Digital Influence

I created the images below to portray the idea of digital influence. The first depicts a women wearing sunglasses. I replaced the lenses with a screen shot of the Facebook log in page. The word "labeled" is written on the forehead as a way of calling attention to the digital social world. Many kids experience labels due to posts or comments they have made in the digital world. The second image is taken from renaissance artwork. The idea is to mix the old with new and to provoke thoughts on the age of technology. I added the cell phone and text to portray the idea of kids texting at the dinner table and the reaction that adults have.

"labeled"

"Its dinner time not texting time"

Working With Hue

Before

After

Hybrid

Our most recent project was to experiment with the scanner as a tool for art. From the scans that each student produced, we choose specific elements and combined them into one piece of artwork. This hybrid photo was created using a variety of Photoshop techniques. Mainly they included the lasso, free transform, and other effects to create drop-shadows or overlays. 

I would like to experiment more with this concept with more of my own photos. I find it a good technique to overlay an existing photo with a pattern.

Girl, he totally just scanned you

   A scanner can be used as an instrument of art. Below are various images in which I utilized a scanner it hopes of capturing various mediums.

My first image is fairly straight forward. The scanner was used to simply scan a picture. I wanted to pick up on the detail of the brush strokes.

This selection has some explanation to go along with it. While I took a semester abroad in Pondicherry, India, I participated in a Classical South Indian Dance class. "Mudras" are various hand gestures that are used during the dance as a sort of sign language (i.e. telling the story). This mudra (in English) is known as the bee mudra. I would have liked the scan to come out a bit better, but 3D objects let in light unless one has a black cloth to put overtop.

This is also a mudra, known as the Shivum mudra because it represents the lord Shiva in the Hindu faith.

Earrings

Flowers and earrings

Flowers but with a bit of modern art thrown in with the use of lines

Even more flowers....tired of them yet?

Petals from the lovely flowers, with some water droplets

A more simple version. Just an array of petals sorted by color.

Time to change from floral inspiration. A quick painting of tear drops on a tissue, which I then crinkled.

Back to Basics: pixel images

   Pixel imaging has made an emergence once again as an indie video game trend. With older TV sets, the condition of the resolution allowed for pixel imaging to appear fuzzy, therefore not giving detail to the bits and pieces it was compiled of. Now, with higher resolution, the pixel video game trend has given a nostalgic feeling to anyone that remembers the "good old days." One is now able to view the individual pixels in all their glory. Above is my attempt at creating a pixel image as it may appear in a simplistic video game. Using only the pencil tool in Photoshop, I created faded effects on some of the objects just to give in a nice flare. The actual size of the image is quite small so I had to enlarge it.

Charles Cohen: a thought to absence

   Charles Cohen is a digital media artist that plays with various methods of the art. One of his most influence methods includes the use of absence, created using erasure. Cohen seems to have studied art all his educated life. In 1990 he received his BA at the University of Chicago and moved on to study abroad at the Royal College of Art in London. In 1995 he attended the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating with a Master of Fine arts with honors. Finally from 1997 to 1999 he participated in the Core Fellowship Program at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

http://www.promulgator.com/buff.html

 http://www.fotofest.org/images/auction2010/CohenC.jpg

   Cohen exhibits his photography skills within his work, creating the artistic spin he desires later with digital technique. Some of his most profound work features the idea of absence. Both collections, titled Buff (1999-2005) and Analogtime (2002-2005), display an erasure technique where the human form is taken from the photograph. The result is only an outline.
   Within "Buff" pornographic scenes are the focus. Yet, would they really be considered pornographic after removing the detailed human image? It is intriguing to put a critical eye and mind to these works. The body is not present within the scene, but a distinct outline continues to reveal the intention. The viewer is left to complete the meaning of the work and it seems hard not to. Most have seen the human naked form and so the mind's eye automatically fills the voided space with detail. The absence of the erotic image may leave one to look beyond the original intention and interpret the beauty of the image in a new light. On the other hand, "Analogtime" depicts simple romantic scenes. In all three of it's images, the women is the void figure. Many interpretations can be placed with this collection, but the photographs have an undeniable sentimental feel attached to them, one of loss. The art piece above is an example of such loss. Not only is the women not returning the man's embrace, but the background takes up most of the piece, creating a notion of distance.
   In terms of critiquing the work of Charles Cohen, I can safely say I have none. I only lightly dable in the arts and therefore can only view his images as does the mass. I believe his work with the technique of erasure allows the viewer to interpret the meaning at their own discretion, which is why I consider this idea to be genius. The artist has sent a message, goal accomplished.

www.promulgator.com/mine.html
www.saatchionline.com/cacnyc1