Digital Collage
Title: Cautious Healing
24 by 36
Medium: Digital Art
Date of Completion: October 2022
Exhibition Text
In this piece titled "Cautious Healing" I explore the lifelong journey that my mother has taken to gain peace and process the events of her childhood. Using the digital collage medium my piece displays a theme of growth through the contrasting images of my mother today and her younger self. To complete this project I took my own photos of each element and edited them using a site called Photopea to later incorporate them into one cohesive image.
Title: Cautious Healing
24 by 36
Medium: Digital Art
Date of Completion: October 2022
Exhibition Text
In this piece titled "Cautious Healing" I explore the lifelong journey that my mother has taken to gain peace and process the events of her childhood. Using the digital collage medium my piece displays a theme of growth through the contrasting images of my mother today and her younger self. To complete this project I took my own photos of each element and edited them using a site called Photopea to later incorporate them into one cohesive image.
Essay
My mom was born in Texas and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a small duplex that was shared with many relatives. She often describes the constant movement of many people coming and going throughout the home. My mom has a very large family and is the oldest of all of her siblings. Being the oldest meant the weight of every responsibility fell on her. Many nights she had to babysit her siblings and other children in the family while cooking, cleaning, and attempting to get her homework completed into the late hours of the night. During this time in her life, my mom endured multiple traumatic events including both physical and verbal abuse, and neglect. It is difficult at times for her to verbalize these events and have to relive the pain all over again.
As humans, it is in our nature to feel a strong connection to the memories of our upbringing. My mom feels this same willingness to connect with and better understand her childhood. The people and places that we associate with this time in our life will forever hold significance to us. For years, my mom struggled to break away from people in her life that mistreated her such as her mother. Despite all that her mom had put her through she still sought to maintain some sort of a relationship. Ultimately after much time and healing, my mother was able to recognize that by keeping these people in her life she was putting herself at risk. She has since decided to prioritize herself and her own well being above those who consistently seek to bring her harm. Despite this new healing, she is still deeply saddened that her only possession from her early life is a singular photo of herself.
Since I was a child I have witnessed many stages of my moms healing process. The process of healing is a journey that is forever ongoing and is something my mom will always be working towards. When I was young, my mom did not tell me much about her childhood. Slowly she began to tell me stories over the years as I matured. I remember when I was young hearing for the first time that throughout her entire childhood my mom had never had a birthday cake and for many years her birthday went unacknowledged altogether. This was incredibly sad for me to hear, especially since birthdays were such a big celebration in my family. Many of my fondest early childhood memories are of birthdays. I began to consider what it would be like to not have these memories and to be the only one to remember my birthday each year. Each story my mom told me furthered my appreciation for the people in my life. Hearing about my mothers experiences was the first time I began to realize the harsh reality of life at home for many growing up. These stories have made a huge impact on my life and have changed my perspective of the world around me in numerous ways. I feel that I would not be the same person without them and I am forever grateful for my mom's willingness to confide in me and for getting to be a part of her journey.
As humans, it is in our nature to feel a strong connection to the memories of our upbringing. My mom feels this same willingness to connect with and better understand her childhood. The people and places that we associate with this time in our life will forever hold significance to us. For years, my mom struggled to break away from people in her life that mistreated her such as her mother. Despite all that her mom had put her through she still sought to maintain some sort of a relationship. Ultimately after much time and healing, my mother was able to recognize that by keeping these people in her life she was putting herself at risk. She has since decided to prioritize herself and her own well being above those who consistently seek to bring her harm. Despite this new healing, she is still deeply saddened that her only possession from her early life is a singular photo of herself.
