Author: Sage Gray (Page 2 of 2)

This photo sets the mood, at the CANDLE lit table, for high-key Campbell’s soup. The highlight and shadow mixture make for the perfect balance of tranquility. And though the focal point may be the front candle, exuding dominance with greater height, not to mention literally outshining the other, less bright candle hiding behind it, I feel the smaller candle is just as significant. Human beings wouldn’t be unable to make certain distinctions without contrast. How would you know that you’re tall, if you’ve never been around anyone shorter than you? If sunlight never existed, we’d all be in darkness…(and i’d sleep 100X more than I already do and fail at life). Contrast is important and I feel having the smaller candle behind the bigger one puts me at peace. Though the front candle may seem intimidating compared to the other, I also get a sense of protection from it. Almost as if it’s guarding or protecting the smaller candle. Now, I may not necessarily rejoice or become super happy when I see this photo at first glance but it does bring me to a calm peaceful place. And if you didn’t already know, it’s one of the best feelings a human being a experience.

The darker image on the other HAND, creates an entirely different recipe for value, with just a few low-KEY ingredients.  The specimen’s hand on the floor, which may or may not be mine, sets a perfect dark tone with a style of tenebrism. And shortly after capturing the photo, I was a bit taken aback by the naturally profound sense of loneliness it conveys. The flash from my camera light was able to unintentionally create a minor, yet essential, shadow and highlight relationship between the object and background. And I found the shadows creeping from under the hand and slightly towards it on the wooden floors really helped to translate an eerie atmosphere. Though, I do regret not shooting this at night so that the photo may have been composed with a much stronger Chiaroscuro. But at the same time, it makes me feel like whomever that hand belonged to could hold out for just a bit longer. Only to realize that this beautiful image, mainly engulfed in darkness, wouldn’t be visible without a little light.

This project served as a both a fundamental and essential lesson that shall permeate throughout my life. I felt as though it has been an aid in the rebirth of my imagination. Learning to see sounds opens a door to a new exciting world of imagination. Think, smelling colors, hearing scents, or in simple terms, Princess Jasmine on a magic carpet ride. Every lesson has the potential to expand your thoughts and broaden your way of thinking, including this one. It also taught me to not give up on myself so easily because Photoshop is so foreign to me. I am very appreciative for this learning experience.

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Here’s my beautiful animation

Hours worked:3

Hours worked: A lifetime (5 hrs)

The song of choice for this project is the critically acclaimed Disney 90’s classic, “I 2 I” by Tevin Campbell. The song starts out with faint romantic beats but is then abruptly taken over by an upbeat 80’s party staccato-like melody and a beautiful battle cry by Tevin Campbell (aka R&B sensation “Powerline” in the Goofy Movie) “YEA YEAAAA”!!

As for interpretation of the sounds. It’s a mixture of futuristic spacey, gospel 80’s goodness. I got up and danced taking several breaks in the middle of writing this because it’s just so darn catchy. In shape form, the very beginning made me visualize sound waves morphing into a looping triangular pattern from the looping bass. And after Powerline’s Yea Yea cry, I saw sharp straight lines circling around the paper and then I saw stars. I literally started drawing stars because the beat reminded me of outer space and the stars also translated very well with the beat.

I’m pleased to say that, though taught in a brief time, completing these projects have taught me how to readily distinguish obvious figures, being figures that stand out with an uneven ratio, to the ambiguous, figures that are not easily identified due to (usually) an equal balance of figures. I look forward to going to museums, looking at art and being able to comment on any obvious and negative figure lingo. This has opened up my perspective to art and my appreciation for it continues to grow, learning the language of art is definitely an experience!!

Links  to ph 1-3!

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/spevackcomd1100fa2017/2017/09/07/urban-artifacts-ph1/

https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/spevackcomd1100fa2017/2017/09/14/uran/ ‎

Hours worked:  1 hour and 34 min

This is my thumbnail sketch. Obvious on top, ambiguous bottom 🙂

Worked on this project for about 2 hours 🙂