Bye Bye Ms. American Pie

I had my first American visitor fly over in December. My friend Adaora came all 7,703 miles from Portland, Oregon to see me - well that and I guess the Sydney sites but who’s keeping track? Ok, so I guess while I’m being honest I did use her as an excuse to behave like a tourist myself. Here are a few snapshots from our time together.

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Just because it’s not mounted on glass frame in a fancy building  doesn’t mean it’s not art. We saw quite a lot of graffiti around town and some of the murals were so good it was like getting a free walking art tour.

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While we did see a lot of the famous sites like the Sydney Bridge and the Sydney Harbour we saw a lot of local places too. I suggest that if you do ever travel - or if you happen to stay at home - get to know the city. I mean the real city and not just the main attractions.

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These two weeks (and three days) went by all too fast but I’m so thankful that she was able to take some time to come visit. Love you Adaora!

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For my final art piece this last term. This is the statement that went along with it.

Raw Talent Means Nothing If It’s Green
    Having been inspired by the everyday life of a typical teenager, I became curious about their common activities: texting, surfing the web, hanging out with friends, shopping, and “doing nothing.” The very idea that such a young person spends a good portion of their time invested in what society calls, menial was the notion that pushed me further into this project.
    Building a concept and then executing it was challenging. After I had come up with the idea, I became a bit frustrated because there were many avenues for me to take. Initially, my plans were to document a group of young adults - preferably teenagers - in their natural settings but as my research progressed I found that to be unnecessary. I did a bit of fieldwork by simply watching people and what they do, I went about asking teenagers to get a first-hand account, then I turned to the online articles to solidify my findings. It was not until I viewed the works of Darren Sylvester did I finally know exactly how to go about my proposed work. From there I looked at similar artists such as Tom Hussey, Lise Safati, and Abbas and found that with the proper use of color and camera angle I could  attain a precise look in my own images. Utilizing such components would force the viewer to see the pictures the way I desired them to.
     From the choice of scenes, I chose to set up tableaus of a young woman sleeping in her bed; rummaging through her refrigerator for something to eat; sitting at her desk while browsing the web; talking on the phone in her bedroom; laying out by the pool; and eating a bowl of cereal. In each image the woman is alone and looking away from the gaze of the camera. These were done purposefully in order to show the audience how distant we can become in our everyday activity. My aim was to portray how such mundane and almost automatic actions can have serious impacts on your life: distance and complacency. 
    By photographing such common activities like the ones previously mentioned, I hoped that viewers would relate and then be lead to question themselves as well as their motives for doing such things. Does constantly doing this task actually contribute positively to my life in the long run? Can I cut down the amount of times I do this?  Is this as important as spending my time doing something more tangible? Why is it that I always use that as a form of procrastination? With that said, while these set of photos can be viewed by anyone, the main aim is at the younger generation ranging from 13 - 24 years of age.  I truly desire for them to be inspired to change at least one aspect of their day-to-day and replace it with something that will push them beyond their boundaries.
   

[gallery]

For my final art piece this last term. This is the statement that went along with it.

