Museum visit - john knott

Description: We see two pictures side by side. one is the raw materials on the left side and then the finished product in the right side. raw meat cooked into a good meal.

Why I like it: The reason that I like it is because it has to do with food. it shows the the meat before and after.


Interpretation: Things can change. once you put the hard work into something a great product in the end. in this situation its a slate of ribs.


Judgment: I think that a thing to do to make this a better picture is show the process to the end goal. have what the person did to create what is in the right photo.

Ben Simonis - Museum visit

Description: We see two fish passing each other on a 2D paper medium. This drawing contains a lot texture and depth. The front fish is much darker while the fish behind it is lighter and splochier. Note that the eyes add another dimension being a different color. The fins have great texture that make this piece more appealing. This looks very realistic



Why I like it: I love the yellow eyes! I cannot say if this would be as interesting if this was only black and white. The texture is very visually pleasing to me. It looks like 2 real fish in a sea of paper.  The texture of the paper adds depth.


Technique: I think this is a sketch that might have been a trace. I am honestly a little perplexed on how this was made and I think that is why I like it so much. The eyes are closer to the thirds than the center. There is little to no depth, but at the same time the texture looks amazing. I think the shading on the edges make this piece look more realistic

Interpretation: This piece is trying to bring realism to a 2D paper and pencil drawing. The focus on the eyes brings any onlooker to have feelings of delight, but also the eyes might have creeped some people out. This piece is very simple, but the texture and subject make this a piece a lot of people will look at and enjoy


Judgment: The fish in back (or to the left) is not as sharp as the other one. I think that the left fish should be in more focus and shaded better.

My photo

I wanted to take a picture of a subject that I sort of used before. The texture on this extreme close up, paired with the faded background, really reminds of the fish piece.

Texture is very visually pleasing

Molly Devine - Museum Visit

                For my Museum project I went to the Kendall College of Art and Design. I took a photograph of a student picture I found very intriguing. The picture is a man’s watch on the ground. This watch is not any watch it is a large silver watch that has multiple gears and looks like the one my dad owns. It is a timeless style, when you think of a men’s watch you think of this one. The whole watch is not pictured perfectly it looks as though it was dropped there but intentionally. The ground it is laying in is small pebbles of different browns and tans. The background is blurred and dark; you can only see the watch and a small area of surrounding pebbles.

                I enjoyed this piece because I am into fashion and style. I love the use of an iconoclastic watch just pictured.

                Taking this photo they must have been in very close proximity and the background is blurred so they must have used some special lighting to create this as well as adjusted the exposure to only highlight the watch.

                My interpretation is that this watch represents a person or men in general.  I think that it is a classic representation of a man.  A watch for a man is a huge deal; it is like a ring or a specific pair of earrings to a woman.          

                My final judgement of this piece is that I like it. I’m not sure if I love the ground that the watch is on. It looks cool but for me it provides no meaning accept that it is manly looking. I chose to take a photo of my diamond earrings that I wear almost every day. This to me is a representation of a woman. I shot them on a bathroom counter where they are frequently found. That is where my picture differs I chose I background I also thought fit the context. Earrings are a man’s watch to a woman. These diamonds studs are timeless and classic. Simple yet descriptive.

Kelli Spedden - Movie Inspired/Studio Lighting

Kelli Spedden - Museum Visit

This piece was painted by a French artist by the name of Armand Guillaumin. The piece is set in a beautifully intricate frame, with etched vine like engravings encompassing the whole frame. The piece itself is done with oil paints, creating a very raised and detailed look. The whole piece is done with cool colors, with white for high lights, and black for shadows. The actual subject of the piece itself seems to be bystanders standing on what appears to be a shoreline, or docks, that lead out onto a bridge the rests over the water of a city river, and that connects from the mainland to a loan little island of sorts, that appears to be a park of sorts, with a large tree at the center of it. In the distance you can see the arches of a brick bridge that the water flows under. In the far back layer of the painting, it appears that there is a set of apartment complexes with chimneys sticking out of their rooftops on the far right side, while on the left side it seems to be the start of a skyline city scape. It looks to be early morning in the painting, given the tint of the sky, and it gives you a sense of the calm that can happen at the start of every day. The light reflects off of the river, cause odd, distorted shapes to appear.

