Proposal for Project #3 -- Digital Mapping: A Creative Mapping of Cornwall

A summer spent in Cornwall gave me the opportunity to walk the rolling hills and the cliffs and beaches, to visit and get to know the Cornish people and learn something of their culture, and to observe and make sketches of the countryside, the houses, and the seaside. I came away from that experience enriched and inspired. Upon returning to the United States, first the West coast the Columbus, I set upon the task of recording my observations and impressions in a series of drawings and paintings, several of which, works in themselves, constitute the groundwork for larger mural-sized paintings which I hope to do in the future. Some of these studies were begun while I was still in Cornwall living in the small fishing village of Porthleven. Appropriately, my first study (about 7” by 5’) was done on fish and chips paper salvaged from out frequent visits to the local fish and chips shop.

For some time I have wanted to not only develop these studies but also to document them and my progress in creating them. The concepts and forms of digital mapping provide a perfect vehicle for such a project. Thus I propose to (a) digitally document some of my works through digitally photographing them and scanning them, and then (b) assemble and incorporate the accumulated images in Photo Shop to create a series of three works. These works will record and reflect the earlier pieces; they will also be unique works serving to map the aspects of Cornwall and the creative process of interpreting and communicating my experience of that place. At this point I plan to modify and superimpose images, reflecting the genesis of the original series as well as the development of my own process of learning to use digital recording devices such as camera and scanners and digital software applications, in this case Photo Shop CS3. I may also incorporate other images such as maps of Cornwall and my own computer generated compositions. The resulting digital maps will thus become a part of this evolving creative process and an expression of it, communicating this experience to others.

& now to update the 3 images for Project #2: Technoscape, or, in case of my take on this assignment -- a virtual landscape related to Hopkins Hall, the Art Building at OSU, a place very special to me & one I'd like to share:
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Proposal for Project #2: A Technoscape of Hopkins Hall

By what the artists focus upon and by the ways in which they see and express their vision, artists influence and shape the way we see things, the way we experience both inner and outer reality. The traditional landscape (or seascape or skyscape) is one of the classic forms of artistic expression whether the artist is focusing upon a particular subject within an environment or whether he or she is focusing on the landscape itself. An example here would be that of the Renaissance artist bringing iconographical subjects out of traditional backgrounds and placing them within increasingly realistic and recognizable landscapes. Later artists focused on the landscape itself. The "-scape" became a place in which events happened or a place in and of itself.

All of this has been affected by our changing social and cultural perspectives and by our technological developments. Developments in printing combined with discoveries and advances made in photography, film making, and television have increased not only the availability of images but also the speed with which they are produced, distributed, and received; the influences reverberate within the artistic community and throughout popular culture. And now, with the imaging capabilities of computers, we are beginning to create more than images, we are beginning to create a virtual space in which to experience them. Thus the landscape becomes a technoscape, a virtual environment created by artists and made possible through technology.

As an exploration of this space I plan to utilize photographs I have taken of the interior of Hopkins Hall. When I returned to OSU after years of being away and re-entered Hopkins Hall I once again found great enjoyment in the stained glass blocks placed in the stairways on the north side of the building. I was also amazed at the fact that I had forgotten them, had forgotten their presence and color and reflections and the way that all of that had affected me. Now I have the opportunity to re-enter that space of colored glass blocks and reflected light, to photographically record it, and, through the use of Photo Shop, to express it and transform the images, translate them so that I might share with others the effects of that light & color. At this point I intend to present a series of three works in which I combine, overlay, and transform images to create a technoscape of the interior of Hopkins Hall, a sort of virtual tour through my own perspective and experience of this building. I hope to convey something of the nature of Hopkins Hall, namely that it is a building established for the purpose of creating and sharing art. This may involve the inclusion of some of my own paintings created since I studied here. I also intend, through this, to contribute a viewpoint that will influence, even impact, how other people experience the building. The works will relate to Hopkins Hall as it is as well as create a series of images that will extend it to a virtual place to be enjoyed on its own terms.

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& a quote here from class re. creating a work of art:
"...[you are] building a world that has an inner syntactic logic to it, but you are also building a world for other people to see." (& this provides the opportunity for others to respond)
-- Joshua Penrose, Instructor, Art 350 --
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Here are the 3 parts to Project #1 -- Let's hear it for the Sheep!

Before I go any further, here is a more recent photo of my final project from Spring quarter. This photo taken by me on a Canon G9 camera provided by OSU's tech department (offically called OIT I believe).


