What is Art?

In my philosophy class, we have been discussing what art is, and what makes a something art. If a four year old smothers paint on a canvas, and it sells for $40,000  (http://www.marlaolmstead.com/) it be art? Or is it just a simple finger painting, because being a child, she never added any deeper meaning?.


I believe art is something that evokes  self emotion. That because their are so many definitions of art by society, you must create your own definition of art, for no two people have the same emotions.


~Jess

Itchy Feet

Alright, Grad 2010!


I'm so ready to get out of Cranbrook, and go to Thailand.  As one of my teachers said, when complaining about how anxious I am in class, I have "Itchy feet".


One of my good friends Laney, captured how I'm feeling in this one photograph that can be seen here:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/70387903@N00/4664948041/




~Jess

Commercial Part 2

Previously, I added images of my commercial product, but now, here is the second part. A person! Naomi!
We went around the school to finish the project, but we couldn't find any place to plug in the light we were using.  When we finally found one, the wall was covered in posters, so we decided to use the heating vent.  I feel it adds drama, and brings her out more, after I photoshoped her head so her dark hair wasn't blending into the backround.
Raw images:

The light we were using. You can see how the angle of the light hits her face, and highlights her cheeks.

See the heating vent in the wall?

Sas-say!

And the original:

Now the Final:

~Jess

Elizabeth Lake :)

At Elizabeth Lake, they have ducks. When our photo class went, there were baby ducks.  I got chased, and hissed at by ducks, but in the end I still got the photos :)

~Jess

Not Digital?

Another project we've done inVAMT 12, is the reverse of digital editing.  Instead of finding an image online and manipulating that. We were told to find an image in a magazine, and create a hand drawn, and colored image, without using any digital means.  For me it was a cool experience, because it brought me back to when we made collages in elementary school. For me though, it was a chance for me to also work on my skills  with shading, and highlighting via pencil crayons.

Originally, they guy had an umbrella, and I thought that it would be cool to put him on a street in a city, but I had way to many trials and errors with that. Finally, out of frustration, I decided to take a different route. Making him miniature, and placing him in a storm..Every thing looked alright until I saw that his umbrella was a tad out of place, and replaced it with a flower. Then, it looked just as I'd hoped for. :)

~Jess

Commercial Enough? - Beans.

Another fun thing we get to do in photo 12 is commercial photography.We must photo a person and a product. For the product, I chose to do coffee beans, and felt that a cleaver way to portray them would be with a coffee cup.  As well, as my class has a light box in it.  **Note** If you ever get the chance c to use a light box, do it!! You will never have so much fun. It takes lots of patience, and lots of moving things around.

I first took quite a few images, with more of an "artsy" feel, and thought they looked great, but then I realized, it wasn't about art, as much as selling the product.  So, the light needed to highlight the product, and give it a popping effect.

Here are a few raw images of the cup. No photoshop added.

And the final one with a bit of photoshop :)

Ultimatly, the final one isn't my favorite, but it is the one that I felt reflected the idea of a comercial product the best.

~Jess

Drawing on the Walls?

In VAMT we have been asked to paint the inside of the Community Living Centre.  The centre is home to various programs, that one wouldn't think really go together, but all somehow come together under the same roof. Programs included are:


1) Ankors - A place for teens to hang out, get free birth control and advise about sex.  Questions Asked. Answers given.


2) Better Babies - For families that may not have the knowledge, or items needed to help grow a healthy and happy child.


3) Needle Exchange - For drug addicts.  Its to help stop the transfer of diseases ect.  They come in, drop off a needle, and get a clean one. Before you say that's disgusting, wouldn't you rather that, then a random child picking up an infected needle off the street?


The programs stated above are programs that run 8-4 everyday, but there are offices for other programs there such as "Go Girls", a youth mentoring program, that connects high school girls, with middle schoolers.  "Big Brothers and Sisters",  and "CAP C",  to name a few.  It is very rare you see all of the programs come together under one roof, and I feel honored to be given the chance to make my mark in that building.