Scrapbook Entry#22 Bumper Stickers

Bumper stickers are really just another form of expression to let the whole world know who we are. Bumper stickers allow a person to tell thousands of complete strangers that they will probably never even meet what their favorite sports teams are, what their hobbies are, where they go/went to college, or where their children go/went to college, that their child is an honor student at so and so elementary school, who they supported in the past presidential election, and their views on controversial issues like abortion and global warming, or even the new popular ones with a stick figure representation of each member of your family. Bumper stickers can just be decorative but that is still a form of outward expression and in a way still tells people something about you that they may not have know before. So why do we care if complete strangers know so much detail about our lives as they are riding on our bumpers down the highway? Its not really the fact that we care about what other people think about our bumper stickers but that we want to show the world this is who I am and this is my car and I have a right to say whatever I want. In all actuality its a form of free advertisement for each and every one of us, a chance to tell everyone this is what I believe this is what I care about. Some people may have one small bumper sticker while others may use it as a way to change the appearance of their care, give it personality, but every bumper sticker serves the same purpose. No, I do not believe that bumper stickers are art, although they can make your car look cooler, but I do believe that they are used to demand attention. Most of us could probably care less if the person driving the Escalade in front of us has an honor student at such and such middle school but still we find ourselves still reading it. Bumper stickers intrigue us, they allow to see a little piece of a person's life with out actually ever seeing them face to face. Although bumper stickers may not deserve our attention I do feel that they do a good job at demanding it.

Scrapbook Entry#21 Seashells

Similar to my rocks scrapbook entry my family and I always collect seashells whenever we go to the beach. The beach has always been the place where we all finally stop doing what work we have going on to come together and relax for the summer. Since as long as I can remember I would take mile long walks on the beach with my mom and sister to find the best shell. I would always look for shells with holes in them so that I could take them back and make jewelry. My mom's goal was always to find a whole conch shell or sand dollar but they were hard to come across. Another favorite find was always sea glass. My mom, my sister, and I would then bring home all of our treasures, wash them off, and admire what each other had found. Sometimes my mom would teach me how to make an angel ornament out of the different shells using an oyster shell for the body, a clam shell for the head, and smaller skinnier shells for the wings. Although a shell might not be considered art sea shells have always been a meaningful part of my summer, providing me with endless hours of trying to find a better shell than my sister's and countless family memories.

Scrapbook Entry#20-Rocks

When I was little I always used to collect rocks wherever I went. There's a stream at the bottom of my street and everyday during the summer on my walk back from the pool I would go down to the stream and look for the coolest rocks I could find. I had a pile in the corner of my room of all the rocks I had found. They were all different shapes and sizes, colors, and textures. Some sparkled and some had cool designs. No rock was exactly the same, each rock had its own story. Some had smooth surfaces from being tumbled by the water, while others had jagged broken edges from being broken or thrown. Sometimes I would use them to write my name on the sidewalk, other times I would take them back and use my sister's jewelry tumbler to make them shiny. Once my dad even brought me back a geode from a business trip with sparkling crystals and a deep amethyst color. Although I never considered these rocks to be art they still grabbed my attention. The amount of variety in something so simple intrigued me. How there were so many of them but they were all different. I found this rock at a beach in Historic Saint Mary's. Not only does it have a cool jade like color and incredibly smooth surface it now also carries the memories from that nice summer day at the beginning of the semester with my friends.

Scrapbook Entry#19- CDs

I have always thought the back of a CD was awesome. How in one light it can just look silver yet in another there can be a multitude of rainbow colors. I found this CD when I was cleaning out my desk and it seemed like a great idea for a scrapbook entry. I remember in elementary school one craft that we made was a suncatcher out of a CD and some fishing wire. When we hung the CDs from the window they reflected patterns of colored light around the room. Although I do not think that a CD itself is art I do feel that it can be used to create art or to inspire art therefore it deserves our attention. For example, an artist could use the concept of how something can be transmitted from one thing to something else in an installation, or the idea of projecting light or color could also be used for an installation.

