After the first few weeks of the second Passion Project of the year, I'm pleased with my progress. So far I've accomplished a lot of planning, but not a lot of actual execution. Nevertheless, I've still been mainly productive.
To recap, my project is based on recreating famous paintings or other works of art in my own, practical ways. This could mean re-staging the scenes and taking pictures of them to imitate them, or physically painting or making them myself.
I've mainly scoured the Internet for works of art I find interesting or otherwise things I'd enjoy working on. It's hard to keep in mind that I can't recreate every cool piece I see, because some are just not realistic in any way. I have a few paintings selected, including Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans and some of Vladimir Kush's art (which is also an imitation of Salvador Dali's art -- so I'd basically be recreating recreations.) But the part I find most interesting in my project is learning about the artists. A big part of my presentation will be the research involved, so I know a bit about the background and even techniques of the artists.
My project is going well so far, but I still have a lot to do. In the next one or two weeks I'll conclude my research and narrow my ideas down to just a few promising pieces of art. I'm hoping to overlap that time with physical work at home and eventually bring that into class for the majority of the remaining weeks we have to work in school.
4.06.2014
11.14.2013
Passion Project Reflection
My partner Kaitlyn and I have come a long way since first deciding our project was going to have something to do with birds. Since this was such a vague, broad topic, we spent a lot of time narrowing down the ideas and thinking about what was not only practical but also interesting and enough to keep us going for months.
Our Passion Project is about watching chicks develop and seeing what it takes to take care of them and the process of raising them from eggs. We'd been working in the greenhouse with the eggs in the incubators long enough to add a little bit about plants to the observation, too. The first plant is a fern that we're raising and nurturing from being half-dead to see if it's even possible to do so, and the second is a clipping of a larger plant to see if it'll grow into its own large plant.
We've made a lot of progress so far. As for the chicks, we've rotated the eggs every day after school and have a list of important dates including when their hatching date is, when to stop rotating them, etc. Kaitlyn and I have done research pertaining to how they grow. The hatching came at a very convenient time, which was around today and yesterday, marking the halfway point of the passion project time. So far, two eggs have hatched and a few more are expected. When they were still eggs, we used an egg candle with Mr. Danucci to see which eggs were fertile, infertile, pulses, and more. We have also been watering and pruning the two plants.
We still need to collect a lot of information each week about how the chicks are growing and eating. We have been taking pictures and we need to make a presentation and add them together with data we've collected. The project is so far successful. We just need to make sure we stay on task and continue collecting good information.
Our Passion Project is about watching chicks develop and seeing what it takes to take care of them and the process of raising them from eggs. We'd been working in the greenhouse with the eggs in the incubators long enough to add a little bit about plants to the observation, too. The first plant is a fern that we're raising and nurturing from being half-dead to see if it's even possible to do so, and the second is a clipping of a larger plant to see if it'll grow into its own large plant.
We've made a lot of progress so far. As for the chicks, we've rotated the eggs every day after school and have a list of important dates including when their hatching date is, when to stop rotating them, etc. Kaitlyn and I have done research pertaining to how they grow. The hatching came at a very convenient time, which was around today and yesterday, marking the halfway point of the passion project time. So far, two eggs have hatched and a few more are expected. When they were still eggs, we used an egg candle with Mr. Danucci to see which eggs were fertile, infertile, pulses, and more. We have also been watering and pruning the two plants.
We still need to collect a lot of information each week about how the chicks are growing and eating. We have been taking pictures and we need to make a presentation and add them together with data we've collected. The project is so far successful. We just need to make sure we stay on task and continue collecting good information.
10.28.2013
The Tortured Artist
Vincent van Gogh was known for his depressing life. He died without a coin.
“If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint“, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”
A misconception about van Gogh is that he never felt successful. This is true about the end of his life; however, he'd felt happy with himself when he was younger, when he'd been experimenting with painting and art. But it wasn't long-lasting.
He was born on March 30th, 1853. He'd grown up into a very religious family with an uncle who dealt art. His younger brother had followed in his uncle's footsteps and grew up to be an art dealer as well. Later feeling this didn't suit his needs, van Gogh decided to instead follow his father and go into theology. Even later he made the transition to connecting with miners and peasants in a place called Borinage.
