#11-#15

11)A place from my past is a beach in my hometown where I have spent every summer. I have a plethora of pictures from this place and take new pictures every time I go. If I were to go back and photograph this place, it would look like I have always remembered it. Every time I visit this beach, nothing changes; something I love about this place. When I picture myself here, I’m standing in the sun with my feet in the water. All I can see is a never-ending blanket of blue reflecting the sun and breaking into peaks of white every so often. Since I usually visit this place with friends and family, I can see familiar faces through my sunglasses.

12)A picture that always comes to mind is of me and my sister standing in the rain in our front yard. We’re under matching umbrellas, wearing matching raincoats, and sporting our favorite boots. When I think about this picture, I don’t remember the day it was taken, but I remember wanting to dress exactly like my older sister. Growing up, I was always trying to be more like her, the trait of a typical younger sibling. While I still look up to my sister immensely, I realize now that I am my own person and my yearning to be exactly like her is gone. Our front yard is the same, but it is just a memory now as my parents are moving out of my childhood home. A reenactment of this picture would look the same, just with taller people. I would still be sporting a cheesy smile and my sister would still be refusing to smile on camera.

13)A “land art” piece I would make would be a bench, or something to sit on. As I walk around campus, I notice numerous people sitting in the grass or against a tree. It would be interesting to create a structure that can support one’s body weight without disrupting the environment.

14)Capturing a familiar place involves remembering the things I love about said place. For example, in my home, I might take a picture of the pictures I hung on the wall because they remind me of my family. In a far away place, on the other hand, I tend to capture images I am not able to see on a regular basis. For example, when I went to Italy, I took pictures of all the things I wasn’t used to and things unknown to America. When I imagine places untouched by humans, I think of the wilderness in Northern Michigan. As a child, I would spend hours exploring the forest with my friends. If I were to go back and take pictures, I would seek out the beauty of nature and how pure it is.

15)An important place in my past is where I grew up, on the shore of Lake Michigan. If I were to juxtapose a picture of the beach with a picture of my artwork, it would describe who I was and who I am today. In many of my pieces, waves are prevalent, mimicking the colors and shapes I grew up with. The memories of growing up in a beach town will always be with me and always affect my artwork.