Assignment #1

Everyone has a different perspective of art. Each piece can mean a number of different things to a number of different people. These feelings can come from personal experiences or just the feelings someone discovers from a piece of art. The exhibit Adapting Spaces made me think of many things. First I walked in and started looking around. I did not really understand how these four artists' work compared to each other. They set up there show in four different sections, with each artist per section. I believe each of the artists exhibits tell a story within their own portraits. The framing was excellent, and the colors in the pieces were very realistic. I like how as you looked along the wall you could start to put together a storyline in your head. I haven't yet decided if I prefer these works to be together or completely separate. I feel like in some aspects they work well, and some they do not. What works well is that they all focus on places, which ties them together very well, however, the style of the artists are all very different which is why I am not sure about them being together.

My favorite piece was really easy for me to pick out. I love nature so this piece spoke to me as soon as I saw it. It is a photograph of a single tree surrounded by more trees. It was taken by John Mann, and is part of his "The Travelers" collection. The colors in the piece are all very natural. You can see that this picture was not edited to look a certain way, but was taken carefully to look a certain way. The piece has a quiet and calming feeling. When I look at this picture I feel like I am am there. I like that there is a single tree surrounded by a jungle of bushes, grass, and other small trees. The tree in the middle sticks out, it is the first thing that you see when you glance at this piece. I love how there is a softness about the picture. The trees seem to fade into the back round.




When I first glanced at this piece I saw that the tree stuck out, and you could immediately focus on it. I can interpret the tree as myself. It is tall, skinny, and it sticks out. The little trees, grasses, and bushes symbolize the jungle that is around me. Everyday things happen that we cannot control, however, you have to stand tall, and get through them. The trees that are fading into the back round are the bad things or struggles that are fading away, because bad times do not last forever. Going to the artists interview Ryan Adrick spoke on behalf of John Mann. He took this picture along the Appalachian trail to symbolize a resting spot, but other than that he leaves it up for interpretation. Putting my life in this picture, or anyone for that matter seems to explain this picture in an abstract yet perfect way.

-Katelin Bolig