Finally he'd been pressured into becoming what he's known for - an artist. This brother, Theo, had been the one who pushed him towards this occupation. He settled back at home at age 27 to teach himself how to draw. Though he'd been raised around his uncle and brother, he had little to no prior artistic talent. He and his parents doubted himself, yet he persisted. Theo assisted Vincent the most, somewhat forcing him into art but helping him along the way. He studied anatomy, perspective, and shadowing with works mostly on the peasant life, tying into his time spent at Borinage. His cousin-by-marriage Anton Mauve tutored him in art. This showed concerted cultivation from his brother and cousin. He had great tutors until an incident with a prostitute cost him his friendship with Mauve.
He wasn't a confident person, and he had little practical intelligence. I couldn't find much about his orating or speaking skills, but my best guess is that he wasn't articulate. Being ridden with mental and physical diseases took a toll on him and he rarely seemed genuinely happy. His ailments were surely a distraction and a burden. (Sidenote- some say the swirling lines of Starry Night might have been a representation of his mental state at the time, as he painted this in the asylum he committed himself to for cutting off his own ear and threatening his roommate with a knife. Others believe it was what his delusions, epileptic fits, and other mental blocks made him see.)
“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.”
From researching van Gogh's quotes and looking at his paintings, I can tell he had an adequate amount of creative intelligence. He brought his art to life with the use of vibrant colors, a method extremely popular during his time. It suggested that he knew how to please himself and the world simultaneously, yet he failed with both.
He unknowingly poisoned himself by consuming yellow paint. He thought yellow was a happy color, and that swallowing it would put the happiness in him.
“Exaggerate the essential, leave the obvious vague.”
He committed suicide in 1890. He said that it was "for the good of all." He died with few friends and ignored as an artist.
Was Vincent van Gogh successful? My answer is no. His tragic life reflected hardly anything he was proud of, and what is success without knowing it? One might argue of the prices of his works today, or how famously his paintings lay in museums around the world. But is being renowned only after death considered success? My definition of success dealt mainly with being content within yourself and your own standards, and van Gogh was certainly not.
“If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint“, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”
A misconception about van Gogh is that he never felt successful. This is true about the end of his life; however, he'd felt happy with himself when he was younger, when he'd been experimenting with painting and art. But it wasn't long-lasting.
He was born on March 30th, 1853. He'd grown up into a very religious family with an uncle who dealt art. His younger brother had followed in his uncle's footsteps and grew up to be an art dealer as well. Later feeling this didn't suit his needs, van Gogh decided to instead follow his father and go into theology. Even later he made the transition to connecting with miners and peasants in a place called Borinage.
Finally he'd been pressured into becoming what he's known for - an artist. This brother, Theo, had been the one who pushed him towards this occupation. He settled back at home at age 27 to teach himself how to draw. Though he'd been raised around his uncle and brother, he had little to no prior artistic talent. He and his parents doubted himself, yet he persisted. Theo assisted Vincent the most, somewhat forcing him into art but helping him along the way. He studied anatomy, perspective, and shadowing with works mostly on the peasant life, tying into his time spent at Borinage. His cousin-by-marriage Anton Mauve tutored him in art. This showed concerted cultivation from his brother and cousin. He had great tutors until an incident with a prostitute cost him his friendship with Mauve.
He wasn't a confident person, and he had little practical intelligence. I couldn't find much about his orating or speaking skills, but my best guess is that he wasn't articulate. Being ridden with mental and physical diseases took a toll on him and he rarely seemed genuinely happy. His ailments were surely a distraction and a burden. (Sidenote- some say the swirling lines of Starry Night might have been a representation of his mental state at the time, as he painted this in the asylum he committed himself to for cutting off his own ear and threatening his roommate with a knife. Others believe it was what his delusions, epileptic fits, and other mental blocks made him see.)
From researching van Gogh's quotes and looking at his paintings, I can tell he had an adequate amount of creative intelligence. He brought his art to life with the use of vibrant colors, a method extremely popular during his time. It suggested that he knew how to please himself and the world simultaneously, yet he failed with both.