Since I was a child I have witnessed many stages of my moms healing process. The process of healing is a journey that is forever ongoing and is something my mom will always be working towards. When I was young, my mom did not tell me much about her childhood. Slowly she began to tell me stories over the years as I matured. I remember when I was young hearing for the first time that throughout her entire childhood my mom had never had a birthday cake and for many years her birthday went unacknowledged altogether. This was incredibly sad for me to hear, especially since birthdays were such a big celebration in my family. Many of my fondest early childhood memories are of birthdays. I began to consider what it would be like to not have these memories and to be the only one to remember my birthday each year. Each story my mom told me furthered my appreciation for the people in my life. Hearing about my mothers experiences was the first time I began to realize the harsh reality of life at home for many growing up. These stories have made a huge impact on my life and have changed my perspective of the world around me in numerous ways. I feel that I would not be the same person without them and I am forever grateful for my mom's willingness to confide in me and for getting to be a part of her journey.
Inspiration
Beach Sundown Kish by Mostafa Meraji
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When I came across this photograph I instantly appreciated the simplicity of the piece and Mostafa's use of vocal point to draw your attention to the silhouettes. There is a very intentional placement of the figure that I also wanted to incorporate in my collage. The tone of this photo is eerie and mysterious and leaves much up to interpretation as to what the backstory is behind this figure. I knew I wanted to have multiple figures in my piece and I definitely pulled inspiration from Mostafa's use of space. In this image there is movement and it feels as though the photo captures people in action. Despite this movement there is also a calming mood to this photo that I feel is in part due to the serene sunset on the horizon. I was influenced to choose a background that would not take away or distract from my vocal point. I also enjoyed the artists decision to incorporate manmade and natural elements like the ship wheel as well as the ocean in the background. I had considered having a ocean or lake scene in the background of my own image and this piece definitely encouraged me to do so. |
Woman with a Parasol by Claude Monet is an oil painting made in the year 1875. This piece depicts two figures of both Madame Monet and her 7 year old son. Among first viewing this piece I felt very inspired by Monet's ability to capture the beautiful natural scenery. His soft short brushstrokes add the the peaceful tone of the piece. I really wanted to capture this same tone in my piece mainly through nature and flowers that resembled Monet's piece. I thought the wispy clouds were very influential in the overall feel of this image as well as the wind swept movement created by Madame Monet's dress and veil. I also took inspiration from this piece in the positioning of both figures in my piece. Monet chose a placement of the women in the foreground and his son in the background which resembles my own image in the way that I positioned the older photo of my mom in-front of the current photo. This decision creates depth and dimension in Monet's piece which I feel is crucial to the paintings cohesive feel. Monet chose to not display much contrast between the figures and the background and he does so through the soft outlines and washes of blue on the women's dress reflected from the sky. I considered representing this decision in my piece by possibly lowering the saturation and insuring that each element had similar lighting. I even turned down the opacity of both figures to create less contrast against the background.
Woman with a Parasol By: Claude Monet
Planning
To begin planning my digital collage I created a few small thumbnail sketches. In these sketches my main focus was layout and the positioning of each element. I was considering themes that were centered around my mom and her childhood. After sketching multiple ideas one my first page I decided that the layout of my piece would involve two figures of my mother in different stages of life. The first one would be her younger self in the foreground. I wanted to have an image of her current self in the back holding onto the shoulder off the first figure. For the background I debated ways I could symbolize rebirth and growth. I was having a difficult time visualizing how my sketches would look as photos and how I would make the aspects look how I has sketched them such as the positioning of the figures on the sand. I took into consideration the fact that I wanted this collage to feel cohesive and truly set a scene that I was looking for. In order to achieve this I sketched different ways that I could work the figures, elements, and background together to fit together naturally. In my process I also wanted to insure my inspiration was well represented in my own piece. After gaining a better understanding of the positioning of each figure I studied the old photographs that I would be implementing in this piece. On the first page I also began to sketch different flower options. At this point I was still not interlay sure whether or not I wanted to have flowers in my piece. To begin my second page I printed and glued in the different photographs of my mom that I had taken. They were each of different positions and from different angles. I had already sketched the main two positions that I was considering which can be seen on my second page as well. After deciding which of the three images I liked best I cut it out to get rid of the complex background that I would later be editing out. This helped to to make sure I was confident in my choice because I could not better visualize how it would look in my final image. I also included one of my previous planning sketches for the lake I wanted to be in the background.