Raw Talent Means Nothing If It’s Green
    Having been inspired by the everyday life of a typical teenager, I became curious about their common activities: texting, surfing the web, hanging out with friends, shopping, and “doing nothing.” The very idea that such a young person spends a good portion of their time invested in what society calls, menial was the notion that pushed me further into this project.
    Building a concept and then executing it was challenging. After I had come up with the idea, I became a bit frustrated because there were many avenues for me to take. Initially, my plans were to document a group of young adults - preferably teenagers - in their natural settings but as my research progressed I found that to be unnecessary. I did a bit of fieldwork by simply watching people and what they do, I went about asking teenagers to get a first-hand account, then I turned to the online articles to solidify my findings. It was not until I viewed the works of Darren Sylvester did I finally know exactly how to go about my proposed work. From there I looked at similar artists such as Tom Hussey, Lise Safati, and Abbas and found that with the proper use of color and camera angle I could  attain a precise look in my own images. Utilizing such components would force the viewer to see the pictures the way I desired them to.
     From the choice of scenes, I chose to set up tableaus of a young woman sleeping in her bed; rummaging through her refrigerator for something to eat; sitting at her desk while browsing the web; talking on the phone in her bedroom; laying out by the pool; and eating a bowl of cereal. In each image the woman is alone and looking away from the gaze of the camera. These were done purposefully in order to show the audience how distant we can become in our everyday activity. My aim was to portray how such mundane and almost automatic actions can have serious impacts on your life: distance and complacency. 
    By photographing such common activities like the ones previously mentioned, I hoped that viewers would relate and then be lead to question themselves as well as their motives for doing such things. Does constantly doing this task actually contribute positively to my life in the long run? Can I cut down the amount of times I do this?  Is this as important as spending my time doing something more tangible? Why is it that I always use that as a form of procrastination? With that said, while these set of photos can be viewed by anyone, the main aim is at the younger generation ranging from 13 - 24 years of age.  I truly desire for them to be inspired to change at least one aspect of their day-to-day and replace it with something that will push them beyond their boundaries.
   

[gallery]

For my final art piece this last term. This is the statement that went along with it.

Raw Talent Means Nothing If It’s Green
    Having been inspired by the everyday life of a typical teenager, I became curious about their common activities: texting, surfing the web, hanging out with friends, shopping, and “doing nothing.” The very idea that such a young person spends a good portion of their time invested in what society calls, menial was the notion that pushed me further into this project.
    Building a concept and then executing it was challenging. After I had come up with the idea, I became a bit frustrated because there were many avenues for me to take. Initially, my plans were to document a group of young adults - preferably teenagers - in their natural settings but as my research progressed I found that to be unnecessary. I did a bit of fieldwork by simply watching people and what they do, I went about asking teenagers to get a first-hand account, then I turned to the online articles to solidify my findings. It was not until I viewed the works of Darren Sylvester did I finally know exactly how to go about my proposed work. From there I looked at similar artists such as Tom Hussey, Lise Safati, and Abbas and found that with the proper use of color and camera angle I could  attain a precise look in my own images. Utilizing such components would force the viewer to see the pictures the way I desired them to.
     From the choice of scenes, I chose to set up tableaus of a young woman sleeping in her bed; rummaging through her refrigerator for something to eat; sitting at her desk while browsing the web; talking on the phone in her bedroom; laying out by the pool; and eating a bowl of cereal. In each image the woman is alone and looking away from the gaze of the camera. These were done purposefully in order to show the audience how distant we can become in our everyday activity. My aim was to portray how such mundane and almost automatic actions can have serious impacts on your life: distance and complacency. 
    By photographing such common activities like the ones previously mentioned, I hoped that viewers would relate and then be lead to question themselves as well as their motives for doing such things. Does constantly doing this task actually contribute positively to my life in the long run? Can I cut down the amount of times I do this?  Is this as important as spending my time doing something more tangible? Why is it that I always use that as a form of procrastination? With that said, while these set of photos can be viewed by anyone, the main aim is at the younger generation ranging from 13 - 24 years of age.  I truly desire for them to be inspired to change at least one aspect of their day-to-day and replace it with something that will push them beyond their boundaries.
   

[gallery]

For my final art piece this last term. This is the statement that went along with it.