I think that is it a beautiful piece. I love how it has a sense of abstract and realistic portrayal. I am also a huge fan of cool colors verses warm, so that was also a perk for me. The piece is so calming and surreal. I could get lost in a location like this. I want to simply stroll hand in hand with my lover down the shoreline and gaze at pink hue of the sky. My judgement on the piece is that I think it was very well done. It’s framed appropriately, the whole ensemble gives for a great presentation to those who are visiting the museum for the first time. It entrances you, and to me, that is the sign of a truly great artist.

My photo is inspired greatly from the painting in that I used a water subject. The colors and shapes of everything around the pond located at Cornerstone University. They are distorted, similar to the painting. In the farthest layer of the photo, are brick structures, with objects protruding from the rooftops. The sky is painted a vibrant pink, and in my photo, it is the end of the day, where the sun is setting rather than rising. My photo in contrast to the painting has a bit more of a green aspect to in, with all the grass and trees framing the photo. However, they are again similar in the sense that they both offer the feeling of hope. They offer the feeling of calm and communing with nature.

Shylia Fletcher- Museum Visit

Description: The picture showcases a isolated house hiding behind a skewed rock on the right lower side of the photo. The eerie looking naked tree in the top right corner suggest it is either fall or winter. The black, white and gray colors produces a creepy serene scene. The house looks like no has lived there for years. The downcast of shadows on the house makes the photo even more interesting and scary. The fact the house is not in the center gives the artwork a captivating view.

Why I like it: I like this art piece because I like the subtle creepiness escaping from the work. When viewing it, I spent a substantial time looking it over and picturing all the things I could use as inspiration. Not only did this work inspired my photographic abilities, it also inspired my creative writing process.

Technique: The artwork might not be a photograph but I could picture ow this house looked if it was a picture instead. The artists give the work depth of field. It is not extremely flat but not to out there that its distracting. The shadow on the plays with negative space.

Interpretation: I feel like the art piece is trying to provoke some kind of emotion of emptiness by making emptiness attractive.

Judgment: I like the off center house in the playful black and grayish color.

My Photo: In my photo, I wanted to take a picture of a inhabited house that is partly cover by nature at its finest. The rock covered the house in the artwork. So I cover my house with the tree and attempt to make it compliment the house. I wanted to give the photo a serene look as if someone would move into the home but not really.

Ben Elliott -Museum Visit

-       - This piece is called Mud Ring Platter. It is a round platter that is concave like a bowl. The majority of the platter is a blue-grey color with a shiny finish when it is shown under the light. On either side of the platter there are rings of varying color and size. It looks similar to drops of water rippling across the top of water. The color rings are a light yellow, light blue and a darker black outline of the rings. There are two large groups of rings and several smaller groups surrounding the largest group. The colors of the rings have a medium value and a medium to low chroma. The blue-grey background has a low value and a low chroma.

-      -  I especially liked this piece because it is very calming. All of the colors are low in chroma and the hue of the colors creates a peace felling. The platter was my favorite choice because many of the other pieces were “loud” and they jumped out at your eye. This piece still had a way of drawing my eye in, but it also relaxed my mind at the same time. I compared it earlier to a ripple on water and like a ripple its nice to look at but its not terribly exciting. I think I chose this piece because it relaxed me and was beautiful at the same time.

-     -   The techniques used are some kind of pottery design and painting. It seems that the artist was careful with his color choice to make this piece very neutral. The preciseness of the lines used in the rings is impressive. The colors are very harmonious and pleasing to the eye. The color relativity works well between the different rings, and also with the background.

-       - My interpretation is that this piece is supposed to reflect raindrops on water. The artist did a good job at giving me a peaceful feeling that I get when I listen or watch rain. And also captured the beauty of ripples on water.

-       - I loved this piece I really enjoy rain and listening to rain and this embodies what that feels like to me. I think the artist did a great job with the composition of this piece and the colors that complement the meaning. 

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-      -  I was inspired by this piece to shoot photographs of water. But I wanted the water to have color and create a peaceful mood. My photographs accomplish this. My colors are much brighter and have a much greater chroma then that of the original piece. I don’t think the color takes away from the overall peaceful mood of the photos. Working with the water was difficult but fun. I enjoyed being inspired by this artwork.

