Module #4

1. I thought it was fun creating the value scale and color wheel.  It reminded me of elementary school when we first started learning about primary and secondary colors.

2. I enjoyed working with the acrylic paints the best because it was fun to play around and mix all of the colors together.  Creating the secondary colors using only the primary colors was amusing.

3. The most important discovery throughout these projects was that you need to have a steady hand and a good sense of how soft or hard you have to press to create a value scale.  I also discovered that these types of assignments are very therapeutic.

4. The most important information I learned from the videos was that red, yellow, and blue are not the three primary colors.

Module 3- Project #1

Link to pictures:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13s4xHxFfAEiE3HbE_tL0yteJKCrY_RRx/view?usp=sharing


Pic 1. Proportion- The picture I used was a giraffe in the middle of a safari.  The giraffe looks so much smaller than he actually is because of the area he is surrounded by.

Pic 2. Value- The picture is a sunset.  The value ranges from dark or black to bright colorful colors.  The trees below the sunset are dark and the yellow sitting on top from the sun gives the image value from one extreme to the next.

Pic 3. Color- The picture used is a ferris wheel. It was covered in bright lights, mostly purple on a dark, late night.  The colors were so bright, the ferris wheel became the main attraction.

Pic 4. Space- The picture is a picture of a tree in the middle of a Buffalo storm that I found at the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

Pic 5. Forms- The picture is a Life Water bottle. The object is three dimensional as well as cylinder shaped.

Pic 6. Movement- The picture I used was an art work I created using paint and a torch.  To create this art work I had to move the canvas around until the paint dripped over the sides.  By doing this I was able to move it around to get the look I wanted.

Pic 7. Texture- The picture I used was of a red rose.  The picture was taken so close to the pedals that you can see the implied texture.  The rigid petals are visible in the picture taken.

Pic 9. Line- The picture is a table cloth runner.  The lines and shapes used in the design guide the eye to the tan center part because of the arrow shapes as well as distinct color change.

Pic 11. Unity- For unity I used the tiles surrounding a fireplace.  There are several different colors of tiles used, one specific kind has a flower like shape inside.  The tiles were placed randomly putting majority of the flower tiles all in one area instead of spaced out evenly.

Pic 12. Emphasis- The image I chose was of a spike looking decoration.  There is emphasis directly in the middle of the object because that is where it is darker and where all the spikes come together.

Pic 14. Balance- The picture is a painting of an elephant created in India.  Although the picture is not symmetrical it has the same amount of objects or weight on both sides, creating good balance.

Pic 15. Contrast- The picture I used is a staircase at a local bar in Buffalo.  They used light on the edges of each stair and painted the rest black.  This contrast of light and dark guide the viewers eye up the staircase.

Pic 16. Pattern- The picture is a rug I have in my house.  The Medallion is repeated over and over again with the same lines and shapes to create each medallion giving it a specific pattern.

Pic 17. Shapes- The picture is a medallion shower curtain. There are both organic and geometric shapes used in the design.

Module 3: The Science of Color Perception

1. Dr. Beau Lotto from the University College of London explains how color is effectively an illusion which helps us see the world in a way that is useful to us.  There is nothing literal about color in the world, but how color makes individuals feel is astounding.  For instance, when a women wears a red dress or red lipstick it can contribute to feelings of passion and love.  When a bar or restaurant lights up with blue lights it can create a relaxing and comfortable sensation within us, causing people to stay and hangout for longer.  Color has a huge effect on our emotions and many individuals or businesses will use it to their advantage.


2. The theoretical aspect of color that most intrigues me is the effect of wearing the color red.  I personally hate the color red and own almost nothing red so this really stuck with me.  The color red has conflicting emotions of both passionate love and danger.  Dr. Russell Hill describes how wearing the color red can manipulate in the world of sports as well.  He did a couple of experiments throughout his research, one of them being a Tae Kwon Do match.  The competitors were dressed in both blue and red attire.  Majority of the winners were wearing red so they switched the winners into blue and the losers into red and had them compete again.  Even after switching the better individuals into blue, majority of the winners were still wearing red.  This experiment indicated that the color red manipulated both the referees and the judges.


3. Professor Jay knight made the biggest impression on me in regards to color.  He explained how color perception began with our early ancestors.  Back when the world was just water, the particles from the waters would come up for energy from the sun in the day time and go back down where the uv could not reach them throughout the night.  Color perception began with just blue and yellow and as life evolved and changed then came red and green.  Another idea that made an impression on me was the fact that we have object knowledge.  We learn what colors specific items are suppose to be so we naturally see them that way.  For example, we know that a banana is suppose to be yellow so we will always look to see a banana as yellow.