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Process
Taking Photos
First I had to take a picture of my mom. First I reviewed my sketches to figure out the stance and positioning I wanted her to be in. We did not have any overhead lighting in the initial room I planned on taking the photos in so I decided to more to a different space. I had trouble determining how high I wanted her hand to be so that I could later position it to hold the shoulder of the other figure. I took multiple photos of her in the first position from different angles in case one did not fit in the final image the way I wanted. I also decided to take some photos of her with both her hands up because I couldn't decide which one I might end up liking better. From the photos I had taken I could now choose whether I wanted an angle from lower or higher up. When taking the photos I repeatedly reviewed my planning sketched as well as the physical photograph I would be using in order to insure I was getting the correct angles and positioning. After printing and cutting one of the photos out I realized a downcast view of her would not fit into the final image correctly because the other images are taken from a straighter shot.
First I had to take a picture of my mom. First I reviewed my sketches to figure out the stance and positioning I wanted her to be in. We did not have any overhead lighting in the initial room I planned on taking the photos in so I decided to more to a different space. I had trouble determining how high I wanted her hand to be so that I could later position it to hold the shoulder of the other figure. I took multiple photos of her in the first position from different angles in case one did not fit in the final image the way I wanted. I also decided to take some photos of her with both her hands up because I couldn't decide which one I might end up liking better. From the photos I had taken I could now choose whether I wanted an angle from lower or higher up. When taking the photos I repeatedly reviewed my planning sketched as well as the physical photograph I would be using in order to insure I was getting the correct angles and positioning. After printing and cutting one of the photos out I realized a downcast view of her would not fit into the final image correctly because the other images are taken from a straighter shot.
My mom had mentioned to me recently that as a child she had never been to the beach or lake Michigan because her family never took her there. Visiting the beach for the first time was a very significant moment in her life that represented new beginning so I felt that having her gaze toward the water would represent this new stage of her life.When I told my parents I needed a picture of lake michigan they agreed to take me and my brother to 7 bridges park. It wasn't crowded at all at the beach because it was a colder day and I was able to get a shot of the water without many people in the background.
Editing Process
To begin my editing process I used a site called Photopea to start working on the first image of my mom. In order to upload the older photograph to my computer I had to fist use a Canon Scanning machine that scanned the image. After uploading the image to the site I began cutting it out using the lassoing tool. I initially had a difficult time producing a clean image when trying to remove the figure from the background manually but I was able to achieve this thought the use of the refine edge tool. The hardest part was removing the area between the arms and the torso as well as the hair. I had to adjust the lighting on the two images to make sure they matched as much as possible. Next I combined the layers which pushed the current photo of my mom to the front. I wanted her to be behind her younger self so I adjusted the order of the layers. Since the photo of my mom as a child is old it had some grain and fading. However I actually enjoyed the juxtaposition of the older photo with the cleaner modern photo. I had to repeatedly adjust the size of each photo so that they aligned with one and had an accurate perspective.
Experimentation
Throughout the process of making this piece I experimented with multiple elements. Initially throughout the photo taking process of my mother I experimented with the different angles and lighting. I tried taking photos from different perspectives so that I could later see how they would fit against the image of my mom's younger self. This experimentation was crucial because I then had many options on images to choose from for the final collage. During the editing process I also experimented with lighting, saturation, and exposure. I wanted my final image to look cohesive however I ended up deciding to not edit the original photograph of my mom as a child too much because I enjoyed the contrast created by the photo's grain against the modern photo of the lake. I experimented with different tools to cut out the photos including the magic cut tool, lasso, refine edge tool, and quick select. Ultimately after trying each of them out, I decided on a combination of both the lasso and refine edge tool. These two provided me with the cleanest images without chopping too much off or distorting them.
