Maryam Cristillo assignment #1

Walking into the exhibit I was very intrigued. The earth based colors and the subject was uniform and harmonious throughout. I thought it was very important to present the piece called Growth Patterns as an introductory piece as well because compositionally it lead the viewer into the exhibit. The content was a little ambiguous, which I really liked because it was not a direct interpretation of the subject matter and drew me in. However, the overall shapes had an organic and biological quality to them. I immediately thought of cells for the framed pieces but the first piece Growth Patterns reminded me of the rings on trees at first and looking closer I noticed seed like placement patterns on others. The layering of the subject matter, the materials used and the colors present in each piece intertwined well to create a beautiful and interesting cohesive body of work.

I was very intrigued and my curiosity was piqued as soon as I entered the exhibit because of the materials and subject matter involved left me wondering, what is it? What process achieves ethereal works like these? I felt very calm and comfortable in the space as well, strangely. Though, the content and subject matter was hard to specifically identify. I was able to find solace in the color palette because they are very similar to my own. My favorite piece encompasses what I found to be the most successful aspect of the works. Composition #38 caught me because even though it was the most monochrome piece out of the rest present it had the greatest three dimensional effects to it. The background was lost in a layering of circular shapes that were dark. The largest object in the picture plane was the two translucent sunflower heads. The three dimensional effects was a success because of the different angled circles—some oval and others more round—that made me believe a space existed behind the frame. It held my attention much longer than the others.

I was very inspired by the pieces but even more so by the artists lecture. I am a believer of following one’s intuition and feel that the process to which the artist took to create her pieces began just as naturally as her content. The artist began with an idea, like a seed which grew naturally and intuitively with the materials provided and locations she found herself in. That intuition is a major influence that is found reflected in her final products that look to have a single seed of thought and left to grow naturally.