He unknowingly poisoned himself by consuming yellow paint. He thought yellow was a happy color, and that swallowing it would put the happiness in him.
“Exaggerate the essential, leave the obvious vague.”
He committed suicide in 1890. He said that it was "for the good of all." He died with few friends and ignored as an artist.
Was Vincent van Gogh successful? My answer is no. His tragic life reflected hardly anything he was proud of, and what is success without knowing it? One might argue of the prices of his works today, or how famously his paintings lay in museums around the world. But is being renowned only after death considered success? My definition of success dealt mainly with being content within yourself and your own standards, and van Gogh was certainly not.
5.15.2013
Joyas Volardores
In this essay, the prompt isn't clear. There's no defined point to us as readers; we're just left to infer from implications. In the beginning, it starts out very literally describing a hummingbird, and then zeros in on its heart. From there the writer jumps to and from various creatures' hearts, with facts otherwise thought pointless. "We all churn inside." as a quote stood out to me. The writer quickly turned a somewhat objective piece into something more symbolic, perhaps more personal to us.
The biggest impact the essay had on me was in the last paragraph, which seemed to happen as well to my classmates. The point goes on as that we fear a harrowed heart, that the heart is open always, that you can brick up your heart, but it'll always be kind of crushed. The truth rings out in these words; there's an end to happiness, there's an end to suffering, and there's an end to everything we feel in our hearts, no matter how deep down. But still, we all churn inside.
In reverse, your heart can seemingly crack by the good things or nostalgia. "A child's apple breath," referring to the innocence of those young. This in particular can even display that we all sort of miss the days when we were younger, not so much exposed to the terrible and the gloom of the world. There are infinite ways a heart can be damaged. As much as someone tries to ignore the love they feel or the brokenness they experience, a heart is a heart.
The sentence of the last paragraph, which seems to hit home for most people, is "So much held in a heart in a lifetime." Most could tell immediately that the conclusion of this essay wouldn't be about breeds of hummingbirds. The paper is wrapped up by teeth-clenching portrayals of scenarios similar to readers', perhaps meant to devilishly break one's heart.
The biggest impact the essay had on me was in the last paragraph, which seemed to happen as well to my classmates. The point goes on as that we fear a harrowed heart, that the heart is open always, that you can brick up your heart, but it'll always be kind of crushed. The truth rings out in these words; there's an end to happiness, there's an end to suffering, and there's an end to everything we feel in our hearts, no matter how deep down. But still, we all churn inside.
In reverse, your heart can seemingly crack by the good things or nostalgia. "A child's apple breath," referring to the innocence of those young. This in particular can even display that we all sort of miss the days when we were younger, not so much exposed to the terrible and the gloom of the world. There are infinite ways a heart can be damaged. As much as someone tries to ignore the love they feel or the brokenness they experience, a heart is a heart.
The sentence of the last paragraph, which seems to hit home for most people, is "So much held in a heart in a lifetime." Most could tell immediately that the conclusion of this essay wouldn't be about breeds of hummingbirds. The paper is wrapped up by teeth-clenching portrayals of scenarios similar to readers', perhaps meant to devilishly break one's heart.
5.07.2013
Neil Gaiman Writing Prompt
A lot of curiousity was sparked by this quote. Maybe a lot of people wouldn't know what to say to this. It struck me as philosophical, obviously, and a lot of this I've thought of myself. On a scale smaller than people dying, I've seen posts on sites saying things like "Why do we need to know algebra? Why can't we be taught to learn how to do our taxes or what a mortgage is?" This is just one example of what we as students aren't being taught at school, though.
One thing I think is important to learn is how to have compassion and empathy for others. In my experience, it's essential to be considerate of others and what they could be feeling or going through. There are skills that can help this, like being observant and open-minded. Even being a little more reserved than usual when expressing opinions and criticizing. If you really try and put yourself in someone else's shoes, you can be a lot better off and respectful.
