This was the first, and in my opinion, best, of three pieces of our first assignment in digital media. We had to photoshop images together to make a self-portrait, using one backdrop and at least three elements added in. My decided theme for this project was different representations of afterlife. The main backdrop I used was a picture I took right off of campus in Toledo and my added elements were myself as a ghost and the stoplights different colors. I found the photoshoot portion of this process to be incredibly fun, as it gave me a reason to put on a ghost costume.
This was an experimental project in digital media where we learned to seamlessly put two photos together using Adobe Photoshop. The mannequin photo is from the Center of Visual Arts and the scenery with the car is a strange parking lot in Toledo, both photos taken by me. This piece wasn't truly meant to be a picture I kept and treasured so much, but I did it better than I thought and I found that hilarious.
This was another one of the three pieces of our first assignment in digital media. We had to photoshop images together to make a self-portrait, using one backdrop and at least three elements added in. My decided theme for this project was different representations of afterlife. I had taken a photo of a graveyard and added myself as a dead person by the grave, multiple silhouettes of myself in the back, and lantern-like lights alongside each of the figures in the back. While I am quite proud of how this turned out, it is too dark to print, so I may go back and lighten it up a bit one day.
This following piece is a poem I wrote in my creative writing class. We were meant to write a poem based on a painting, and I chose to write it based on a painting my aunt, Beth Ruff Schmalenburg, made to match my grandparents living room that my parents now own. The painting is shown first and the poem follows:
The Painting in Your Living Room
You fell in love, somewhere around 1940
back when he would wear that blue vest and you would wear your pink sunhat;
and he’s your soulmate, your other half.
Together you built a home,
wooden and sturdy like the old canoe you shared.
Together you built a life,
flowing like the widening river and rooted like the overhanging trees.
Together you built a family,
brimming with talented craftsmen and artists who pass along their elders' skills.
Beth, your only daughter, painted you several paintings, each to match the old house
where everyone grew akin to the long grasses along the bank.
You’ve thrown out the old, blue furniture;
the new loveseats are fair, faint, and flowery.
She wordlessly provides what you need to live in harmony again,
as you’ve done for her all her life.
The strokes are soft and careful,
were you the same on your children?
The colors are patient and serene,
is that how your grandkids remember you?
The aged frame is callous and firm,
did you end up that way too?
‘No,’ your dear husband would tell you
from across that long, solid boat.
Do not forget, while the water may look like a mirror,
the reflection staring back is falsely thwarted.
‘It is not like you.’
With time, the painting will fade in your youngest’s own sunny living room.
The couches, inherited along with the art, are worn and torn
from family dogs and growing children.
But with time, comes love.
Your memories sit in the cushions,
your soul wraps us up in your quilts,
and your betrothed love floats beyond the vintage film of your child’s work.
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