Small Work: Poetry or Prose

Floating through Nirvana

Slowly walking the uneven and unbalanced walkway,

 hypnotizing rhythm of the Banyan trees pulling me,

intense sunlight above blinding.

a sea of dark violet, bright lime-chartreuse embracing-

mountainous rock formations within the pond,

petals of the Lily burst out above the pad.

rock alcove formations surround flowing water falls cascading into ponds,

Turtles and different species of fish habituate.

every turn along the path,

 discovering more and more unexplored terrains,

behold-indescribable natural beauty.

 within the Hidden garden lies,

a pond nestles olive-pine-emerald-pear hues,

showering constant water rapidly,

I have arrived,

the central path welcoming me,

in awe,

I sigh,

appreciating soul-lifting heavenliness.

Frost Art Museum Visit FIU

“Little Spinner in Mill" this photo depicts a little girl standing in between the spinning cotton machine. This photograph illustrates the aspects of labor including the working conditions and slum housing. Child labor has striped the little girl of her natural childish gifts and enthusiasm by turning them in working children instead of being in school to receiving an education. The composition of the photograph suggests that she must tend to the two rows of the cotton spinning machines and the labor is tiring her out to the point of exhaustion. Based on her attire and facial expression she is exhausted, in pain and anguish due to the harsh job conditions in the cotton mill. The cotton mills lacked air conditioning, proper hygiene, laborious shift hours of standing on her feet with uncomfortable shoes, and tight spaces to enter from.

https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/lewis-hine-photographer-activist-character/

Creature depiction

For this assignment we were to use our imagination and prior knowledge as our only source to create a creature to understand the role of early artists and illustrators as important interpreter/creators of visual culture, including scientific and anthropological fact. We were to chose a text option and recreate the created based on the description. I chose Creature #2 to recreate. As I was drawing the creature I began to put my prior knowledge from Marine science together and thought it had to be either a sea slug, or Spanish dancer. 

Creature description below: 

Creature #2—text dated 1839.

This [type of creature] is about five inches long; and is of a dirty yellowish color, veined with purple.  At the anterior extremity, it has two pairs of feelers; the upper ones of which resemble in shape the ears of a quadruped.  On each side of the lower surface, or foot, there is a broad membrane, which appears sometimes to act as a ventilator, in causing a current of water to flow over the dorsal branchiae.  It feeds on delicate seaweeds, which grow among the stones in muddy and shallow water; and I found in its stomach several small pebbles, as in the gizzards of birds.  This (creature), when disturbed, emits a very fine purplish-red fluid, which stains the water for the space of a foot around.  Besides this means of defense, an acrid secretion, which is spread over its body, causes a sharp, stinging sensation, similar to that produced by the (creature name).

Jerry Saltz on the Outsider Art Fair-and Why There’s No Such Thing As ‘Outsider’ Art

Jerry Saltz expresses, how he feels about how “Outsider art is treated compared to fine art, is judged based on the education level of the artist, and how it is misunderstood. The term “Outsider” refers to a group of artist’s that are considered disturbed, mentally ill, uneducated, inexperienced, not worthy to be presented in a museum or gallery. Similarly, I agree with Jerry Saltz and I believe that these artists deserve the opportunity to be recognized for their artwork and talent. 

Saltz mentions, women have also been put under the “Outsider” group because women were not allowed to study in the academy because they were seen a pure and could not be exposed to seeing a nude figure to draw. I believe that their artwork being prohibited from the museums and galleries is unjust and unfair.

It is essential that Museums adapt by putting their prejudices aside to reform by allowing the integration of “Outsider art” to be showed inside the museum. Just because a group of artists are self-taught because they did not study at an academy, but have talent doesn’t mean that their work should not be allowed to be exhibited in a museum. Not only are the artists not being allowed this opportunity, but we are being denied the chance to see their work in the museum as well. Museums should have change, when they allow the change to transpire the museum will grow.   

The White Bird by: John Berger

In this article, John Berger talks about how the white birds have figurative representation. The white bird is referring to the world of nature which surrounds us. To John, the world of nature includes birds, rock forms, running water, trees, and animals. He experiences an aesthetic emotion between him and the white bird because it represents the purity and peace which he finds within the forms of nature. The aesthetic emotion he feels with the white bird is a derivative emotion he experiences before nature from the energy of nature itself.

The symbolism behind the white bird has various symbolic meanings to it depending on the culture.  For example, a friend of mine made me an origami crane, and when I researched the significance behind it meant wisdom, peace, hope and family. To John Berger the process in creating the small white bird is fascinating with each step. John describes, the complexity of the construction process very graciously from start to finish. Between their construction and how it connects to nature the white birds provoke some kind of astonishment towards the audience. Based on the way he describes the wooden bird it indicates how much more meaning the bird has.

For instance, I have two ceramic cups that were given as graduation gifts from one of my professors. Something as practical and functional as a cup has a significant meaning to me. To the naked eye it probably looks easily constructed. Knowing the entire process it took to make something as simple as a cup gives it more value because it is beautifully constructed, and it also was made by my professor which gives it so much more meaning than just a cup. To me the cups are a symbol of an emotional connection because it reminds me of all the time I have spent working in the ceramic studio.

The Rhinoceros from Durer to Stubbs by: T.H. Clarke

I prefer the woodcut by Hans Burgkmair because it was more realistic, depicted the rhino in its actual natural form. It is less fanciful, more down-to-earth. Hans Burgkmair wood cuts are less stylized than in Durer's drawing. There are similar features among the two versions including the stance, tail, proportions, bulk, spread-out toes.

In comparison to Durer’s Rhinoceros, Burgkmair’s differs because the horn is shorter, the facial expression, and gentler markings both of body and legs, presence of rope and chain binding the forelegs.  Durer’s version for decades after it had been proved to be a work of imagination rather than of observation. Durer’s versions of the rhino woodcut have exaggerated features based on his interpretation of the rhino from his imagination rather than from observation.

The depiction I found to be the most amusing was the depiction by Dr. Giovanni Giacomo Penni, the Florentine doctor titled“Forma e natura e costumi de lo Rinocerothe”.

The woodcut shows a sympathetic, naive creature, with beady eyes, its forelegs hobbled and chained, its folds of skin clothing it like a surcoat, the ribs. Instead of showing a strong, fierce and exotic animal he illustrates it as a weak, frail, and tired rhinoceros with no strength or power.

In-Depth Project: Abstraction of the form

Based on the color we received in class from the method of choosing a color from picking a number out of four. It lead my group to have to top section of the chair because we were given the color pink. With the cropped top section of my chair I created an abstraction of the form with inspiration from Piet Mondrian's paintings of the "De Stijl" style.

With the design I created which was influenced from the Norwegian/Swedish pattern type called "Rosemaling", incorporated the pattern to the canvas using Mulberry paper and wove yarn in circular movement using yellow, green, blue red, and violet. I wanted to depict abstraction using color. When I was planning how I was going to communicate my concept on the canvas I thought about I how I wanted the yarn to link together to form an abstraction of intersecting colors.


This was the first time I have worked with yarn before and used it on a canvas, incorporated Mulberry paper in a project before. I enjoyed the process itself from planning out my concept in my sketchbook to sewing the yarn within the canvas to and drawing the pattern on the Mulberry paper.