photomontage experiments

I meant to include my other pieces from the photomontage assignment

Artist profile: Amos Mac

Amos Mac is an American artist who predominately works in photography and print.
Mac has gained noteriety as a photographer for taking photographs of transgender individuals, as well as being the co founder of ORIGINAL PLUMBING, a magazine made for and by trans men and trans masculine individuals. His work consists of advocacy and activism through portraiture, as well as fashion editorial work for Vouge Italia. Below are some of my favorite photos by this artist

Amos Mac explores gender and sexuality and the intersection between them. He is also an interesting artist as he has used social media to contact all the various people he has photographed over the years. Social media has played a major hand in ORIGINAL PLUMBINGS success as well, with the internet the world is not as large as it used to be, minority groups such as transgender men, which consist of about 0.5% of the US population, are now able to access community and resources that wouldn't have been available until recently with social media. 

http://www.amosmac.com

photomontage

My photo montage consists of photos taken while applying make up for a drag performance, self portraits as my drag persona, and the process of removing the make up at the end of the night.  Drag makeup is much different than what the average person wears for daily use, it’s more closely related to stage makeup; Transformative, ostentatious, and theatrical. The process of putting on drag make up completely alters my appearance and takes several hours. This allowed me the opportunity to take a series of photos to document the step-by-step process of transformation.

Beyond the visual transformation, drag has significance in the personal, and within the community.  Drag performers all have unique experiences and definitions of what drag “is”, but I've found that there’s a very vague definition most people can agree on: Drag is gender as performance. That’s it. This definition resonates with me more than definitions that include “illusion” or “cross dressing”, because all gender(roles) are performative and socially constructed, thus open to anyone's interpretation.  Drag provides an outlet for me as an artist to explore gender and gender roles,  and what those mean within myself. Probably the most important thing that drag provides is a community space for LGBT people, drag has a long tradition within the community.

This piece explores gender, as well as the concept of a drag persona or an alter ego.

Color Theory and Design

Color theory can be a complex concept, not only is there scientific aspects of color theory and a need to understand how light works; There is also an emotive, and cultural aspect of color that must be  understood by artists and designers. 



Color derives from the spectrum of light(distribution of light power versus wavelength) interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors. Color categories and physical specifications of color are also associated with objects or materials based on their physical properties such as light absorption, reflection, or emission spectra.

Above is what color literally is, in Launching the Imagination:A Comprehensive Guide to Basic Design , Stuart explains further the difference between Additive Color (RGB) and Subtractive Color (Blue, red, yellow), as well as their practical uses to artists. 

Color also evokes an emotional response through cultural and personal associations, as well as the way colors interact chemically through our perception. Artists and designers have the ability to harness the power of color, through color schemes artists can give the illusion of depth, atmosphere, and even conceptual significance. Color can be used to direct the eyes of the viewer, as well as influence them emotionally. 

Che Guevara by Andy Warhol 1968

The painting above, infamous in the late 60's for being a counterfeit that was later "Authenticated" by Warhol himself, is also a good example of how colors interacting with each other change our perception, and even our emotional response to the image. The middle panel is the most iconic today, being donned on countless t shirts sold across the US. To me, this shows that a bold design with this color scheme, as well as the emotive response the viewer would have to it as something that resonated with many people, even if they had no knowledge of the subject (or the irony of wearing a Che Guevara mass produced T-shirt). Would the orange/purple/blue panel have evoked a response as strong as the center panel? The color combination is beautiful, but it doesn't emotionally stimulate a romanisized notion of rebellion, stoicism, or communism.   

Colors are never emotionally neutral. 

(e)Motions of Pain

(e)Motions of Pain

Ray Lechelt 2015

Raster Based Software Self Portrait

(e)Motions of Pain, a self portrait made in Adobe photoshop cs6. 

This piece is less of a literal self portrait, as I approached the very concept of as an extension beyond my physical body and recognizable features, in an attempt representing my actions.

The figures themselves do not necessarily represent me as a portrait, but rather the positions they hold on the picture plain. The figures are shown doing my daily physical therapy stretches to relieve pain and strengthen my core to prevent future injuries. Pain is always tied to my emotional state, as it is with most people; if I'm in such pain that I cannot move, its extremely unlikely that I will be in a good mood.