Scrapbook Entry#17 Footprints

Everyone's fingerprint is unique. The pattern of lines and circles on your thumb is not the same as anyone else's. However, similar to fingerprints, footprints are unique to the individual who made them as well. The size, the width, the height of the arch, and the force at which it was made are all aspects that tell us something about the individual. In my opinion footprints tell us more about an individual then a fingerprint. A fingerprint is only useful if there is already information linked to that fingerprint, the fingerprint must already be on file. A footprint on the other hand can tell us something about a person based solely on the information we have in front of us. For example, based on the size and width we can tell roughly about the person's height and build. We can tell if the print was made by a young child or a grown man. If there are multiple prints we can reenact the person's stride. We may be able to tell if the person is pigeon-toed or possible has a limp. Yet, unlike fingerprints footprints do not go on file and are usually not forever. The temporariness of a footprint in the sand before the water washes it away or in the mud before a rainstorm causes us to make sure we give our attention to the footprint before it is lost forever or until another person walks down that same path. A footprint is not art but it deserves our attention nonetheless because it is a representation of something that was there before. It shows the path of something that has already gone ahead and although we may be able to see it now it may not be there when we go looking for it again. 

Scrapbook Entry#18 The House

When driving down a new neighborhood in the suburbs you often see a repetition of the same cookie cutter house, sometimes slightly modified, but still the same backbone. Yet, although the same from the outside, each of these houses are very different on the inside. The people who live in them, the lives that take place in them, are each their own. It is interesting to me that something so similar can also be so unique. That the same place can mean something to one person and something completely different to another. In this way the house is representative of the human being. On the outside we are all the same, there are obviously variations just like houses we may be painted different colors but our backbone is still the same, we are all human. However, clearly no person is the same. Even identical twins are not ever the same. We each have our own personality, our own voice, our own name, our own history, our own experiences. These things shape the inside of our house, they are what make us different from the person sitting next to us. Most of us would not look at a normal everyday house as a piece of art but the larger picture still deserves our attention. Many people criticize suburban sprawl but we must recognize that these homes are providing families with a home although it may not be aesthetically pleasing or express creativity from the outside the lives that happen with inside these homes makes them interesting. 

Scrapbook Entry#16 Fruit and Vegetables

When growing up and learning about how to draw and how to paint the first step was always the still life. It often featured a bowl with fruit and vegetables placed strategically inside and then carefully placed on a slightly folded cloth hanging of the edge of a table. Although I at first hated doing still lifes, thinking that they were so boring and posed, I began to become intrigued by the variety of colors the fruit and vegetables had to offer. The vibrancy of an orange against a ripe red pepper or a bright green apple next to the yellow of a banana. I enjoyed working with such vibrant paints and mixing colors to create the exact color of each object. I found the variety of textures to also be fascinating. The dimples in the orange contrasted against the waxiness of an apple, the seeds of a strawberry compared to the hairiness of a kiwi. I am not only intrigued by fruits and vegetables in the context of a painting but in food as well. The variety of flavors, the different way each is encased in a peel or not, the contrast of the inside and outside. It is interesting to me how such natural things can be so bizarre and unique. In conclusion it is not the fruit and vegetables in a still life that is the art, but rather the way the painter's hand interprets these objects. However I believe that the evolution of such a painting starts with the objects themselves therefore the fruit and vegetables deserve our attention. 

Scrapbook Entry#15 Driftwood

I found this piece of driftwood on the beach in Ocean City. The contast of the dark wood against the bright white sand caught my eye immediately. After picking up the wood I noticed the weathered quality it had. This was most likely from being tossed around out at sea or at the shoreline. Its texture had been smoothed out from the waves and sand and it was now very light and buoyant, almost like cork. The unknown story of this driftwood intrigued me. Such as how did it end up here? Where was it originally? How long was it out at sea? These unanswered questions increased my attention towards this lone piece of driftwood as I searched for a hint to its story. My dad has one very large piece of driftwood from a hurricane that ripped through the Ocean City boardwalk. The fact that this piece of wood has such a historical story attached to it gives it an almost majestic quality to it. No longer is it thought of as just an old water rot piece of wood but it is rather personified by its journey. My dad also collects large pieces of driftwood and uses them as materials to make something else like a sculpture. He is currently working on making a sailboat. He has collected one piece from where my sister lives in East Hampton, NY and another from where we live in the summer in Bethany Beach, DE. In this one sailboat sculpture two worlds converge. Each piece of wood tells its own story of where it was found as well as its own unknown journey. Who knows maybe these two pieces of wood who were found so far away from one another could have at one point crossed paths or even started off as one. In the end although yes driftwood is just an old piece of water rot wood it's story and its ability to become something else deserves our attention.

