project 3: group remix

I'm sorry Jess for butchering your initial design. 

who says...

...art can't be simple

Piet Mondrian: "The Evolution of Pure Abstract Paintings" 

Project 3: more things

For those special moments when what you feel to be a well thought out and developed idea

both conceptually and physically through trial-and-error process isn't enough.

Project 3: leaf v2.0

Finally we were to create a separate image retaining some form of the wallpaper element we used.

I went back to the template I created my wallpaper pattern from and began adding...

Opacity, Hue, and Saturation became the name of the game.

Through lots of layering and playing with color combinations I wound up with this.

Overall I'm most happy with this image, if just for sheer aesthetics alone.

I'd be happy to hand it in as seen here, but will most likely make some kind of small change between now and then. 

Project 3: leaf wallpaper

And here's what that repeated cell looks like as a full wallpaper.

I think I'm leaving this as is as I'm pretty happy with the outcome. 

The seem between the repeating pattern cells is subtle, and so is the texture, 

that plus the color create something that still retains a natural feel.

Project 3: leaf template

One thing led to another until I came to overlap the repeated image to create this sample cross-hatch. 

From the center of these 8 leafs I cut out my pattern block. 

Project 3: leaf photo print

So then I took a photo of a leaf and did an instant Polaroid transfer, resulting in this. The color and texture of this print appealed to me so I pursued my options...

project 3: leaf study

We were to find inspiration in nature for a repeating pattern / wallpaper design. From the start I was looking to leaves. Thinking of subtle texture, and cross-hatching of veins to make a seamless natural look.

Artist Paper

Alex Leber

Ansel Adams Paper

Prof Chris

10/31/11

Ansel Adams: A Retrospective

Photographer, environmentalist, and a man with a vision; Ansel Adams is without a doubt one

of America's most influential photographers. Adam's style was defined by an unparalleled sharpness and clarity throughout his photographs, usually of the environment or some other aspect of the natural world. Perhaps best known for his series of Yosemite National Park, Adam's depicts the unspoiled grandeur of the western American wilderness in perfect life-like focus and stunning black and white. The jaw-dropping clarity in which Adam's depicts such pristine environments sparked both environmental and photographic movements, such as F/64. Adam's was a founding member of the F/64 photographic movement, along with the renown Edward Weston. In this school of thought a photograph's focus was held in the highest regard, and artists of this school sought to depict their environment as perfectly, naturally, and accurately as possible; thus the movement was dubbed F/64, in regards to a very high depth-of-field camera setting which ensures all objects appear in focus.

Adam's Yosemite photographs which truly embody the heart of the F/64 movement are a great source of inspiration to myself as a learning photographer who also places great value in the environment. To myself these bold images come across as awe-inspiring, and invoke a deep, hushed, sense of personal emotion, like visual meditation. In particular “Bridalveil Fall,” “Cathedral Peak and Lake,” “Yosemite Fall, Profile,” and “The Tetons and The Snake River,” just to name a few, all do a great job of transporting me the viewer out of my seat and into the wild. One key factor of success I can determine when looking at these photographs is that the visual element of water is very well handled. From just the right shutter speed to capture the intensity and motion blur of a waterfall, or to slow it way down and turn winding rivers into smeared, highly reflective snakes. Or even to render a vast lake as still and sheen as a plate of glass; these elements, coupled with a focus so sharp it would make your grandma's eyes bleed, make for a truly exceptional ocular experience.

Adam's doesn't slack on the fundamentals either, he knows what makes a good photograph by all traditional standards and demonstrates his vast knowledge and technical skill in photographs such as: “El Capitan, Merced River, Clouds,” “Jeffrey Pine, Sentinel Dome,” and “Nevada Fall, Rainbow” just to name a few (of course.) Compositionally all these photographs are very strong and have no problem grabbing the audience's attention. Further more, they all boast perfect, yes perfect, contrast. Rich, deep blacks, and piercing whites with every possible gradation between keeps your eye pleasantly moving across the landscapes. By themselves each of these photographs is truly a treat to behold, but when viewed together as a series they feed off each other and create a magnificent menagerie of natural wonder.

Given the prevalence of his natural subject matters it should come as no surprise that Adam's roots as a photographer lie in the wilderness he loved. Adam's first gained attention as a photographer when he became the official photographer of the Sierra Club, an environmental group dedicated to the preservation of the Yosemite wilderness. Adam's quickly gained attention as an artist and an advocate of wildlife, being published in the Sierra Club's Bulletins, and then becoming a member of the board of directors for the club. Adam's Yosemite photographs even had influence enough to sway the president Franklin Roosevelt in establishing the Kings Canyon Park, which added over 400,000 acres to the protected western wilderness. In his lifetime Adam's went on to receive many great honors for his work in environmental photography, such as the Conservation Service Award, and Presidential Medal of Freedom. As an aspiring photographer I am blown away by the impact this single man created through his images. He did a world of good for this world and is truly an inspiration to myself, as I'm sure he is to many others in my field.