Happily Listening

I have never simultaneously posted the same picture on both of my blogs, but I thought I'd try something new this time. Although this is not the run-of-the-mill art piece or even artistic photograph, I love it because it demonstrates the use of found objects and existing structures to reinforce an idea. In this instance, my goal was to take a picture of my friend Sheila in such a way that the photograph conveyed the idea that she was happily listening to music in downtown Athens. We discovered this cleverly designed fence during a spontaneous tour of the Athens area after a concert, and we both were enthralled by it. What a find! Then Sheila adopted her well-practiced "happily listening" face (an inside joke between us based on my first mention of her in my blog) and voilá! One of my favorite pictures of the semester was born.

Let's see how long it takes her to find this, shall we? :)

The Robots Are Taking Over

Here's another light pattern that I wanted to share with you. This one was created from a small bit of colored light bouncing off of a disco ball. To me, it looks to be some sort of harsh metallic wall. In my mind, it conjures up scenes of technologically-advanced robots battling for control of our precious planet Earth... Or maybe I've just been watching too many summer blockbusters! Either way, enjoy!

Light as a Patterned Cloth

Sometimes light ceases to look anything like light. This particular creation, in my opinion, more closely resembles an American Indian weaving pattern than a colored reflection from a disco ball. It's times like these that I learn to value the hidden beauty that exists, unseen, in our everyday world.

Corporate Gallows

I thought I'd take a break from light patterns this week to show off a bit of my less abstract artwork. This is one of the first pictures I've drawn in pencil that I consider to be a work of "art." Before this, I had never attempted shading on more than just a few shapes with clear light sources. Also, this is the first piece I've drawn that I believe accurately depicts what I see in my mind whenever I hear a song lyric. In this case, every time I hear the line in the Crumbling Arches song Mundane Patterns, "You saw us at the corporate gallows with ties around our necks," this picture appears in my mind. The image of the men in their business suits, hanging from their ties always haunted and fascinated me. I chose to shade the picture in grayscale in order to make the bloodred tie stand out more distinctly.

I spent several months perfecting this picture during my Risk Management class, the perfect place to draw a businessman at the end of his tether. Those who saw it were duly frightened, and I'm sure more than a few of them reported me to the respective authorities in fear that I would somehow become a dangerous criminal after drawing such a "graphic" picture. However, some praised me for my determination to draw something that evoked such a stong emotion, and several asked questions. The most popular question was: Did the boss hang him or did he hang himself? I think the answer to this question can be left up to the viewer. It's your choice. Was working until 4:22 A.M. the final straw in this man's quest for escape, or was it something more sinister? Another popular question was: How did the wall break away? I feel that it was just a natural occurence. As he hung himself, or was being hanged, the floor and the wall simply cracked away, and moonlight spilled in, lighting the way for his final release.

I'm more than just a little bit proud of this piece. Also, I can't wait to see my eighth Crumbling Arches show this Friday!