Kayla Herrmann-Museum Visit

Description: This was taken by a student at Kendall College. It showcases a torn up opened letter. Its contents are showing; color against white. The letter has a familiar feel to it and because almost everyone has received a letter before, it makes the photo more personal. It's a simple photo, yet it makes the viewer wonder why it's so worn down and what's inside.

Why I enjoy it: I really like this photo because it is so simple yet it still evokes emotion. It makes me wonder who the letter is from and who it was given to. It reminds me of a letter that has been opened and closed many times...like a special letter someone carries with them and opens often. Simple yet has its own story.

Technique: The photographer kept things simple so the focus is completely on the letter. They drew your eye to exactly what they wanted to-the letter. By keeping the background plain and having the photo be zoomed in so only the letter is shown, it lets the letter be the focus of the photo.

Interpretation: To me, this looks like a letter that is very important to someone. The kind of letter that you see someone carrying with them and constantly opening and closing, reading and rereading.

Judgement: I like the simplicity the photo holds. The neutral background is nice and the fact that the photo is zoomed makes it easy for a person to pick up on the focal point that is the letter.

My photo: I took this photo of opened letters that I had received over time since being here at Cornerstone. I put it in black and white to not take away from the letters themselves because the envelopes were all different bright colors. I like the feel that the black and white gives the photo as well. I wanted to keep the focus on the letters still so i made sure they were isolated. Taking this photo reminded me of how easily mail gets torn when you're excited to open it, impatient with opening it, or when you constantly take the contents out and put them back in the envelope. Letters are not always considered modern anymore, but to me, they are still appreciated and important.

Olivia Farrell- Extra Credit

                                    Before:     

                                   After:

J.Rose - Inspired Photography

The person I remember being the most inspired by was Walker Evans and the rest of the Farm Security Administration. I took these photos because Evans displayed the intricacies of a lifestyle previously misrepresented by those in other mediums. Recently media likes to young people, millennials to be specific as those who move to much and document life through social media instead of actually going out a living it. I wanted to showed the other side of this point through my photos.

J. Rose - Artprize Assignment

When we walked the city during artprize I found myself not so interested in the pieces. Now don't get me wrong I love art as much as the next person and I could appreciate all the creativity that was being put into these works. My mind was attached to something else, the city itself. Being from Indianapolis, artprize was my first huge exposure to the city of Grand Rapids so I felt like there was more art to be found in the architecture and lay out of the city itself and I tried to reflect what I found interesting in my photos.

J. Rose - Intangible Word

Consumer Systematics 

J.Rose - Silhouette

J. Rose - Assignment 3

J. Rose - Assignment 2 - Exposure

Over Exposed

Good Exposure

Bad Exposure

Museum Visit-Brianna Sterken

Monet: Waterlily Pond, Green Harmony 

Visit Location: Detroit Art Institute 

Photo found online (shows details better)

Description: This Monet has harmonizing colors that softly work together to paint a swift and calm outdoor day.  There is a bridge throughout the center of the scene that drags the darkness from one side of the painting to the other.  The strong greens intercede with yellows in a way that your eyes follow the strokes smoothly, as if the grass is blowing in the wind and the air from the water below the bridge is cool on your face.  The water is unseen, however, almost entirely since it is covered in beautiful lily pads.  Colorful and blooming, they cover the surface of the water, making it nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding ground.  Beyond the bridge is a weeping willow, pulling your eyes once again to the center of the painting, the bridge. 

Why I enjoy it: I enjoyed this piece so much because I felt that it perfectly embodied the day in which it was painted.  I can feel what is going on in the painting, I feel the water, the wind, the overwhelming power of being truly relaxed.  I also like that while there is so much nature going on, it is cut through by this simple but vital bridge.  A bridge is how you get from point A to point B.  The artist literally carries your eyes through the painting on the trusty bridge. 

                 

Technique: Clearly color is a huge technique in this painting.  While it is actually very colorful, it seems simple, blended almost.  The longer you look the more and more you realize that it is riddled with different colors, popping hues and contradicting schemes.  All of this is to work together to make you relaxed but intrigued.  Another important technique is the brush strokes.  You travel along the strokes, sliding down into the painting.  A photographer cannot do this as well with their camera, but a painter has the ability to tie your eyes to a piece of the painting and paint a line for them to follow. 

