Scale of Values

(Scale of Values)

For my scale of values, I decided to display it as a fan. This is because I see a fan as being many parts to make up a whole. I understand the concept of making the value scale slowly increase from white to black by dividing it into 10 different pieces, but I found this project to be quite difficult. This is for two reasons. One is because it was so hard to make the darkest value to be black. This is because we had to draw it grey charcoal. I had to layer the graphite until I realized it would not darken anymore, and then I decreased the values from there/ The second reason the project was difficult, is because it was hard to decrease the values enough from the darkest square to make it white. I probably could have decrease the values in 7. Instead I had to manipulate the values until they equally decreased within 10, which I eventually was able to successfully do eventually, but it took many trials and errors and making each area either darker or lighter. In the end, I feel my fan successfully completes the assignment even if it took awhile to get there.
(Composition of Value)

Value

Eventually I would like to be a freelance photographer, but I need people to value my work enough to purchase it so I can fund my trips and equipment. I'd never give up any of my morals or personal values to get there, but it is necessary in my life to be valued so I can continue to do what I love.
Value plays an important part in the art world. Whether we like it or not, we cannot avoid the desire to have our own art valued. We all want our work to be valued, but how do we get there? I guess now a days, the best way to add value to our art is to network and get our names out. In fact, it is probably the easiest way to break in to the art world. It is kind of sad though to think that it does not matter how good your art is, but who knows your name. So I guess that leads me to wonder what good art really is and what art is valued in our society just because they are well known.

String Maze

I found the string assignment to be quite amusing. We did not really think to hard about the composition, just decided where we wanted to place the string, which was on people. So we simply set to work tying people up within our string. Later, the whole class ended up collaborating, making the room look like a laser beam security system. While it was not planned, it was fun to see what shapes the strings would create when tension was put on them. It did not seem like a lame activity because we had fun and it helped prove my theory that shapes were made up of lines. (Pictures thanks to the fabulous Brian Corrigan!)

Lines and Shapes

It is very easy for lines to look like shapes and vice versa. I believe with these four images, that shape c could be a line, while point a,b,c, and d are/could be shapes. A line is an object who's opposite sides are equal distances apart. A shape, however, is typically an enclosed area of space made up of lines. Lines can be shapes, but shapes can not necessarily be lines.

Titian

For my first assignment, I chose this piece of the Roman goddess Venus. It consists of a lady on a bed with a dog in the foreground, and two ladies in the background. The scene takes place in a luxuriously finished room. While the naked lady in the front is obviously the key figure in the piece, your eyes are easily dragged to the ladies in the back. Their surroundings are easy to over look due to its slight blurriness and lack of detail.
The lady in the front appears to be Venus, which can not only be told by the name of the piece, but as well because this is a common pose for Venus. While it is a traditional pose, it is not so common for Venus to be seen actually in the bedroom. Venus is the Roman Goddess for love, beauty, and fertility. I believe this piece is depicting fertility. Venus is giving her classic seductive look, but it is toned down to make her look more mother by having a puppy on the bed. The two ladies though help raise a larger curiosity about the piece. They appear to be gathering materials, like sheets, so they are probably preparing the bed.
I am pulled in multiple directions on how I feel about this piece. I find the portayal of Venus more interesting then her usual depictions, but then it begins to bore me. The colors are slightly flat and the background does not have a lot of detail. While I may not desire to buy the piece, I find it interesting for a short period of time.