Matthew Colon's ePortfolio

A City Tech OpenLab ePortfolio

Video Project

https://mega.nz/file/MgMVVILZ#LgG2kGnxmiIkhc6mDqpQiJbX0Kh2-KsSOqKWK6CrFxE

Doing this assignment I’ve learned various things. The biggest takeaway from this assignment was learning how to tell a story in under a minute. I had many ideas on what I wanted to make but they all seemed inefficient in communicating my art style(a focus of mine). At first, I wanted to do a small bio then talk about my art and philosophy but I didn’t have any specific ideas.  I decided to showcase some of my previous work which shows a style that I prefer, and also the music and effects that are added convey a specific art style that I am interested in(grunge/vintage). This project helped me practice using visuals and sound to tell a story.

Finding a song/instrumental was hard to find because the song sets the mood, which is why I found a song then started the project. That is something that I learned, that music is an amazing tool that elicits emotion when used correctly.

When creating this project I ran into moments where I would add too many effects, it became unbearable to watch. I realized that too many effects make the video seem amateur and that sometimes less is more. In order to successfully tell a story, I learned that there must be a balance between effects, audio, and images.

Field Trip Report

On Monday, the class and I visited the online Nassau Museum and took a look at the blue exhibition. While viewing the exhibition 3 artworks that I resonated with were:

  1. Katsushika Hokusai(Japanese.b.1760-1834). Shicirigahama in Sagami Province, which is from the 36 views of Mount Fuji. 14.5×9.5 inches. This artwork is made from color woodblock print. Shichirigahama in Sagami Province (SƍshĆ« Shichirigahama), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjĆ«rokkei), Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1760–1849 Tokyo (Edo)), Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan What I really like about this artwork is the different hues of the color blue, but it all comes together to evoke an emotion of tranquility(for me). I like how the darkest hue of blue doesn’t take all the attention away from the rest of the content in the artwork. It is very balanced which is possibly why I get that feeling of tranquility. In this artwork, the negative space adds further to the design because it gives each of the different hues its own space. ————————————————————————————————————–
  2. James Casebere(American,b.1953) Blue House on Water #2,2018,Edition 3/5. 60.5×47. James’s artwork is actually a photo that confused me because I thought it was a 3d model and rendered. James Casebere | Minneapolis College of Art and DesignThis art piece seems very surreal and abstract. I think it’s because of how geometrical the house is and then it clashes with the water(the shadows play a huge part as well). The house is light blue, the ocean is dark blue, and the sky is similar to the hue of the house but it seems as if a storm is forming. A huge aspect of what made this artwork stick out to me is the yellow chimney and the dark orange staircase. I think the chimney was added because it correlates with the topic of climate change and its effects.
  3. Alex Ferrone, On the Shore.  Aerial Photography.                  This artwork caught my eye because when I first saw it I thought it was a painting at first. Alex’s photograph captures nature in a way that I haven’t seen before, it seems very abstract. But after looking at it for a while I started to notice what the image truly is. It reminds me of an illusion even though it is a photograph taken from a helicopter. The hue of the blue creates an emotion of relaxation and the smooth texture of the sand adds to that.  Going on an online field trip was a new experience but I have no complaints. I’m starting to favor online field trips because, in my opinion, you see so many more artworks in a small amount of time. A huge drawback is that it’s through a screen, so you don’t get to experience the texture of the canvas and really see how the painting works with the texture. Also, the lighting/color may be very different. Since I am seeing the artwork through a screen it is going through the RGB signals of the monitor which can alter the color or even the feeling of the artwork.

Visual Quote Project

For this design I wanted it to be abstract but at the same time easy to read and understand. I was also inspired by David Carson’s work, here is an example.

Stylistically I wanted the design to be something new and vibrant which would contrast well with the word that is abandoned. I wanted the first 5 words to be seen, and the word abandoned to be lower in the hierarchy. The ripping design at the bottom corner is supposed to represent the act of abandonment, its signifying that the design was abandoned and never improved upon. This leads to the word “abandoned”, the word is greyed out to contrast itself from the rest of the words that are busy with color. I also made it that everything else besides “abandoned” had a feeling of motion in them. That is why some are tilted, some are bigger or smaller than others, it is all to give it a feeling of dynamism(I also did it so that a creates a focal point). The design choice also creates a sort of distinction between the static “abandoned”. For this poster, I used text that is similar to a ransom note because the designs are intricate and very different from something that is abandoned.

PDF: MatthewColon_visualquotev1

Second Visual Quote:

 For this design I wanted it to be simplistic because I wanted to allude to Leonardo da Vinci’s other quote which is “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. It is also why I chose a sans serif font, it is very minimalistic but compliments the design. In order to communicate some sort of abandonment, I went with the last few letters falling. This is because when you think of something being abandoned it’s usually falling apart, so I wanted to demonstrate that. I did not use any reference for this design but it is pretty simplistic.  In terms of hierarchy, I wanted the word abandoned to be most noticed first which is why I had some of the letters seem as if they are falling. Putting the name Leonardo da Vinci in between the b and d of abandoned was a design choice. Since the word is red it would help attract the viewer’s eyes toward the word abandoned. To achieve the focal point I used movement and color(red).

PDF:MatthewColon_visualquote2

Third Visual Quote:

For this design I wanted to do something that was a modern-looking graphic design, this is because I wanted to show that style has evolved and wasn’t abandoned. That is why I used a sans serif font(it is simplistic and basic), and a minimal color palette. Also since Leonardo da Vinci’s era, style and designs have kept on changing in many different ways. I was inspired by Constructivist posters. Here is a reference.

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 What I saw in this poster is 1) few colors 2)Bold text 3)abstract. So in my work what I tried to create was a text that was bold and stood out against the rest.  In order to create a focal point for my poster, I made the text 3d because it takes up more negative space whilst adding depth. It also coincides with my thoughts of having the viewers read the quote first. To attribute Leonardo I used a black diagonal line because it adds a form of movement, keeping the poster busy and energetic. 

Conclusion: The visual quotes all differ from each other because I visualized different ways something could be considered “abandoned”. A huge difference is that in the third design I did not want to communicate abandonment but instead, something that seems polished and well-rounded. The other pieces have some sort of abandonment in them(1st design for example). In the first design, most of the text is vibrant and has some sort of movement, the scales also vary. However, the word abandoned has a somber mood, it is mostly all the same size besides the a, and also isn’t very dynamic. There are some rips added to the letters of “abandoned” but it is only to add to the mood of abandoning an idea. The second image is supposed to be simplistic, the focal point for the viewer should be the letters ‘falling’ down. 

MatthewColon_visualquote3

 

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