Raw Talent Means Nothing If It’s Green
    Having been inspired by the everyday life of a typical teenager, I became curious about their common activities: texting, surfing the web, hanging out with friends, shopping, and “doing nothing.” The very idea that such a young person spends a good portion of their time invested in what society calls, menial was the notion that pushed me further into this project.
    Building a concept and then executing it was challenging. After I had come up with the idea, I became a bit frustrated because there were many avenues for me to take. Initially, my plans were to document a group of young adults - preferably teenagers - in their natural settings but as my research progressed I found that to be unnecessary. I did a bit of fieldwork by simply watching people and what they do, I went about asking teenagers to get a first-hand account, then I turned to the online articles to solidify my findings. It was not until I viewed the works of Darren Sylvester did I finally know exactly how to go about my proposed work. From there I looked at similar artists such as Tom Hussey, Lise Safati, and Abbas and found that with the proper use of color and camera angle I could  attain a precise look in my own images. Utilizing such components would force the viewer to see the pictures the way I desired them to.
     From the choice of scenes, I chose to set up tableaus of a young woman sleeping in her bed; rummaging through her refrigerator for something to eat; sitting at her desk while browsing the web; talking on the phone in her bedroom; laying out by the pool; and eating a bowl of cereal. In each image the woman is alone and looking away from the gaze of the camera. These were done purposefully in order to show the audience how distant we can become in our everyday activity. My aim was to portray how such mundane and almost automatic actions can have serious impacts on your life: distance and complacency. 
    By photographing such common activities like the ones previously mentioned, I hoped that viewers would relate and then be lead to question themselves as well as their motives for doing such things. Does constantly doing this task actually contribute positively to my life in the long run? Can I cut down the amount of times I do this?  Is this as important as spending my time doing something more tangible? Why is it that I always use that as a form of procrastination? With that said, while these set of photos can be viewed by anyone, the main aim is at the younger generation ranging from 13 - 24 years of age.  I truly desire for them to be inspired to change at least one aspect of their day-to-day and replace it with something that will push them beyond their boundaries.
   

[gallery]

vanished:

Ole Martin Lund Bo - Deceptive Outward Appearance

Using just wood and paint, Oslo, Norway-based artist Ole Martin Lund Bo created this anamorphic piece of art with a thought-provoking message. This installation seems as if someone just photoshopped those words onto an already existing image. Look at the other pictures (below), however, and you’ll soon realize that the three words have been carefully painting onto the white walls and wood sticks, becoming what seems like random black marks when viewed from different angles.

[gallery]

vanished:

Ole Martin Lund Bo - Deceptive Outward Appearance

Using just wood and paint, Oslo, Norway-based artist Ole Martin Lund Bo created this anamorphic piece of art with a thought-provoking message. This installation seems as if someone just photoshopped those words onto an already existing image. Look at the other pictures (below), however, and you’ll soon realize that the three words have been carefully painting onto the white walls and wood sticks, becoming what seems like random black marks when viewed from different angles.

[gallery]

vanished:

Ole Martin Lund Bo - Deceptive Outward Appearance

Using just wood and paint, Oslo, Norway-based artist Ole Martin Lund Bo created this anamorphic piece of art with a thought-provoking message. This installation seems as if someone just photoshopped those words onto an already existing image. Look at the other pictures (below), however, and you’ll soon realize that the three words have been carefully painting onto the white walls and wood sticks, becoming what seems like random black marks when viewed from different angles.

[gallery]

vanished:

Ole Martin Lund Bo - Deceptive Outward Appearance

Using just wood and paint, Oslo, Norway-based artist Ole Martin Lund Bo created this anamorphic piece of art with a thought-provoking message. This installation seems as if someone just photoshopped those words onto an already existing image. Look at the other pictures (below), however, and you’ll soon realize that the three words have been carefully painting onto the white walls and wood sticks, becoming what seems like random black marks when viewed from different angles.

[vimeo 17030412 w=500 h=281]

“I can’t say it enough times: Stay true to your vision. Remember why you do it… What you do, who you are – that’s your art. That’s all you have.”


Flight of Passage – This short is about  doing what you love.  Of course everyone in life has a different way of doing such but this film just reminds us to stick in there when times get difficult 

Director: James Gardner.

Story teller: Steve Mason

Skateboarder: Ben Nordberg

(Source: http://www.showusyourclips.com/)