Mothers Day Silks

For this alternative process I decided to make a silk screen for my mom on mothers day.  I used a picture of my sister and I when we were really young and put it on a canvas.  My mom loved it because she loves home made things and especially art.  I was inspired by Andy Warhol and did four prints onto the canvas.  There are some frame marks around the edges of the prints but they don't bother me and I think they add to the character and uniqueness of the photograph.  

Gel Medium

I was really interested in doing a gel medium when I learned how the process and saw the result.  I was so interested I decided to make three instead of one.  When I initially picked the photographs to use, I didn't really see any common theme among them.  However, once I put them next to each other and compared them, I realized they were all things that are special to me.  The first is a picture of my grandparents house in Nova Scotia where I spent a few weeks and it was one of the best times of my life.  There is also a picture of my dog, Brewster (named after the town we always stay in Cape Cod) and I've had him since I was four and I love him.  The third photograph is Cape Cod at corporation beach which my family has been going to every year since I was born.  When the tide goes out you can walk far out and look at the little sea creatures like crabs and small fish.  I'm really happy with how the gel mediums turned out and I will keep them for a long time.  

Mentor - Irving Penn

"Photography a cake can be art" - Irving Penn, 1953

The photographer who has most inspired me is Irving Penn.  Irving Penn is most known for his fashion photography for Vogue magazine, his portraits and still life.  Penn's work is distinct and sophisticated while withstanding a strong reputation as a creative artist.  He established a reputation that has kept him in the top bracket of photography even past his death.  In 1958, Irving Penn was named one of "The World's 10 Greatest Photographers" in an international poll conducted by Popular Photography Magazine.  Penn's response to this was "I am a professional photographer because it is the best way I know to earn the money I require to take care of my wife and children.", this response captures the purpose and idealism of the time.

Irving was born in 1917 in New Jersey, where he lived with his parents and brother, Arthur Penn, who went on to be a film producer and director.  Irving attended the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art where he studied painting, drawing, graphics and industrial arts.  While still a student, some of Penn's works were published under Brodovitch at Harpers Bazaar.  Irving worked as a freelance designer before taking Brodovitch's position as the art director at Saks Fifth Avenue where he worked only for a year before leaving to travel (where he adopted photography as a hobby).  When he returned to New York, Vogue magazine offered him a job as an associate in the Art Department.  Penn really established himself when he photographed his first cover for Vogue in 1943, which led him to success as a photographer for the magazine shooting portraits, life stills, covers and fashion.  He then created his own studio in New York and began making advertising photographs in the 1950's, and his client list grew as a result of this.  Irving met fashion model Lisa Fonssagrives at a photo shoot in 1947, they then got married and had a child, Tom Penn, who went on to become a metal designer.

Lisa Fonssagrives - Model and Wife of Irving Penn

Picasso 

Breakin' the Rules

I just don't know if you can break more rules then the virgin Mary over a toilet....only on Queen St.

This photograph is breaking the rules because the bike is acting as a merger against the musician.  I think this photograph is really charming not only because the man has a kind face and honest body language, but there is also a coin laundry in the background which ads to the allure.

This is a photograph of an old style barber shop in Toronto.  The shop was closed so I decided to photograph it through glass.  The lighting in this photograph is all over the place and nothing is balanced or framed.  Also the fact that the shadow from my finger is pretty visible is probably breaking another composition rule.  I honestly love the posters and the authenticity of this picture.  I toned the colouring as well to ad to the theme of the 60's.

The Renaissance

Portrait of a Lady by Rogier Van der Weyden

This is a painting created by artist Rogier Van der Weyden (1399 - 1464), Flemish's artist of great influence.  The significance of Van der Weyden's work is that it performed a valuable service by preserving the Gothic concerns for good design and vivid emotion.  His work provided evocative impressions of people and emotion in the early 1400's.  Northern 15th century art developed into a style that combined the realism of Jan van Eyck, a famous artist known for his attention to detail, combined with the emotionalism and attention to design found in works done during the Gothic period.  When Rogier died in 1464, he had been the most famous painter in Flanders for 30 years; his influence was second to none outside Italy - known for his commitment to realism and emotion.  Flanders became the art center of Northern Europe.  