One difficulty I had during the experimentation process was deciding which elements I wanted to incorporate. I had originally debated whether I should add flowers to the left side of the two figures and sketched out some designs that includes different flowers. Ultimately after cutting out and adding in some different flower options such as Poppies and Aster but I felt that they distracted from the vocal point of my piece and took away from the message I was trying to tell. In general I decided that additional images I was considering would not add anything positive to my composition. |
Critique
Similarities
In regards to composition my piece is similar to both my inspiration pieces by Mostafa Meraji and Claude Monet. All three pieces process the incorporation of both human figures and nature. Specifically the natural landscapes chosen by each artist compliments the figures without distracting from them. There are intentional choices made by each artist that display a serene calming tone. For example the use of space in each piece allows the reader to fully grasp the landscape. There is not incredible amounts of emptiness and each artist uses the landscape to help tell the story of their creation. The figures do not appear out of place in their environment and all seem to be in motion. The movement is created in all three pieces through the artists' positioning of the people, capturing a specific moment in time. The pieces also share a similar mysterious mood that leaves the viewer questioning the artwork wanting to know more about history of the individuals in the pieces. Mostafa's piece and my own both depict water and have photography as their medium.
Differences
A difference between my collage and my inspiration pieces is the overall cohesive feel. To me my artwork is less cohesive partially due to the fact that is is a collage rather than a photograph or a painting. By incorporating images taking in different lightings and during different time periods this creates a different aesthetic than my inspiration pieces. Through Monet's use of color and short scattered brush strokes his piece maintains a more distinctive stylized feel than my piece. My inspirations also have a more consistent use of light whereas each additional photo I decided to incorporate in my artwork have a different lighting. Another notable difference from mine and Mostafa's is how the figures in his piece are silhouettes while mine are not.
In regards to composition my piece is similar to both my inspiration pieces by Mostafa Meraji and Claude Monet. All three pieces process the incorporation of both human figures and nature. Specifically the natural landscapes chosen by each artist compliments the figures without distracting from them. There are intentional choices made by each artist that display a serene calming tone. For example the use of space in each piece allows the reader to fully grasp the landscape. There is not incredible amounts of emptiness and each artist uses the landscape to help tell the story of their creation. The figures do not appear out of place in their environment and all seem to be in motion. The movement is created in all three pieces through the artists' positioning of the people, capturing a specific moment in time. The pieces also share a similar mysterious mood that leaves the viewer questioning the artwork wanting to know more about history of the individuals in the pieces. Mostafa's piece and my own both depict water and have photography as their medium.
Differences
A difference between my collage and my inspiration pieces is the overall cohesive feel. To me my artwork is less cohesive partially due to the fact that is is a collage rather than a photograph or a painting. By incorporating images taking in different lightings and during different time periods this creates a different aesthetic than my inspiration pieces. Through Monet's use of color and short scattered brush strokes his piece maintains a more distinctive stylized feel than my piece. My inspirations also have a more consistent use of light whereas each additional photo I decided to incorporate in my artwork have a different lighting. Another notable difference from mine and Mostafa's is how the figures in his piece are silhouettes while mine are not.