Scrapbook Entry#14- Snapshots

When taking a quick picture of your friends or family you don't necessairly think you are making art but I still believe that snapshots deserve our attention. They capture us in the moment and supply us with a memory of a moment that was special to us whether we realize it then or not. A candid or goofy picture can capture who we really are when we are with the people we feel comfortable around and are able to let go of our inhibitions. A posed picture may show how we want to be seen. The ability to be able to look through pictures from our childhood allows us to remember more than we probably would be able to without them. In 20 years we will still be able to look back out ourselves in the pictures we are taking now. Pictures serve as a historical documentary of our lives. Especially with new technologies like scanning, photoshop, and Facebook we can have these images for the rest of our lives and even pass them onto our children. 

Scrapbook Entry#12 Movie Ticket Stubs

I was reaching in my pocket yesterday and found a ticket stub from a movie I had seen this summer. Immediately I began to laugh to myself remembering not only the movie itself, but who I went with, what happened after, and what happened before. I remember I went with two of my best friends, Kristina and Liz, and Kristina's younger brother. We were all living an working at the beach over the summer and we were a little bit late because we had to wait for one us to finish our shift. It was late in the summer so a lot of people had already left to get ready to go back to school, so it was only us and one other group of people in the theater. The movie was a comedy, Pineapple Express to be exact, and I remember laughing a lot at both the movie and various jokes that were made. Afterwards, we decided instead of going home right away to drive down Coastal Highway. Since the summer was quickly coming to an end we would soon have to all go back to our separate schools and most likely not all be together again until Christmas. Since we have all been best friends since we were in Elementary School it is always hard to say goodbye but also easy because we know we will always be friends. This movie ticket stub is not art but for me it holds great meaning and brings back memories not just from that movie but about my friends in general.

Scrapbook Entry#11 Post-Its

My desk is literally littered with Post-Its. Post-Its about what homework I have to do that week, what exams I have to study for, people I have to call, stuff I need to buy, and important dates I have to remember. I do not consider Post-Its to be art (although some of them do come in wacky shapes and colors) but I use them specifically as a device to grab and focus my attention. Post-Its are a memory tool for me. Everyday when I sit down at my desk I look at the Post-It and remember what I need to do that day. Simply the act of writing something down helps me to organize my thoughts. I often will write something on a Post-It note before I go to bed so I remember it in the morning. Then when I have completed a task I check it off and move on down the list. This is a very helpful way to organize my sometimes hectic life and by placing them in somewhere that I know I will see I make sure that the Post-It demands my attention.

Scrapbook Entry#8 Doors, Windows, and Power Lines

I took this picture my first year taking a photography course my sophomore year of high school. I did not consider the door to be art but actually only took the picture for fun because I thought the bumper sticker on the door that says "I Love Asphalt" was funny. Yet, after looking at the composition as a whole and how I framed the space I saw the image more as a photograph than just a snapshot. I was drawn in by the repetition of line and shape carried through the image, such as the repeated rectangles. The power lines also work as a guide drawing your eye throughout the composition. I still do not consider doors, or windows, or power lines to be art, but when composed in such a way they work together to grab your attention. 

Scrapbook Entry#10 Letters From Afar

Each of my close friends from high school went to the a different college. Some went as far south as Tennessee, while others went out west to Colorado. Since we don't get to see each other as often as we used to we like to keep in touch by talking on the phone or on Facebook, but sometimes we also write letters to each other. To me a letter has always had a more personal quality to it than other forms of communication, especially Facebook. You know that that person took the time to sit down and write something specifically for you to read. A letter is also more personal because it is written in the person's handwriting rather than the universal font of something typed on a computer screen. The value of a letter again is more substantial because it takes time to get to its destination. Rather than instantaneously flying through cyber space, a letter travels the distance. It physically touches the hands of the writer, then the hands of the people who sort the mail, then those of the people who deliver the mail, and then finally your own. A letter is not art but every letter has a message that has a shared importance to both the individual receiving it and the person that wrote it.

Scrapbook Entry#9 Notes

When I take notes in class I do not try to make them look pretty but rather I concentrate solely on getting the right information down and making sure it is at least legible to me. Other people may look at my notes and think that they are somewhat of a mess, but I find it easier to comprehend something if it is in my own handwriting. Often teachers may say that you don't have to take notes because the information will be posted on BlackBoard however, I feel that the act of writing something down in my own handwriting helps me to understand the information more clearly. I also sometimes find myself doodling in the margins and these doodles also help me to remember the information better. I do not think that my notes are art but they help me to concentrate my attention to the information that is being discussed and help me better remember that information in the future.

Scrapbook Entry #6 Magazine Ads

When flipping through a magazine I would not consider the advertisements to be art, yet I often find that they do grab and hold my attention. I have recently noticed a trend that magazine ads are no longer about showing off a skinny model or simply showing the product, but actually develop a composition. The vibrant colors of pretty clothes and jewelry or make-up attract the eye of the person reading the magazine at first, but the evidence of careful thought and planning allow the viewer to really appreciate the image for more than just an magazine ad.