One thing I think is important to learn is how to have compassion and empathy for others. In my experience, it's essential to be considerate of others and what they could be feeling or going through. There are skills that can help this, like being observant and open-minded. Even being a little more reserved than usual when expressing opinions and criticizing. If you really try and put yourself in someone else's shoes, you can be a lot better off and respectful.
4.11.2013
The Waste Land
To me, the documentary The Wasteland was pretty interesting. The most intriguing thing I saw was just how they do their everyday jobs. While we hear the word job we don't typically think of people picking through garbage on a regular basis; but the thing that seriously caught my attention was the different views the the pickers had on their jobs. Some said that they hated it, which could be understandable -- but I feel like no one watching the film said it because they're afraid of offending someone. But, on the other hand, some people do enjoy it. I don't remember specifically who, but I do remember the varied opinions. I don't think I would like doing the work, but I guess if I lived in a situation like that any job would be better than no job. This is hard to put into words. I guess what I'm trying to get across is that I wonder why some of the Gramacho workers could be so cheerful, when we, as the audience, are opposed to suck work (to say the least.)
I found this in my draft's so I'm not responsible for any stupid mistakes from a month ago
I found this in my draft's so I'm not responsible for any stupid mistakes from a month ago
3.19.2013
Delicate
I've always thought painting has been sort of a delicate process; even more since I tried watercoloring the other day. It's harder than it looks.
Color
Some Mexican figurines I found in my brother's room. (I know the window's kind of gross, he's been at college for a while.)
Outdoor Subject-Hunting
The other day when we went outside I took some pretty generic outdoorsy-type photos, some of which I eventually deleted. Still among them are two pictures of the sky. Also, there's a picture of a miniature paint-chipped plastic fence which I found sort of hysterical for some reason. Lastly, a picture of the bushes from behind a brick wall.
Satire Article
On Sunday, March 3rd, an angry alpha wolf was convicted of allegedly walking out on his starving wolf pack. It started early that morning, when he came back empty-pawed after supposedly being out “hunting” for three days. Anonymous sources from neighboring groups stated that the male was seen acting suspiciously -- sulking around the mulberry bush, sleeping behind weeds, wandering to the edge of the forest, and the like. When he returned without any prey for his starving alpha female and pups, they were furious. In the candid picture above, you can see the female wolf nipping the leg of her partner in angry, dazed by hunger. “Her pups were squealing in fear,” says a shocked reporter, “it was terrifying. I thought they were dying.” The three pups were taken into custody after the incident. The whereabouts of the adult mates are unknown. “It was scary. This shouldn’t happen to any kind of parents,” says Carla, age 12, in Missouri. Updates on the story will follow at 6.
2.27.2013
Symbol-Searching and Pigeon Racing
While skimming through the categories of the big picture, I found a lot that were interesting in general, or ones that told intriguing stories, or ones that were just pleasing to the eye. But this one, entitled "Britain's Pigeon Fanciers," or as I described it, "the one with the pigeons," really stood out to me. I don't know exactly why. It's no big event or iconic photo. But it was interesting, intriguing, and pleasing to the eye. The color scheme, from the yellowy green in the back to the blue-gray front, is what really caught my attention while I was scrolling through. I suggest you high-res it; it makes it much more powerful. But, on a more delicate level, it's plain cute. Without reading about it, it really makes a statement. A bunch of birds lined up in similar cages? I don't know about you, but that kind of made me want to find out what this was. (By the way, you can find the link to the story here.) And then I was looking through all the pictures. They're all stunning, really. Most are high-quality, color-balanced, and well-taken (and received) photos. For example, if you scroll down a bit at the link you'll see an impressively-outlined bird.
I think it's kind of ironic that this picture stood out to me. I tend to like stranger animals. But pigeons? The scummy food-foraging birds at the cafes at zoos? But really, they're beautiful. The pictures are phenomenally shot, specifically those of them racing or first being released from their
cages. The stunning birds were judged and flown, some to victory.
I don't feel like I have an interest in doing anything like this sometime soon, mind you. But this picture really just grasped my attention. Another is this picture of a bull overlooking his or her former stockyard. Besides being powerful and deep on a symbol-ly level, it's just a well-taken shot and makes you think a little.