& so here begins the new quarter -- Summer, 2009 -- of Photo Shop.
Welcome to my new life.
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Proposal for Project #1
Choosing a Future

Bringing our cities, our buildings, & our homes into ecological balance while maintaining a high level of technology & technological advancement has become one of the major social issues of our times. Within the context of this extremely vast & complex topic I would like to create a series of images addressing one aspect & one perspective on the theme of envisioning & establishing human community environments that are both future-oriented & beautiful. In order to do this I propose to approach the topic in three stages:

1. Education & Training: The first work will constitute an image or collection of images drawn from Internet sources having to do with the learning & training environment required to prepare people with the necessary educational, technical, & creative skills with which to approach the task. The images selected will probably be those of a University environment. My thoughts at this time include images of the soon to be reopened Thompson Library at OSU.

2. Choice: Since education & training must be directed by informed & wise decision making, the second work will have to do with perceiving various possibilities & outcomes for the future, indicating the importance of making healthy long-range choices. The images presented will include Internet sources & consist largely of images of current events & situations as well as of possible solutions, both realized & proposed (this may also include images from sources such as Science Fiction).

3. Vision: The third & final work in the series will be visionary, presenting one possible &, in my opinion, desirable future. At this point I am thinking of drawing upon images from science fiction series such as Star Trek or SG-1, both of them being replete with visions of the future.

Along with these images addressing current environmental concerns as they are manifested in the human community composed of buildings, green spaces, transportation & communication grids, etc., I intend to introduce a small flock (literally) of witnesses & participants, namely, sheep. This constitutes a continuation of a series begun last quarter, thus establishing a unity of presence & design in my work. My digital avatars, drawn from Internet sources, will serve to represent students, workers, designers, observers & participants in the drama of ecological training, choosing, & living. Sheep are curious, generally co-operative, & social to the point of being gregarious & communal. They will serve as an unlikely presence in the environments into which I will place them, thus introducing an element of surprise or shifted perspective, even some humor or comic relief in the midst of serious social & environmental issues. Thus I hope to alter the viewer's perception of the works, hopefully drawing attention to the issues presented, the questions raised, & the possibilities suggested. My overall intent is to awaken & encourage.

Above is the essence of the final Project, the "Creative Event:" a Flow of color & light. It brings with it a sense of closure as well as ideas for new works -- an end & a beginning.

I'm taking Art 350 again this summer, this time w/ instructor Joshua. It promises to be an equally productive & enjoyable class. I look forward to it, in fact, am already in the process of reading suggested essays on Postmodernism & other, readings which have gotten me to thinking about some material (like T.S.Eliot's Tradition & the Individual Talent) which has been in my mind but not actively thought about -- the relationship of the past w/ the present, how it infuses, informs, shapes, inspires the present, how this present also infuses & modifies the past, or at least the way we see it. Actually, I have been thinking about these things, they are a part of me, but this is the first time I've started writing about them, putting thoughts to paper -- or to electrons, as it were.

Also, I had thought about starting a new Blog for the new class, but no. Not only is this a continuation of the other, a furtherance, but also the 2 classes constitute a unit, not just of subject matter, but of experience, possibly even of theme. The projects from last quarter may carry over into this one. I hadn't intended to do a "series," but last quarter's work actually turned into that, so will this quarter see the creation of a new series? or a further exploration & development of the series already begun? Guess I'll wait & see where inspiration leads me. Anon.

Here is my final project, Mapping a Creative Event. Amazingly, it was selected for the Art & Technology Show held at the end of the quarter. I didn't expect that. In fact, just before the submission date, I was seriously considering not submitting it, but my husband, Bill, said, "You've got to try." So I did, & there it was, up on the wall -- a collage of Photo Shop elements from my third project, rearranged, mounted on a dark blue background, & washed over w/ a flow of acrylic interference paint. Needless to say, I was thrilled & grateful. The photo was taken by friend, Desi.

So what am I going to do now? Well, after 2 weeks of catching up w/ myself, burning some CD's to document class work, & hopefully getting some rest -- oh yes, & pulling some weeds out of my overgrown garden -- I plan to do this all over again. Summer quarter begins next week & I'm going to revisit Photo Shop. I want to really know this stuff before moving on (good advise from Jessica, the T.A. in my very first Computer Art class taken long ago at Palomar College in California). Until then ... thanks to all who cheered & coached me on: Adam, Sarah, instructor Ryan, Ken, Desi, Beth (for the use of her computer & printer), my husband, Bill (for endless amounts of love & encouragement), & more ... you know who you are. Thank you. I couldn't have gotten this far without you. It's more of a miracle than you could ever know. Thanks for being a part of it.