Reflection
Digital Collage is a form of art that I had never attempted before this project. In the past I had always felt apposed to the digital mediums because I enjoyed the physical process of traditional art. However through working on my collage I feel I have gained many valuable skills that could prove very beneficial in my future. In the process of completing this project I experienced many challenges. While completing my planning sketches I decided to sketch my mom in different positions to decide what photos I would need to take for my collage. I could not yet fully conceptualize how I might need to manipulate the two photos of my mom to feel cohesive so my sketches ended up being slightly different from the photo I ended up using. Taking the photos of my mom was not too difficult and I ended up having her pose in a few positions and took photos from different angles so that I would have many options for the editing process incase some did not look the way I wanted. I was initially very unfamiliar with the editing program I was using but eventually gained a better understanding through experimentation. I practiced lassoing out random images from the internet and layer them onto of one another. I also experimented with different filters and effects that I was considering for my final image. When it came time to start my final project I took much longer than I had expected because I had difficulties working the Cannon scanner that I needed to upload the physical photograph of my mother. However I ended being able to scan the image using my iphone and finally upload the image to the editing program. For this project I was able to study my selected artworks from Mostafa Meraji and Claude Monet and reflect their elements such as composition, use of space, movement, and light in my digital collage. Overall I feel that my final image displays multiple similarities of my inspiration pieces and shares a similar tone.
ACT Questions
1) Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
To represent the influence of my inspiration pieces in my work I developed a piece that resembled similar placement of elements, movement, and tone as the pieces from both Claude Monet, and Mostafa Meraji.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The process of healing from one's past is not instantaneous but rather a lifelong journey. It requires an an initial acknowledgment of your trauma and a mental and physical distancing from those who consistently inflict this pain.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I have concluded that although you may attempt to rid your life of all traces of your past it is impossible to prevent the lingering connection you feel with your childhood.
4) What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Childhood trauma has lasting negative effects that can shape the way we view the world around us for the entirety of our life. It is important to recognize that growth and healing is possible if you are able to surround yourself with those who have your best interest in mind.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Human nature causes us to hold on to the things we associate with childhood even for those who realize this was a very negative time in their life. However it is important to realize that by doing so you are often times causing further damage to yourself because these people and places serve as a constant reminder of bad memories and trauma. It is extremely difficult to move on from the past when you allow those who constantly bring you harm to remain in your life.
To represent the influence of my inspiration pieces in my work I developed a piece that resembled similar placement of elements, movement, and tone as the pieces from both Claude Monet, and Mostafa Meraji.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The process of healing from one's past is not instantaneous but rather a lifelong journey. It requires an an initial acknowledgment of your trauma and a mental and physical distancing from those who consistently inflict this pain.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I have concluded that although you may attempt to rid your life of all traces of your past it is impossible to prevent the lingering connection you feel with your childhood.
4) What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Childhood trauma has lasting negative effects that can shape the way we view the world around us for the entirety of our life. It is important to recognize that growth and healing is possible if you are able to surround yourself with those who have your best interest in mind.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Human nature causes us to hold on to the things we associate with childhood even for those who realize this was a very negative time in their life. However it is important to realize that by doing so you are often times causing further damage to yourself because these people and places serve as a constant reminder of bad memories and trauma. It is extremely difficult to move on from the past when you allow those who constantly bring you harm to remain in your life.
MLA Citations
All-About-Photo.com. “History of Surrealism in Photography.” All about Photo: Photo Contests, Photography Exhibitions, Galleries, Schools, Books and Venues., 20 Aug. 2021, https://www.all-about-photo.com/photo-articles/photo-article/1042/history-of-surrealism-in-photography. Accessed 16 Oct. 2022
Scott, Dan, et al. “A Closer Look at Woman with a Parasol by Claude Monet.” Draw Paint Academy, 5 Aug. 2022, https://drawpaintacademy.com/woman-with-a-parasol/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2022
“Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son by Monet.” TripImprover, https://www.tripimprover.com/blog/woman-with-a-parasol-madame-monet-and-her-son-by-claude-monet. Accessed 16 Oct. 2022
Scott, Dan, et al. “A Closer Look at Woman with a Parasol by Claude Monet.” Draw Paint Academy, 5 Aug. 2022, https://drawpaintacademy.com/woman-with-a-parasol/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2022
“Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son by Monet.” TripImprover, https://www.tripimprover.com/blog/woman-with-a-parasol-madame-monet-and-her-son-by-claude-monet. Accessed 16 Oct. 2022