Blog 4

1) My big idea is co-existence. Specifically co-existence in reference to nature. I want to show nature without the element of humans in one series and in the next series show how humans integrate with nature and how they use it. It surrounds us everyday, and we use it everyday, and it is important to most people's life-style. I want to execute the pure beauty of nature in my work through my photos from my travels. I also have decided (from your help) to insert a picture of my grandmother in the first series to show that it is "mother nature" and we need to take care of it and look after it, and she (mother nature) will do the same for us. The second series will show boats, houses, people, etc proving we use nature to our advantage and how we may need to adapt our human ways in order to take care of this precious thing (shown by the sign that says "no dumping on the sand dunes."

2) I was first influenced by a guy named Jay Haverstick. He was a man from my hometown who was a restaurant owner but also a photographer. He loved the outdoors and traveled all over the world to take pictures. I have a calendar of his that shows his pictures from his travels and I have always loved looking at it. The pictures are all so naturally beautiful. His pictures even meant more to me after his death in 2009 in Death Valley National Park from extreme heat and pre-existing medical conditions. He was out there to shoot pictures of the sand dunes. It was extremely sad but his spirit continues through his pictures.

Another artist I have enjoyed researching and learning about is Bill Atkinson. He has been greatly influenced by nature since the age of ten ( I believe he may be in his sixties) and like Haverstick, really appreciates the outdoors and loves exploring what nature has to offer.
http://www.billatkinson.com/Homepage.pl





Lastly, it may seem odd, but I also am greatly influenced by my mother. My mom loves being outdoors and there is nothing she loves more (besides family haha) than gardening. She never ceases to amaze me what she can do with the beauty that is on this Earth. She is Mother Nature! We have won the beautification award two times for making our community a better place by making it beautiful! She is the reason why I love being outside and the reason why I wanted to focus my final project on nature. It is something most people take for granted and it is hard for most people to appreciate the little things nature gives to us.

3) I will attempt to use animation, if that does not go as planned, I will strive to make more complicated selections to make a cohesive picture and to alter those selections more using more masks.