TheOsh

i have a new series in the works at the moment. i've started putting up images as they become finished for the most part. this will probably be the series that i take with me to graduate schools...

it's called 'UnCommon Women (and other lies we tell ourselves)'...

atleast its called that for now...

i'm not sure how the administration will take to it...

The "I will not" series will be opening on February 5th at 3pm on the second floor of the Hollins Visual Arts Center.

Please feel free to come.....there will be cheese

Here's the artist Statement for this work...

"I Will Not" series

I firmly believe that one of the many duties of artists is to illuminate that which is often invisible. Today's culture of split second change, everyone is going a million miles a minute trying to keep-up. It isn't until we slow down that we see the beauty, the injustice, the oddity that is life and human nature. We all as human beings are not perfect. We have aspects to our selves we don't enjoy or appreciate…whether it is our own fault or not. As we grow, adults, friends, family and especially the media all tell us we need to look a certain way, act a certain way and be a certain kind of person. Children are taught to put on this mask of who they are expected to be and that they need to maintain that mask. If true self is shown…disaster.
Our insecurities are often a hindrance from fully expressing who we are to other people and often to ourselves. In this series, my only goal is to make someone stop and think about the person next to him or her. Not judging, not measuring, simply what could they possibly be putting themselves up-against? Why? Are these criticisms valid? Are these insecurities as big of deal as we often make them out to be? Then hopefully turning the questions inwards. Who knows what answers will be found if the right questions are asked?

Here's my basic idea as presented to Prof Sulkin:

To start with, this series is going to be an expansion on my "Blackboard" series done during the final weeks of my digital class last spring. The basic idea is thus. We all as human beings are not perfect. We have aspects to our selves we don't enjoy or appreciate…whether we like it or not. We're told by adults growing up, friends, family and especially the media we need to look a certain way, act a certain way and be a certain kind of person. From a young age we are taught to put on this mask of who we are expected to be and that we need to maintain that mask. If we let our true self show…disaster. Our insecurities are often a hindrance from fully expressing who we are to other people and often to ourselves. My project is simply finding a way to express these hindrances through portraits. Certain things will stay the same from the "blackboard" series. I will continue to use the blackboard, only here it starts to symbolize the childlike chastisement by society, our insecurities, and ourselves. I will also try to keep the portraits as honest as I can, asking my subjects again to be at most semi-nude to convey that vulnerability. The major differences I feel will be the words used (sentences as opposed to words) as well as experimenting with positioning (front/background).   

4 of the 7 photos I entered made it into the Juried Art show here at Hollins...I'm uber happy about it!...except now I have to get them framed and matted...like I have the money for that. I'll figure it out I suppose...

AHHHHHHHH!   

The Darkroom is a mess as am I.

It's making me want to scream...I hate my negatives