So to go back to the birds, obviously they're in the photo. It looks like a man either judging or racing his own bird is wandering the cages. At first glance, I'm sure most people notice the colors, but some may not even notice the birds in their cages. I feel like it's so detailed that I can't see everything, like I'm missing something important.
The links are all there, I think, and I strongly suggest you click them and look at the rest of the pigeon photos. (Come on, they're cute.)
2.26.2013
Looking In
"looking in"
This is a picture of my room through the just-open door. I liked the glow of the lights and how it gives a warm feeling.
2.21.2013
1.11.2013
20% Project
I was thinking of doing something with my tablet and art programs, since some people still don't know how they work. Things I'll include would be PSE 8, FireAlpaca, SAI, Corel Painter, etc. I'll need my tablet, the laptop that my art stuff's saved to, and internet. I expect to run into some problems like how I'll convince my dad to let me take the laptop to school, and other stuff like connecting it to the overhead projector? Possibly? I don't know yet. I can consult my cousin Quincy, Delilah, and my friend Jessica because they all have tablets.
1.02.2013
The New Year
Looking back on last year, I realized I couldn't have gotten worse. I was antisocial, annoying and bland. My grades were fine, but besides that there isn't much I like about myself. I've improved so much personally that I don't even want to talk about last year.
I'm anti-resolution. Not completely, though. I don't make them myself because, frankly, I assume I'll forget about them. Also, I'll probably get too lazy to resolve said problems. I set goals for myself, like becoming a better artist, getting into region band, etc. but mainly I want to look back on myself next year and be able to say, "Wow, that was a good year." And by doing so ultimately make myself[ a better person and set higher standards for the future. I don't shoot people down when they write resolutions, but in October, will those people really be thinking, "Have I been keeping up with my resolution? What can I do better?" Granted, some might be. But I don't think it's the most logical thing to do.
I'm anti-resolution. Not completely, though. I don't make them myself because, frankly, I assume I'll forget about them. Also, I'll probably get too lazy to resolve said problems. I set goals for myself, like becoming a better artist, getting into region band, etc. but mainly I want to look back on myself next year and be able to say, "Wow, that was a good year." And by doing so ultimately make myself[ a better person and set higher standards for the future. I don't shoot people down when they write resolutions, but in October, will those people really be thinking, "Have I been keeping up with my resolution? What can I do better?" Granted, some might be. But I don't think it's the most logical thing to do.
12.19.2012
The First Amendment Thoughts
To tackle my post effectively, I'm going to reiterate most of what I commented about on Trinity's blog. Even though an overwhelming majority of blog posts I've seen are focused on Commonwealth vs. Twitchell (which I had to fill myself in about since I was absent that day) and religion, I'm going the same direction. I think, to some extent, freedom of religion shouldn't mean, well, a free-for-all. If someone happens to spontaneously make a religion and it actually gains some popularity, who's to say it means anything at all? The founder, the one teaching the beliefs and passing them on to perhaps future generations may not even believe the words he's breathing. What's the point of learning about something entirely made up, in which there's no fabric or reality to anything? (There must even be some guilt for someone starting something like that, indirectly deceiving people.) But I strongly feel that, unless one's been thinking, pondering, wondering about this religion they're about to start, it's worthless to start it. Another issue, as some pointed out, religions can happen to be cults or groups with bad intentions. Obviously there are good and bad parts of this section of the Amendment. It's a great thing if you want to start your own set of beliefs ad make real traditions out of it and you really believe it, but it's just not a valid thing to do if you don't. It's a waste of time, frankly. YOU have the freedom to begin a religion you think will be fairly successful, and YOU have the right to worship anything you want. But the freedom of RELIGION should be purely for half-logical religions, not evil cults of terrorists. I feel there should be some sort of validation before establishing such an operation, no? Anyone agree with anything I just said?
10.12.2012
Thoughts on Grades
What do grades do? They organize or classify students, placing them in advance or special education classes, for evaluating and judging teachers' and students' performances. The current system, in our school at least, is based on a scale of 100 points, numbers, and letters. The letters are A - advanced, B - average, C - below average, D - far below proficient, and F - failing, according to me.