Module 2

1. Aesthetics: Philosophy of the Arts key concepts:
In the 18th century Jmannuel Kant says "Through the genius, nature set rules to art."  Friedrich Schiller eventually expands on that and explains that art makes us more human.  I believe that this is important because art does make a huge difference in our society.  Without art we would not be able to express ourselves or understand ourselves and others.  Art creates a safe place for humans physically and mentally.  Whether for theraputic reasons, personal enjoyment, entertainment or to send a message, art is what makes us more human.  In the 19th century Georg Hegel states another concept I feel is important.  He says "Through art an individual expresses what she is and what she may become."  We can still agree with this statement today considering we use art to express ourselves and evolve emotionally.
CARTA: Neurobiology, Neurology, and Art and Aesthetics key concepts:
I found it interesting that Changeux and Ramachandran connected art and science with the human brain.  They believe that through art, humans are able to share their conceptions of the world.  We can be smarter and learn more through the use of art.  I feel that this video could be a big wake up call to those who come from a scientific background and don't feel that art is important.
What the Brain Draws From: Art and Neuroscience key concepts:
It is interesting how artists have learned to trick the brain into thinking something looks three dimensional and lifelike.  The article explains how by placing shadows and lights that wouldn't be present in real life, we are able to trick the eye into percieving depth.  I loved this because as a spectator I never thought about the art process that way.

2.  I believe that Plato's theory on aesthetics is the most important.  He once said " There is a beauty by which all things are beautiful."  This is important because at this time it was 4th century B.C.  I feel that he was getting ahead of something that would become so meaningful and fluent in the days ahead.  His idea of beauty is beyond the senses and really helps to create a better outlook or perspective on life and what and who we are surrounded by.  I feel that Plato's theory really created the idea of beauty through art whether he was influenced by art and artist during his time.  He believed that once you have the idea in your head that is the original version of that work of art and once you create the art it becomes a copy of an idea.  He also believed that poets were untrustworthy because he believed they spoke of things they can't truly know about.  Plato's theories were inspiring to me and his idea of beauty is exceptional.

3. I think that Changeux and Ramachandran's scientific views on aesthetics and art was interesting.  Jean- Pierre Changeux started out with the evolution of the human brain in respect to art.  First he states that the brain takes at least 15 years to develop.  The first phase is the discovery of tools over 500 million years ago.  Next is the discovery of symmetry and then the discovery of symbolism.  Lastly the discovery of artistic composition which was founded 100,000 years ago.  Changeux called this the genetic envelope of art in the brain.  Later in his lecture he talks about the exemplum which was the artists attempt to share his conception of the world.  This is the idea that the artist has to convey to the spectator.  When an individual creates a work of art he is giving his idea to an audience or making us aware.  I loved this idea because it led to the idea of empathy or the empathy for suffering.  Looking at the different brain scans of individuals undergoing different stressors really put things into perspective for me.  Changeux explains how art makes us aware of oneself as another.  Ramachandran starts out with how people believed that science and art did not mix but in fact they do and they meet right in the brain.  Artists develop art for pleasure majority of the time whether its for themselves or others.  Ramachandran argues that this is a form of science, how an artist can configure something to create value to others.  He came up with the eight laws of aesthetics which are commonly used and studied.

4. The videos and article relate to the readings in the text because they correspond in the same way.  Every video, article, and reading all relate back to the idea of art making us more human or more understanding of the world we live in.  Before I began taking art classes and investing my time in the idea of art therapy I never would have known how important art truly is to the way we live and think.  Art is everywhere, some people are just not aware.

5.  In my opinion both the videos and the article were very informative.  The first video helped me to better understand the history of art and where it all began.  The second video explained how the brain and art are connected in a major way and the article used neuroscience to explain how we create art to influence our audience with the different approaches artists choose to use for specific reasons.

Step 4- The Process of Setting Up My Blog

1.  The process of creating a new GMail account was easy just because I am familiar with it and have had to do it several times before.  Setting up the blog was a little more challenging because I have never done it before and had to figure out how to get into creating the blog.  I was a little frustrated because I saved my password to my new GMail account and until I signed back out the blogger page would not allow me to create a new blog.  This process took me a few tries and longer than the average person just because it was new and I didn't know the correct steps already.

2.  I expect to learn how to interpret didn't types and works of art.  I also expect to learn more about the history of art and how it came to be such a huge part of our society.

3.  I love online courses because I work full time as well as go to school full time so it is one less class I have to travel for.  I chose to only take one online course each semester because sometimes they can be challenging depending on the way they are set up.  Although there are some difficulties with online courses, overall I feel that they are a good fit for me and my busy life.

4.  The three things in the Growth Mindset videos that most apply to me:

• The part when she talks about how the successful people worked hard to reach their goals, and they didn't give up when they faced setbacks.  She states how they had a growth mindset.  Although I have lots of room for improvement, I feel that I try to keep moving forward even when I fail.
• Another part of the video is when John Legend talks about how people just think if they are not good at something they never will be.  I feel that this applies to me because I felt and still feel that way about art.  I was never into art growing up or showed any signs of artistic ability, but I really enjoy the process of art making and the benefits and effects it has on society.
• The last part of the video that I feel applies to me is the growth mindset and fixed mindset definitions.  Although I feel that I have a growth mindset there have been times when I doubted my ability to become better at something.