
• quick-wit
• independence
• wisdom
• protection
• mystery
• power

The first picture is a done in pen and the picture next to it is in charcoal.

Drawing From Nature Week 5

This week i believe is when we started discussing our individual projects. I chose to do tattoo's at first but my niece lost the work that i did. The tattoos that i was planning on drawing were the common animal tattoos that people get because of the meaning that the animal upholds.

This was the first drawing that i did for the tattoo series. When i first drew the wolf i planned on just leaving it alone but when i searched up the meaning of a wolf i learned that they actually represent a companion, someone that stays faithful to you and also a guardian. When i read the guardian part i thought about my dad and so thats what the name is on the banner, Muliau is my dads name.

Learning Success Week 8

This week we went out to look around for any objects that can make the form of a letter or find letters laying around to create our name or initials. We went out in groups and so i went with Grace outside to the car park, the halls and the library to look for any letters in our names. I decided to make it more of a challenge by doing my whole name instead of just doing my initials. Another way that i made this activity more of a challenge was by looking for objects that formed the letters i needed, abstract art is what you could call it.

This is the monogram that i made of the photos i took yesterday. I pasted the pictures in the same order as my name, Samantha. 

This is a collage i made on photoshop that combines all the pictures i took that creates both my first and last name, Samantha Sailiata. I actually found this assignment to be my favorite one because of the fact that it makes you look at the common objects of the world closely to see what else they can form. Another reason why i found this assignment to be my favorite is because i love photography just as much as i love drawing and being able to use photography in our assignment made it interesting especially using Photoshop to enhance most of the pictures i took.

I actually learned a lot through out this term from both Learning Success and Drawing From Nature. Not only was it a good opportunity to meet new people but it was also a great opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone and try new things. The main learning experience that i found the most interesting through this course would have to be Photoshop. I never used Photoshop before until i started this course and come to find out i am actually good at working with it. I think the main reason why i found Photoshop interesting the most is because of the fact that we got to use the computer for these assignments. when i first started thinking about what i wanted to be career wise i thought about becoming a computer technician because i get into building things more then drawing them. Also because i like learning and trying new things and with computers and the technology of the world it changes everyday meaning you have to learn something new everyday.

Learning Success Week 7

This week we mostly talked about Crests, Logos, and Monograms. I searched up the definition for 'family crest' on Google and the definition that i received was, "A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head" but in my own definition i would describe a crest as a symbolic piece that represents your family's story or history."A symbol or other small design adopted by an organisation to identify its products, uniform, vehicles, etc: "the Olympic logo" this is the definition that i received off of Google when i looked up the word "Logo". Monogram to me is just a combination of two or more letters almost portraying an image with just those letters. 

I added this picture to my blog because i wanted to show the Logo's that are well known to me. The "Poly Movement" is basically a joining of the different polynesian islands to work together without any conflict whatsoever. The "TokoUso" logo that is on the hoodie that Chris Brown is wearing is basically another movement it's the joining of the Tongans and the Samoans. Back then the Tongans and the Samoans always had conflicts with one another and even to this day there are still many conflicts going around between Samoans and Tongans. The TokoUso logo is supposed to represent the collaboration of them, everyone basically started knowing about the TokoUso movement when a Polynesian artist came out with his album "The Poly Tape" which was one of the only albums that involved both the Tongans and the Samoans collaborating together to make music. 

The pictures on the left are just some Monograms that i created using Photoshop. On all three of them i kept the letter F the same because i liked the way that it looked and because the F was the first letter that i experimented on using the 3D tool. Making monograms on photoshop seemed to be easier than drawing them with pen and string. I found the string activity difficult because i wasn't able to get it the way that i wanted to but just left it as it was. Even though my string drawing of the monogram didn't come out as i had hoped i still had fun working on it, i find making objects a little more entertaining and challenging then drawing sometimes.