Scrapbook Entry#7 Chip Bags and Candy Wrappers

I would not typically call a chip bag art or frame a candy wrapper. Instead I usually just toss the wrapper in the trash after eating whatever was inside. Yet isn't it the job of the wrapper to draw your attention to the product? The brightly repeated primary colors, bold text, and shinny material act together to make you want to by that item. I recently looked at the vending machine and noticed that I was drawn in by certain packaging causing me to want that product even if I was more in the mood for something else. Although I do not believe that chip bags or candy wrappers should be hung up on gallery walls or even considered to be art for that matter I do believe that there is an artistic science evident in them. The producers of these products demand our attention because they understand what makes the consumer want something. For example, I noticed a strong use of the colors red and blue. Many packages also had a large scale image of the food inside with letters boldly outlined so that they pop out from the background. All of these elements work subconsciously on our brains to grab our attention and affect the choice of which junk food we will spend our 50 cents on when standing in front of the vending machine.

Scapbook Entry#5 Receipts

Whenever I go shopping for groceries or clothes I always end up throwing out the receipt at the bottom of the bag. I do not think that a receipt is art but it has a kind of narrative quality to it. A receipt tells a lot about the person to which it belongs. For example a grocery receipt may tell someone what you are having for dinner that night, whether you are buying for a lot of people or just yourself, maybe you are buying ingredients to bake a cake for a birthday party. A receipt tells someone what you choose to spend your money on and where. It almost even acts as a tracking device that shows where you have been and what you did.

Scrapbook Entry #4-Billboards

Driving down the highway I can't help myself but to look at all the billboards. These towering images of tv broadcasting, beer ads, Geico rate quotes, and even controversial statements seem to have a presence that can't be ignored. But can these images be considered art? Although not all seem to answer yes to this question, these larger-than-life advertisements grab your attention even if for just a fleeting second. It has always amazed me how the mind can comprehend all of these images even when  you only concentrate on them for sometimes less than a second as you speed by. 

The billboards in Time Square, New York City create an atmospheric presence that administer the feeling of being so small surrounded by a huge city of people and images, neon lights and colors. I remember when we would travel to South Carolina for Spring Break in mi

ddle school all through North Carolina billboards for South of the Border littered the side of the road, counting down the miles. I would get excited whenever I could see the next billboard emerging in the distance, growing bigger and bigger as we drove closer.

 These billboards have such a presence that they have even become famous. 

On-line I came across one image of a billboard that took on aspects of a three-dimensional sculpture rather than just an ad, possessing a pres

ence much more closely related to art. Although most billboards may not be viewed as a form of art, I feel that often times they demand as much attention from their audience as a painting or a sculpture. 

Scrapbook Entry #3-Graffiti Art or Vandalism?

Driving down the Jone's Falls Expressway to downtown Baltimore City the walls of graffiti always catch my eye. Growing up in Baltimore and making this trip very often I became accustomed to what tags were where and I would notice when a new one appeared or another vanished. I thought the bright colors and the block letters, so squished together that they were sometimes indecipherable, were intriguing. However, I never really thought of graffiti as a form of art because I still always percieved it as vandalism. Recently though in my painting class we were asked to paint graffiti for the set of the upcoming play entitled "Polaroid Stories." This was a new experience for me and I found it very liberating being able to paint directly on the wall of the theater, especially something of such large-scale. Professor Leon Wiebers also introduced us to a famous graffiti artist whose work demands the attention of passerby. Banksy is a British street artist whose work ranges from political statements to comedic images. Being exposed to a graffiti artist like Banksy allowed me to see graffiti more and more as an art form than as vandalism or something that should be viewed as criminal. No longer was graffiti a form of destruction of a surface, but rather something that brought your attention to that surface, even made you stop and think. 

Banksy

Scrapbook Entry #2-Telescope images

The Hubble Space Telescope completes one orbit around the Earth every 96 minutes at approximately 5 miles per second. Hubble has revolutionized the world of astronomy by providing detailed clear views of the Universe, ranging from our own solar system to extremely remote galaxies that were formed not long after the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago. Not only has the Hubble Space Telescope allowed us to receive an outstandingly greater amount of insight and understanding into our world it has also provided us with numerous vibrant images of what is out there. Hubble was first launched in 1990 and has been capturing extraordinary images all along the way, interconnecting science to photography. 

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