Conscientious Article Review

Conscientious

"How to Tell a Story with Pictures Part 2"

Written by Joerg Colberg, Oct. 21, 2012

I initially chose this article because the title caught my attention; one of the things I would like to develop in my photography is the ability to tell stories or evoke emotion through the images I create. In the article Colberg explained that the best way to tell stories through photographs is to visually guide the viewer through either a sequence of events or by displaying a coherence of ideas through both literal and contextual pictures. I also found it interesting that Colberg pointed out that not all the pictures should convey the exact same idea; rather, there should be "images that only function as a breathing space for the viewer." This gives the viewer the flexibility to both follow your story or idea and also form their own connections. I am excited to work on creating more meaningful images as I grow as a photographer and hopefully apply this same idea to my current project.

Project Preview

Small Town Charm

Multiple Places Project

Lenscratch Article Review

Lenscratch

"Latin American Week: Paccarik Orue"

Written by Eleonora Ronconi, October 22, 2012

This article highlights the work of Paccarik Orue, a photographer raised in Peru and now living in San Francisco, California.  His work mainly focuses on finding beauty in struggling communities,  reflective both of his experiences growing up in a turbulent Peruvian social climate as well as the hardships of an immigrant living in the U.S. Soon to be published, his book There is nothing beautiful here compares the difficulties in Richmond, California and Cerro de Pasco, Peru; through this project he has created a collection of images that blend both hardship and hope through the endurance of people and culture.  Orue's photographs initially caught my interest because they juxtapose a happy color tone with themes of hardship and plight, challenging the viewer to see that there really is beauty in places that we usually categorize as unappealing.  I love this kind of work and would like to pursue an avenue of this idea in my final project: capturing the iconic, often overlooked, and unique elements of small towns and representing them in a way that really is beautiful.

Glasstire Article Review

Glasstire

"In Plain Sight" at McClain Gallery

Written by Hesse Caplinger, September 30, 2012

Written by Hesse Caplinger, this article explores and explains the work displayed in the new Houston exhibit called "In Plain Sight" which contains paintings from forty local artists.  The intent of the exhibition is to combat the idea that "'painting is dead'" and instead display its liveliness.  Most of the paintings follow the style of contemporary art, portraying ideas through the use of shapes, colors, rhythm and pattern.  Although my initial attraction to the article was due to the vibrant images, after further reading I had a difficult time connecting with the abstract paintings. If anything, reading through this article was helpful in creating my appreciation of contemporary art - but more so, I know that abstract painting is not the art form that best speaks to me.

Long Exposure Project

Art:21 Blog Article Review

Art:21 Blog

"The Museum as Memory Palace"

Written by: Michael Neault, August 30, 2012

There is something beautiful and satisfactory in the blending of art and stories; creating something tangible based on a history, memory, story.  This is the main idea that Neault explores in his article "The Museum as Memory Palace."  In the past, people have attempted to create places where information is stored in a way that enhances memory by creating an environment that visually organizes it.  Through the use of several historical examples, Neault described the power of the mind to retain information when paired with its placement in visual spaces (either mentally or physically) because "the mind is much keener at remembering physical spaces and tactile objects than flat, homogenous media, like books or screens."  Neault continued to explain how museums capitalize on this concept because they tell stories through the art they contain.  I was first drawn to choose this article because the title spoke to me. I love museums and how they contain both factual information and art that convey a message in a space that guides the viewer through a unique experience.  I appreciated how Neault articulated those ideas that I have felt before and was particularly inspired by the concluding example he cited: Orhan Pamuk, an author and museum curator in Istanbul created an exhibit that was corresponded with a book he had written.  I love the interactive and personal aspect of this idea; I imagine how reading his story and then walking through the same storyline in a physical, artistic representation would truly be like walking through a "memory palace."  I am very interested in this type of multimedia project and would love to look into other exhibits like this one.