Contemporary artist

   http://kelliconnell.com/this-morning/
     The artist I chose that interested me the most was Kelli Connell. Her

works that she did of herself in two different perspectives in one photo. The

 first time I saw her work, I was intrigued by the many different messages

that I got from just one photo. Once I listened to her own words about her

 work, it confirmed some of the things that I thought about, as well as gave

 me another view on the works. She described her works as expressing the

relationships that we have with ourselves. This series of photos were not all

taken in one situation, or one mood. They varied is so many different styles

 and colors. There were some that were lighter and happier, there were some

 that were dark and gloomier, there were sad ones, and well as romantic

ones. I really don't think there was any other artist that did the work that she

 did. I've seen things that were similar, but none have had more meaning

 than Kelli Connell's.

     When I first looked at her work, I thought deep into the photos. I thought

 about what they were, I thought about what they meant, I thought about

 what could have inspired this work. When I realized that both of the people

 in the photo were the same person, it confused me at first. I knew the

 purpose was to get you to look at yourself, or think about something that

every person goes through but never thinks really deep into or it is

something that it a private matter and is not shown to the public. After

hearing Connell speak about her work, I had a complete understanding.

After I thought about it for a while, I started to be able to relate with the

work more. It made me think about those different relationships that I went

through in my life, or what I've seen others go through in theirs. It was

interesting to see those relationships expressed in photos.

     I think this series of photos were made to respond to those people who

are not quite sure about themselves and the way they feel about themselves.

I don't think this work leaves anyone out. I feel like anyone can relate to

this work if they think hard enough. It may seem weird to people at first

but if they would actually think about the different feelings that people have

about themselves throughout their lives, it would all make sense.

     I believe this work was very successful because it was a very good

representation of the relationships that people have with themselves. I

believe that the goals that she set for her work was very visible, although

I don't think it will be that obvious to everyone at first glance. I definitely

believe that the fact that she took different series of the relationships in

different years, it expressed those relationships that much more. The

transition from teenage years into adulthood showed how much more

intimate relationships with ourselves get as we mature. I think this work

is amazing, and very intriguing. I love it!!

Made by a Man

     The exhibition "Made By a Man" was shown by the artist J. Casey Doyle. The show consisted of about 6-8 different pieces of his work. All of his works were hung up on the wall. They were interestingly made by ribbon that you would put on gifts. He created his works by knitting or knotting the ribbon together. All off the pieces were very bright and colorful and had a slightly rough texture. They were all very aesthetically pleasing to pretty much anyone, especially when people realize that they are not real blankets. All of the works were enormous, they looked like real blankets or curtains.
     I honestly had a hard time interpreting Mr. Doyle's work. I don't feel like he was trying to prove a point, but I think he was a more modern artist that felt like the subject of the work was the artist himself. I feel like his pieces drew people closer to see so they could think about how the piece was made and how long it took. I do think he challenged the stereotype of people who knit or make blankets. Most people would only think of a woman making something like that. I think he sort of emphasized that thought by naming his group of works "Made By a Man".
     Mr. Doyle's works were definitely pleasing and absolutely amazing to think about. I couldn't even imagine sitting down and taking the time to make something so massive. I couldn't guess how long it took him to actually create just one of the pieces.

Final Project!

            In this series of photos I wanted to the theme of relationships. I wanted to capture many different types of relationships such as husband/wife, brother/sister, boyfriend/girlfriend, coworkers, parent/child and cousins. I wanted to show how relationships are something that can easily be captured in any setting. I also wanted to show the ‘bad’ in relationships instead of just the good. I tried capturing photos of many different people who were not just looking at the camera with their arms around each other smiling. I wanted to capture the mean looks and funny faces that people make when communicating with someone they have some sort of relationship with. Another big thing I wanted to capture is the difference in men and women when around people they have some type of relationship with. I captured how a group of men place themselves when communicating with other men, how women place themselves when speaking to other women, and how men and women place themselves when interacting with each other.

            I went about this project in a rather simple way. I did not want any of these photos to be stages or photoshopped. I wanted to capture the purity of relationships and how they show in our everyday lives without us even realizing it. I wanted to focus on the idea of relationships because most people only think of relationships as something that you have with a close friend or a boy/girlfriend. People forget about the relationships they have with their coworkers or their boss even though they don’t think of it as a relationship. Relationships are all around us, whether good or bad.

            My goal was to make a series of photos that were aesthetically pleasing. I wanted to capture photos that brought a reaction out of the viewers, whether it is laughter, or a simple ‘awww’. I wanted to capture things that will make people think more into the idea of relationships with the different people around them, and not just the close friends and family. A lot of people think that relationships with family is all in one category, but if you think about it, the relationship between a child and a grandparent is a lot different than the relationship between a child and a sibling or cousin. There are differences always many differences that people never think about.