In my opinion, grading systems don't measure intelligence. You can test poorly or not complete your homework, giving you 0s, but you can also be smart. Even in my best subjects I've gotten bad grades on assignments -- not that it means I don't understand the material. If I'm going to be accepted into only certain colleges in the future by my grades, I probably wouldn't be very happy; and that is what's going to happen. I know I'm not going to be accepted at every college I apply for, and it makes me unsatisified with the grading system we have now. Additionally, I've learned a lot more than my major assesments can prove. As for the standards-based grading, I think it's fine, but could be better. I honestly don't like the idea of targets, and you-must-learn-this-today-no-matter-what style. It gives teachers no freedom to express what they want to express, and it makes it worse having to cram exactly one "target" in a 40-minute period. So I guess something in the middle of standards-based grading and the current system would be fine, if it's the closest we can get to something reasonable.
In my opinion, grading systems don't measure intelligence. You can test poorly or not complete your homework, giving you 0s, but you can also be smart. Even in my best subjects I've gotten bad grades on assignments -- not that it means I don't understand the material. If I'm going to be accepted into only certain colleges in the future by my grades, I probably wouldn't be very happy; and that is what's going to happen. I know I'm not going to be accepted at every college I apply for, and it makes me unsatisified with the grading system we have now. Additionally, I've learned a lot more than my major assesments can prove. As for the standards-based grading, I think it's fine, but could be better. I honestly don't like the idea of targets, and you-must-learn-this-today-no-matter-what style. It gives teachers no freedom to express what they want to express, and it makes it worse having to cram exactly one "target" in a 40-minute period. So I guess something in the middle of standards-based grading and the current system would be fine, if it's the closest we can get to something reasonable.
10.04.2012
The Creativity Crisis
Last week in ROGATE, we watched a TED talk (technical education and design) by Sir Ken Robinson. If you don't know what that is, they let one person go on stage, who's usually smart or's discovered something and lets them talk about whatever they want for 20 minutes or so. Robinson is a British oratorical fellow who knows a lot and has some interesting views. It was really interesting; you can watch it here. I agreed with most of it, and I guess I have for a while, subconciously at least.
The TED talk was based around the theme "Are Schools Killing Creativity?" (The answer is yes.)
Robinson's theory is that all kids are born creative, but over the years we're being educated out of our creativity. Most kids or toddlers start out scribbling, laughing, doodling, if you've noticed. When students progress in their lives and get to high school and middle school, options for creative classes -- not just art, but also things like debate -- are very limited. Also, we're forced to be quiet, do our work, and not express ourselves in any way other than what we're told. It's a very true thought process.
One interesting thought Ms. Mystrena tied into it all was that sometimes, when there's a project or other in school, teachers will give the option of making a poster, and they think that passes as a creative choice; they check that off their list. I've had that happen, and posters for geography or science aren't fun. A life without creative kids is dark and threatening. What if all kids walked around calmly, gray clothes, no stains or crayons? Luckily, some students rebel in their own minor way and end up with excelling creativity later in life. The unique thinkers are the ones who end up with TED talks sessioned. They invent, create, and innnovate; without them, where would we be?
The TED talk was based around the theme "Are Schools Killing Creativity?" (The answer is yes.)
Robinson's theory is that all kids are born creative, but over the years we're being educated out of our creativity. Most kids or toddlers start out scribbling, laughing, doodling, if you've noticed. When students progress in their lives and get to high school and middle school, options for creative classes -- not just art, but also things like debate -- are very limited. Also, we're forced to be quiet, do our work, and not express ourselves in any way other than what we're told. It's a very true thought process.
One interesting thought Ms. Mystrena tied into it all was that sometimes, when there's a project or other in school, teachers will give the option of making a poster, and they think that passes as a creative choice; they check that off their list. I've had that happen, and posters for geography or science aren't fun. A life without creative kids is dark and threatening. What if all kids walked around calmly, gray clothes, no stains or crayons? Luckily, some students rebel in their own minor way and end up with excelling creativity later in life. The unique thinkers are the ones who end up with TED talks sessioned. They invent, create, and innnovate; without them, where would we be?
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