Artwork: Photo Manipulation
Exhibition Text
This piece was inspired by the artist Felicia Simion. When I found her Magrittean Immersions series I was drawn to it because of the simplistic look. As well Simions works follows a similar theme of my work, how humans interact with their environments.
Untitled showcases a figure interacting with their surrounding environment, with no interference of man made objects. The aim of my piece is to convey the overlooked relationship of humans and their environments.
Untitled showcases a figure interacting with their surrounding environment, with no interference of man made objects. The aim of my piece is to convey the overlooked relationship of humans and their environments.
Inspiration
Felicia Simion, Magrittean Immersions series (piece 1).
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Felicia Simion, Magrittean Immersions series (piece 2).
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Simions is a lens based artist. When creating a work she hopes to capture a small moment of time that balances on the line of reality and fantasy. The particular images I chose are apart of a larger series called Magrittean Immersions. Within this particular series there are some key factors that shape this series. The most noticeable of these elements is nature. Almost all of the pieces in this series are entirely made up of nature. The second most noticeable element with in this series is the figure that appear. However the figures in each piece appear to be more apart of nature rather then just being a person. The idea behind this series is to have the viewers reflect on not only themselves but the effect they have of the world/environment around them. Simions captures this idea in this series by physically putting the figures outside in nature while the figures are taking on elements of nature. Another noticeable element of this series is the positioning of the figures. In this whole series the figures are placed in the middle of the pieces. This is done to draw more emphasis on the figure which adds emphasis on the aim of this series.
Planning
My first sketch I mainly took inspiration from Magrittean Immersions piece 1. This sketch depicts a figure standing in the middle of a peaceful nature background. However I felt that this sketch did not relate to both pieces of my inspiration. I however did learn from this sketch I wanted the background to consist of pine trees.
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Again the second sketch pictured a figure standing in nature. However inside the figure there is a smaller replica on the inside of them. Again I ran into the problem of the sketch relating to Magrittean Immersions piece 1. However compared to sketch one I preferred this sketch.
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With my last sketch I took inspiration from Magrittean Immersions piece 2. In that particular piece the background is a closer shot of brushes. I liked the idea of having a close up shot of the pine trees. The figure that appears in this sketch is the same one as in sketch two. Out of the three sketches I composed I liked this one the best. I decided that this is the sketch I would base my final piece off of.
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Experimentation
The most difficult part of this project for me was finding a background. I knew that in order to relate back to my inspiration it would have to be a natural landscape, with no man made objects in sight. I went to a few different locations but found that I liked the closeup shots compared to a image of a whole landscape.
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When editing the photo together I had to spend the most time on the figure. I found it difficult to get the proportions of the smaller figure to match the ones of the larger one. However in the end I found that it was easiest for me place the smaller figure inside the larger one before shrinking it down.
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Process
Reflection
Tough my piece is similar to my inspiration I believe I could have executed the project better. Looking at them side by side there many similarities, however I feel that I was unable to achieve the same level of immersion as Simions. The pieces by Simions insure the figures physically into the environment around them, compared to figure in my piece who seems to be in the environment. Even though I am not 100% happy with it I believe the project was successful. During the process of making my piece I was able to further develop my skill in editing while learning some new ones. If in the future I were to do this project again there are two main things I would change, one would be spending more time on the figure. With this I would work on making them appear to be physically apart of the environment. The second thing I would work on would be the background. I think that if the background was more open I would have had a higher success rate.
Compare & Contrast
Magrittean Immersions piece 1 & Untitled
Similarities:
- Both pieces utilize nature
- Both pieces utilize a human form positioned at the center of the pieces
- The figure that appears in both piece sis composed of multiple layers
Differences:
- The figure in untitled is closer to the foreground
- The figure in Magrittean Immersions piece 1 is physically apart of their environment
Magrittean Immersions piece 2 & Untitled
Similarities:
- Both pieces utilize nature
- Both pieces utilize a human figure at the center of the pieces
Differences:
- The figure in untitled in composed of multiple layers
- In Magrittean Immersions piece 2 the figure is physically apart of the piece
-In Magrittean Immersions piece 2 the background is a closer shot of nature compared to untitled
Similarities:
- Both pieces utilize nature
- Both pieces utilize a human form positioned at the center of the pieces
- The figure that appears in both piece sis composed of multiple layers
Differences:
- The figure in untitled is closer to the foreground
- The figure in Magrittean Immersions piece 1 is physically apart of their environment
Magrittean Immersions piece 2 & Untitled
Similarities:
- Both pieces utilize nature
- Both pieces utilize a human figure at the center of the pieces
Differences:
- The figure in untitled in composed of multiple layers
- In Magrittean Immersions piece 2 the figure is physically apart of the piece
-In Magrittean Immersions piece 2 the background is a closer shot of nature compared to untitled
ACT Response
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
My inspiration had heavy influence on the way I composed my piece. This can be seen especially in the actual structure of my piece, compared to my inspiration they have a similar setup.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Simions aims to capture a small moment in time with elements of fantasy integrated within it.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
One generalization I discovered is the relationship between people and nature is a highly overlooked one, often people overlook the effect they have on the environment.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
When searching for inspiration I looked for an artists that heavily included the human and nature relationship. Simions is able to do this while keeping the viewer engaged.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
An inference I was able to make about Simions work is she highly values the relationship people have with their surroundings. She creates heavy works that appear simple.
My inspiration had heavy influence on the way I composed my piece. This can be seen especially in the actual structure of my piece, compared to my inspiration they have a similar setup.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Simions aims to capture a small moment in time with elements of fantasy integrated within it.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
One generalization I discovered is the relationship between people and nature is a highly overlooked one, often people overlook the effect they have on the environment.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
When searching for inspiration I looked for an artists that heavily included the human and nature relationship. Simions is able to do this while keeping the viewer engaged.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
An inference I was able to make about Simions work is she highly values the relationship people have with their surroundings. She creates heavy works that appear simple.
Bibliography
“H O M E – Felicia Simion Photography.” View Your Shopping Cart, www.feliciasimionphotography.com/h-o-m-e/.