The 15th century brought industry strive, population growth, vigorous middle class and thoughts fixed on the here and now; Northern European art reflected this development, artists represented spiritual feelings through symbolism.  Rogier Van der Weyden's work is most often compared to that of Jan van Eyck, who is most famous for his introduction to oil painting, and was one of the first painters to use it.  Rogier Van der Weyden followed with this tradition while combining his own creativity as an artist.  Rogier combined both the detailed work of van Eyck while providing insight into emotions and realism, setting an example for other artists.  Van der Weyden's Gothic inspired realism could've been lost in the rush to use Van Eyck's new oil painting technique to produce highly detailed pictures.  

The significance of Rogier Van der Weyden's picture, Portrait of a Lady, is that it provides so much proof of his impact as an artist and validation that Van der Weyden really did revolutionize realism and emotionalism.  The portrait is pleasant yet bold - the lady's lightly locked fingers gently rest on the frame of the picture, provoking a pleasant feeling; while the sharp contour lines provide contrast, provoking a bold feeling.  The portrait is set against a dark background, against the face with it's quiet, dignified expression, causing the face to stand out.  There are sharp and subtle contour lines in this portrait, the outline of the headdress, bounding the shape is an example of the sharp contour lines, yet being contradicted by the thin and transparency of the headdress revealing the lady's shoulder.  The subtle contour lines can be seen in the contour lines that shape her face and skin.  The idea that the light flows evenly over the picture makes the portrait pleasing and beautiful.  Based on the gold rings and belt, we can presume that the woman is wealthy.  The vast amount of insight that Van der Weyden managed to provide through his art is undeniable and should inspire artists to this very date.


The reason Rogier Van der Weyden's Portrait of a Lady caught my attention and motivated me to invest myself into research is because of the simple complexity of this particular piece of work.  While the simple complexity is definitely an oxymoron, it is evident that both characteristics are present upon this picture.  I admire Van der Weyden for his close attention to detail, which many artists during the Renaissance ignored and I think this attention to detail also led to true realism which is the most important aspect of art and photography.  Van der Weyden's sought only the strictest fidelity to emotionalism by continuing to provide insight into a person through a portrait.  This commitment to prevailing emotions and information is the basis of art history and how further generations learn about the past through first hand documentation of previous life and the kinds of influences that were being put on people in society in Northern Europe during the 1400's.  Rogier Van der Weyden really showcases raw and honest emotions in his portraits and other paintings and was one of the first to do so, making him the symbol of emotionalism and realism in art.  This commitment inspires me as a young artist and undoubtedly has inspired many artists in modern day society to not only prevail metaphors and suggestions but to produce work that documents feelings and details.

Mixed Lighting - Wishful Thinking

Shutter Speed: 1/80
Aperture: F-5
Lighting: Sunlight & Over Head Light
Camera: Nikon D3000


Due to the fact that Spring has been teasing us with summer weather, I thought it'd be appropriate to take a summery picture.  For this photograph I placed an overhead flashlight to brighten up her face in the among the shadows created by the trees.  We found a dandelion so I thought I could make an interesting photograph out of it.  This picture was captured slightly over head to show her sitting and I thought it looked really nice because it resembled a wish.  I also think this photograph is quite angelic, framing her with glowing rays of light on a rock in the midst of leaves and plants.  To be frank, this picture is very pretty.

Painting with light - From Within

Shutter Speed: 30
Aperture: F-8
Lighting: Flash
Camera: Nikon D3000

Above all other painting with light photographs, this is definitely my favourite because of the feelings and thoughts it provokes.  This picture is a phantasmagoria of mystery and obscurity, while provoking metaphorical/ symbolic ideas.  Firstly, the idea I was trying to express was that everyone has a part of them that they are not willing to show - and I wanted this picture to show that part of every person.  Whether it be an experience or characteristic that is hidden, every body has a part of them selves that they don't reveal, or prefer not to.  Ironically, the torso is the part that is unleashing this inner self - through a rib cage and straight from the centre (heart) of the person.  I really think this resembles the idea of exposing and letting free.  The upside down position that the second body shows portrays the idea also that these hidden aspects are in some way being built up and stored away so when they are exposed they lash out irrationally and hang from a person, making these moments very out of body experiences.  I just really enjoy thinking about this picture as a message rather then an assignment.