Interpretation: As I mentioned, I feel that the bridge is very important.  I feel that this relaxing day could be just like one of any other. It is calm, soft and happy.  The bridge is not a disturbance to the day, just a needed level of transportation.  I feel that the artist wanted us to dive into the water with him, swim across the water lily's, float across the bridge and roll in the grass beside him.  The painting as a whole is easy on the eyes but more importantly it is intriguing. The artist didn't want you to look on and move past, he wanted to keep you for a moment and steal a second from you life to live with him in this dream land. 

Judgment: I love this painting, but I am also a fan of Monet.  He was very absurd for his day, not only creating a new painting style but developing it quite spectacularly.  Additional to it being a Monet, this painting paints a world that no longer really exists.  I feel as if by looking at it, even just for a second, you can dive back in to a simpler time where a bridge was the only thing running through utopia. 

Inspired Image:

I chose this image because it also has a bridge running through it, and the water below does resemble brush strokes, but most importantly, I felt it embodied what today's world looks like.  I come from a small town so finding a location like Monet's painting is actually very possible.  I am aware that there are still small trinkets that do not look as industrialized as this photo, but this is the reality of our world.  We all have phones, we all have cars, we are all running a million miles a minute.  This photo is beautiful to me, but it is also fast.  It shows the strong and hard sky scrapers, the sky is blue, but powerful, the bridge is not bent and sweet but straight and to the point.  Even the water below is not kissed by blooming flowers but rushing as if it too is late.  This picture is the modern version of the Monet, it is our broken Utopia.

Reagan Hoezee--Museum visit

Description: This photo was taken by a student at Kendall College. It depicts a young man sitting outside on a cement stair landing with his knees raised and his back against a wall. It is nighttime, but he is in a dimly lit area, and there is a greenish hue to the photo.

Why I enjoy it: I enjoy looking at this photo because of the emotion it stirs in me. It seems like I can feel what the man is feeling. I am the type of person who likes to think deeply and reflect on life, and that seems to be exactly what he is doing.

Technique: The photographer uses light and color to create a somber mood. The fact that the picture is taken during nighttime, as well as his/her use of the dark green hue, gives the photo an air of sadness. The fact that the man is sitting all alone, outside in the middle of the night tells the viewer something is wrong.

Interpretation: The man seems to be sad, but not depressed. The fact that he is looking up, and not down, tells me he is thinking about some tragedy or mistake he has made, but in a more reflective manner. It seems to me that he just needed to get away and try to make sense of his pain.

Judgment: It is clear in this photo that the subject is sad, but I think I would take it a step further by having him put his head down. That would add to the melancholy mood, and stir a stronger emotion within the viewer. The subject pointing his head down would really strengthen the idea that he is feeling deep pain and/or remorse, and is taking time alone to make sense of his struggle.

This is a photo I took that was inspired by the picture from the museum. It shows my brother sitting up against a wall in the corner of our house. I wanted him to pose similarly to the man in the other picture as to give the photo a somber mood. I turned off the lights and turned on a small lamp to give the photo dim lighting like the original picture.

Museum Assignment - Zach Streitmatter

Description: For my museum assignment I chose a photograph from Kendall college. The photo I chose is a black and white image of a towel to the right of a shower door with light from the window that is out of frame to the left falling on the towel and casting interesting shadows as well. I really like this piece because of the the way that it utilizes light and shadow to make everyday objects interesting and dynamic.

Technique: I think the most prominent technique in used in this image is texture. Part of the reason for that is the way that a colorless image emphasizes the shape and texture of objects. The towel’s texture is a prominent feature of this image as well as the way the light and shadows from the window effect the appearance of that texture.

Interpretation: I think the intent of this piece is to show the beauty in the everyday and cast something that we would typically consider boring or commonplace in a new light. The point of this piece seems to be to make the viewer think about and see the appearance of this common scene rather than just glance over it as most people probably do day to day.

Judgment: Ultimately I really enjoy this piece I find the focus on light, shadow and texture inspiring and I really like the concept of trying to capture the everyday in new and different ways that make the viewer truly think about and contemplate the things that we so often take for granted.

This is my attempt to capture something everyday in a unique and thought provoking way. Rather than using light and shadow to capture something commonplace in a different light so to speak, I opted for using a reflection to draw attention to the door in a different way from how one would usually see it.