Sister Love - Journal Entry.

This is my little sister Sydnee and she is my one and true best friends. We are 10 years apart, but are so close at the heart. Since my mom and dad were working a lot during the summers, i spent a lot of my time raising my little sister. My parents were there a lot for her and raising her to -  but people say that i am like a second mother. She is my flesh and blood and can't imagine what i would do without her. There are times where she can be annoying and i don't want anything to do with her, but there are also times where she is the only one that i want with me. I know that sometimes she doesn't understand everything, but she has always been there for me giving me hugs when i'm crying or defending me or even rubbing my back while i fall asleep. She is only 8 years old, but since she grew up with 2 teenagers in the house -  she is 8 going on 21!


This year is extremely hard being away from her. She is now an only child in the house. It's hard for me because i feel a sense of guilt that i am not there for someone that she can look up to. When i was growing up my older sister was there living at home until i was 16. Sydnee is only 8 and all her older sisters' are gone. I wish i could be there for her soccer games, dance recitals, or christmas programs but i am not and that is what hurts the most. I am not there with her while she is growing up. I love her so much and i thank god everyday that i have her as my little sister.

Christmas. - Journal Entry

Christmas Break is coming, but not fast enough -  i cant wait to get home and see all my family and friends that i have been away from for so long. It's going to be so nice to sleep in my own bed and as long as i want because i wont have to worry about homework or class. I am especially excited about this christmas because my Uncle Chris and cousin Alicia are coming to town to spend it with us and i have not spent a christmas with them since i was 2. It is going to be so nice and relaxing with them here. About a year ago i had reconnected with my uncle chris on Facebook - i hadn't seen nor talked to him since i was 2 and so, its been so nice to have him back in my life. It's really been a joy and blessing. Since i connected to him, that means that i found my cousin alicia. No one knew where she was at living wise and what she was doing so it is nice to have my cousin back in my life. Overall I am so excited to see my family and friends, but also make this christmas one to remember.

12-7-10: Journal Entry.

Today in class my group was very productive with getting our project installed. During the day Lauren and I went to the dollar store to get our "ingredients" and then we typed up and printed the labels and title page. The labels had the name of the potion, description, and the ingredient inside. We printed them on card stock and cut them out to place next to the bottles.

During class we divided the bottles up and went through the ones we got and put the ingredients inside them. The ingredients were: fingernails, soap, lizard tails, peanut butter, glitter, coco beans, raisins, rotten teeth, onions, fish eggs, hair, cat whiskers and more. It was very interesting and kindof fun putting them all together and see what they looked like.

We then started to display them in the cabinet. As we stood back and looked at the display we realized that we needed a light on each shelve because it was kinda dark. The light is going to help the viewers see the bottles and ingredient better and it will just make the overall product better.

Journal Entry.

"When you photograph people in color you photograph their clothes.  But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls!"  ~Ted Grant


I love this quote because it is very true -  when you take pictures in color of people the color is used to show their clothing off and brighten the picture because of the clothing, really when a picture is in color you tend to focus more on the appearance of the people. When you take pictures in black and white, yes you see the people and the different contrast between the two shades -  but that isn't what draw your attention. What draws your attention is the expression of the faces, you see the inside and focus more on the people. You get more of a connection and really study the person. 


Here are two examples.  - 

You look at this picture of me and my friends at graduation and it is in black and white -  you can see the joy and excitement in our faces and you can really get a sense of who we are because you are more focused on the bright part which is our faces. Don't get me wrong you would still be able to see our expressions if it was in color -  but your eyes would have drawn to our royal blue cap and gowns. So, being in black and white you can see inside the people.

Here is another picture at graduation, but this time its in color -  When i first looked at this picture my eyes immediately went to the gowns because it's the brightest part of the picture, the boldest part and the biggest part. My eyes didn't go to the people or their faces. So, before you see their expressions and you see blue.. the gowns.

Annette Messager.

Annette Message works with everyday materials such as plush toys, stuffed animals and fabrics. She likes using the stuffed animals because she says that they are genderless and flexible. Her works represent the universality in society which comes from her personal interest and experiences rather than focusing on specific people, cultures, race, nationality or gender. From her small figures to her bug computer operated installations there is always a common "playfulness" no matter what the size is. It could play a role of game, word plays, imaginary tales no matter what her work will never bore you.

