069:

I am a bad blogger at the moment. I have completed 4/13 exams. I am looking forward to finishing.

064: Reflection

This is my candidate statement for IB Visual Arts. I feel it might  be something worth looking back on in sixty-three years.

"Throughout my journey in the past two years, art has become a passion and a means of expression. Having struggled with dark complexities of human emotion prior to the beginning of my IB journey, as an artist I was extremely apprehensive in creating artwork that expressed my personality or personal life – I was fearful of exposing myself to censure and criticism. Once I dared to take risks, the result was invigorating, so I continued to force myself to be brave and eradicate my fear of the unfamiliar.

I have explored the depths of human emotion, often focusing on the vulnerability of women within cultures and society. My self-portraits attempt to capture the essence of this, focusing on my own emotional struggle, feelings of captivity, vulnerability and the seeming incapability of escape from darkness. To develop my sense of composition, I concentrated on using light and dark to manipulate tone and balance my work. 

My work has been greatly inspired by Annie Leibovitz (US 1949), and her ability to capture a great magnitude of emotion through her portraits. Artistically, my aim has been to create and manipulate photographs which immediately instil emotional sensations in a viewer. My main medium has been film and digital photography, focusing on digital manipulation, capturing precise instances and manipulating it to represent what I feel within that moment. I have explored the role of music in emotion, photographing and manipulating portraits of musicians, and using music to influence my viewer’s emotions in my ‘Cycle of  Captivity’ stop motion piece.

Leif Podhajsky’s, (Australia b. Unspecified), themes of connecting with nature have inspired me to further my investigation of human emotion and its place in nature, leading me to create abstract portraits and landscapes, exploring concepts of symmetry, repetition and the connection between nature and the human body.

P.s. I graduate on Friday. One exam down, twelve to go.

062: I have now completed my first exam.

This is such a surreal feeling. Art has been a whirlwind of creativity, emotion, inspiration over the course of the past two years - and I mean that 100%. And now it's over, and I feel flat.

I had my first IB exam yesterday, for Visual Arts, a 45 minute interview in which I was able to share the meaning, technique, artistic influences, cultural influences, etc, behind my artwork. It was such an incredible experience, and I'm surprised to say that I genuinely enjoyed the experience. I can't be certain how I went - but my examiner did tell me that he was 'moved' by my work- which is all I could have hoped for. I feel happy with the way it played out.

I quite literally walked out of my examination and didn't even notice - I didn't feel anything, until my IB co-ordinator asked me how it went, and I had the most absurd feeling - that resignated with me for the remainder of my day. The examination was a confronting experience - to speak about something that has been so internal, something that is a part of me that I am only beginning to share with the world, but it was such an empowering feeling. I am so happy and simultaneously, I am so sad.

One exam down, twelve to go. Not too long now. I'm excited.

060: Currently

Today I finished setting up my graduating show, and I am ridiculously happy with the way it's turned out. It's all very ethereal and what not, but I don't know want to give too much away. Art exam is on Saturday, I will post some images of the display after that!

057: Polaroids

Firstly, sorry about the terrible quality of these scans. Anyone who knows me knows about my love for cameras and film of any sort - I've had a polaroid sitting in my cupboard for who knows how long - so when I discovered The Impossible Project, you can only imagine my joy. These were taken a while ago now, but here are 8 of my polaroid photographs, featuring Alia and Sam. These particular 8 are going to be hung in my exhibition.

032: INFINITE AWESOMENESS

First of all, let me reiterate how amazingly inspiring I find Gotye anyway, but when I find something like this, taken by the incredibly talented Cybele Malinowski I just couldn't resist blogging about it. It really reminds me of a lot of the work that I've been doing for my end of year exhibition - I wish I had have seen it earlier! Ahhhhh. Ahhhhhhhmaazzzzingggggggg!

031: Run away

025: Here and now.

I went to Melbourne Uni today, which is the last of the university open days that I'll visit, I think. I'm really excited about the future. Three months ago I was 100% certain on being a journalist, but I think I've completely changed my mind. My dream career was to be an international photo journalist, but I think I'd like to work in international relations in policy development now. What up crazy ass future. Anyway, for now, I better finish World Literature One and World Literature Two or I might end up with a future consisting of food scraps from bins and no year 12 pass (not exaggerating at all), so I have left you in the loving hands of The Strokes.

022: Hello Alia.

All of my finals must be finished within the next couple of weeks, so I've been working really hard for art and neglecting many of my other subjects. Art extended essay is due in tomorrow, and here is a taste of what might be in my exhibition. I'm all over the place, hello disjointed blogging.

Edit:
I made Alia look deformed, but I can't help feeling this looks like the cover for some rad album. Just sayin'.
Maybe I should be an album artist.

004: Here and now

IB will be the death of me. Legitimately. 4000 Word Art Extended Essay on the desensitisation caused by the artwork surrounding Che Guevara, due in less than a week. IOC in three weeks. Less than 4 months until my 13 exams. Internal assessments left right and centre. And all I feel like doing is listening to music and taking photographs. Life.