Remains - She likes to tell stories especially children stories and this installation is based on childhood toys and stories that she has collected through the last four decades. There is a wave of material that takes over the wall, there are pieces of colored wool hanging down from the wall with clothes and objects that become the decoration. The landscapes of the plastic and synthetic fur are dominating the stuffed animals. This is an icon of French Art. 

The Secret Room of the Collector - She really played with issues of identity and the secret room is a small section of the gallery which people cannot enter. It is full of diary notes, images cut from magazines, terms for women that are embroidered on fabric, black and white photos that are showing barbaric forms of beauty treatment. There are also displays of her "best" signatures written over and over again when she was a little school girl practicing her name in the back of the text book. 

Them and Us, Us and Them- The red billowing, illuminated silk creates a lost world. The sparrows in knitted capes and bonnets, you find yourself in a fantasy world which swings between nostalgic, funny and nightmarish. In this one you can tell she likes cliches and our entire society is lost in fairy tales. You can tell that she has been interested in them just by her work and the fairy tales are open of the the subject points of her work.

Conclusion - I enjoy that she uses objects from everyday life because it allows her work to freely move between coexistence of opposing ideas like humor and fear, pure and vicious or reality and imagination. They all seem to give off an impression of a pure yet fragile work. I also like her work because the unique "playfulness" or humor that she uses is one of the main reasons why she is very popular to people of all ages and genders. I feel that there are only question and no answers and that is what makes the work engaging.

Langdon Graves

Langdon Graves  creates drawings and sculptures with a slightly unsettling knack for blurring the line between the imagined and the  physical  -  her approach leave more room for the viewers to leave wondering. I like her drawings a lot better than her sculptures. Her drawing's seem to be more personal and i can really connect easier to his drawings. They are very detailed and vivid - she uses sharp detail and since they are all in black and white it makes them stand out more. Plus, not all of them are "reality" some of the drawings that she has done are ones that you would never see.  Her drawings are very poetic and almost always in black and white though there are a few with a tint of pink or yellow. I like that she uses her own style: a soft mood and detailed works that are very eye catching pieces.

This photo was catching to my eye because as you can see her hand behind her back she is crossing her fingers. Since you can only see the back of her and her hand you question what she is crossing her fingers for.. Is she crossing them for luck, crossing them by pinky promising something, but crossing your fingers. Its along the saying.."Pinky Promise..? No Cross's Count" - I know that i did that when i was little and still do so i think that, that is why this photo caught my eye.


This was a photo that i also had so many questions running through my head when looking at it -  you see that it is a male, he has his shirt off and you can tell that he is in pretty good shape. You see his fingers almost like digging into his chest.. So, i ask myself -  "Is he angry?" "Did he get his heart broken?" "He is hurting inside from a loved one lost?" But all these questions aren't just there because of his hand, you can also tell by the expression on his face -  its very blank and he is looking down almost in grieve or depression.


This isn't much of a picture, but it could have a bold meaning. You look at it and you see a one side of a man's face-  just one ear, and one eye, and a little piece of his hair and with glasses on. I wonder why just one side is showing complete detail and not the other side. The other eye piece on the glasses has a red/pink tint to it. I wonder if that side of the face isn't showing is because he is a ashamed, more maybe there is something such as a scare or burn on that side of the face that he doesn't want to show.

Peter Land

Peter Land used be known for stripe dancing videos and performing art -  now he is know for his most famous piece which is of a young with a water foundation with flowing water out of her mouth. Things like this not only make me wonder but the people around us of how much back story or examination is necessary for the enjoyment of a single piece. Peter is a Danish artist and is well known for his humorous and self-ironic work. Peter works between video, photo, performances and installation works- but also the more traditional work of drawing, and oil paint.

Snapshot -  When looking at the full view of this monument i took a "double take" because i wasn't sure if the little girl was balanced on the rocks or maybe what cause my eye was the background that pulled me in and that is when it connected that this piece was really a "snapshot"

Untitled - This installation is of a older man laying in bed and it shows that his arms and legs are extremely large and go past the bed. He is too big for the bed -  It's like trying to put a shoe on that is too small -  its just going to be uncomfortable.

Playground - This installation is of a young girl and a young boy playing i the playground and is passing the ball back and forth. There is a white picket fence that is surrounding them.


Conclusion-  I liked peters work because he had a wide variety of work -  and i liked his sculpted ones because they were real like "snapshot" or more of them where and he took those photo's studied them and then made a life six replica of that. There was not really a lot of information on this works so i couldn't really get the background and inspiration that he had on his work - so therefore i couldn't write as much as i could.