Identity Collage

Identity Collage

     When doing the collage, I didn’t know what to put on there. I thought about music because I listen to it a lot so I decided to put Jimi Hendrix next to Bob Dylan and also the Rolling Stones. These are three of my favorite music selections to listen to. Bob Dylan being next to Jimi Hendrix is supposed to mean something. I put Dylan next to Jimi because Jimi Hendrix was supposed to have really liked Bob Dylan’s songs. In a documentary, his drummer was telling a story about when someone would mention Bob Dylan’s name, Jimi would get all exited. Jimi also was supposed to have carried a book of all of Bob Dylan’s songs and albums. He would refer to it daily. The Rolling Stones speak for themselves. They have so many songs and everyone liked them.

     At the top is my family. Me, my dad, my mom, and my brother. We all like sports and different teams so I decided to put a little picture of them next to a football team they like. I prefer the San Francisco 49er’s. They arent doing good right now, but its all good.

     I coverd the bottom and sides with leaves and grass because I like to be outside. The grass will die soon so the green wont last that long. The picture of someone hugging a Siberian Husky is of me and my dog Samson. Next to it is a no cat sign because I don’t like cats. All of the ones I met are mean. My frend had one and it seemed nice until it scratched me. Then my friend Mehrdad was going to pick it up and asked my friend Michael if it would be okay. He said ya, but I told him he shouldn’t. he picked it up and the cat bit him. So pretty much I havent found a nice cat. There is also a picture of some books I have read. On top is my Xbox 360. The books are books that I have read and I like reading, but I prefer videogames. I get to be the person that books are talking about so it makes it better. The picture of me and my friends at Disneyland is split by an Army lightning bolt because my friend went to the Army on February 24. He had to be at a hotel two days before so my friends and I drove over to Los Angeles to see him for the last time for a good while. I put that because he was one of my best friends so it was something big that happened recently. There is a picture of Pink Floyd. I like them and I believed that there needed to be something there so I put that.

I also cut out a picture of me and drew big arms shoulder pressing a barbell because I enjoy working out. I try to work out every day out of the week, but sometimes to take the weekends off because I am sore. That is also why I put a picture of a UFC fighter kneeing someone in the face next to boxing gloves. I kickbox for a workout and lift weights. I also bought focus mits, so I use them with my friend Jesus. I put those two together because I like them both, buit they are completely different. Alost of people who like boxing don’t like MMA. That is mixed martial arts; its what the UFC fighters do. Boxing is just on part of MMA. MMA is better because it incorporates all aspects of fighting. It has boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, Jiu Jitzu, and there are different fight styles that are incorporated into MMA to make that person even better. Boxing is one of the earliest fighting sports and should be respected, but MMA is better and different.  There are two skateboards in a cross because I am a christian and I used to skate. I don’t really skate that much any more, but I used to skate everyday. It was fun; very tiring but fun. It took time to do. Sometimes it would be so frustrating to learn or do a trick and it would just piss me off. Then there were times when I fell. I never broke anything when skating, but I should have. One time may friends and I took the bus to Diamond Bar. There was a cool school over there with a six, four, and two stair pyramid, they were all connected. Next to them was huge hills my friend Jesus and I decied to bomb them. We got to the top and my friend jumped on his board while I puched around ten times. I was going about 45 miles an hour and I started to get the speed wiggles. Those are created when going really fast; the board starts to wiggle real fast. I started to stabalize my legs and I hit a pile of pebbles. I did like ten front flips and came to a stop in the middle of the street. I got to see my friend bomb the hill to the end and ollie up the curb! I couldn’t believe it. Good thing I didn’t make it down the hill because we thought about it later and at the bottom is like a ten lane freeway entrance. I may have gotten hurt if I made it but good thing I didn’t. I covered my head with my elbows so my skin was just scratched off on the bottom of my arms, but it was fun. It was funny, when going back home this lady insisted on me having one of her disinfectant wipes. She made me have it.

The collage was fun. Hard to think of what to put on and how, but it went over well and I had a good time.

Los Angeles Art Museum

Los Angeles Museum of Art

 Going to the Museum of Art in Los Angeles was fun. It was a lot bigger than the Norton Simon and had a lot of very different things to look at. I first had to find the place. I was convinced I had passed it when I saw it. A huge building next to the tar pits! I had always wanted to go to the tar pits and this museum trip allowed me to see it. I couldn’t really find that many things that indentified me, but I found some alright things and took a picture of them.

     The first building I went in had a Korean exhibit. I couldn’t really find anything that related to me or that I really liked enough to take a picture. I had to conserve my camera because my batteries were low. I had an extra pair in the front pocket of my camera, but their energy was drained. I didn’t buy any because they didn’t sell them at the museum and when going there, I believed the batteries were full. However, I found a Buddha gold sculpture thing and I took a picture with it because it was the only thing I saw that was pretty cool. This one was of Western Paradise and his hand gesture indicates that wisdom and salvation are accessible to anyone and I believe that is true, but it depends on that person to do it. Here is the picture.  

     The second exhibit I saw was Japanese exhibit. I saw a couple things I liked, but I only took a picture of this Japanese samurai suit. I looked cool and I made me think of a warrior spirit. Not giving up and striving to be the best one possibly can. That’s what I was thinking when I was looking at it and it was cool to be able to see in person. The picture is a little blurry, but the suit is awesome.

This photo was pretty cool. I believe it was about working hard. There are a bunch of gears going around and that signifies constant work and always working towards something.

     This other photo was taken from the arts of the Pacific. Nothing had explanations or who did it so many things were confusing. I didn’t find anything good so I took a picture of this item that looks like a wok because I like to cook.

     In another exhibit there were a bunch of just random things. There were basketballs in water. There were vacuums under lights, and just random stuff. I took a picture of this big blue dog because I like dogs and couldn’t find anything that I really liked.

     The last two exhibits I was going to go in were closed an I wasn’t able to go in so I couldn’t get a picture of anything, but I took a couple pictures outside and that was it. I enjoyed my time at the museum and was really tired when it was time to go. I got to see some interesting things and the La Brea Tar Pits. The day went over well and was a fun trip. However, if I had to choose which museum I liked better, I would choose the Norton Simon. It had a lot more things that I really liked and was smaller so I wasn’t as tired at the end of the day, but I enjoyed my time at the Los Angeles Museum of Art.

Artist Research: Barbara Kruger

Barbara Kruger

     Barbara Kruger was born in Newark, New Jersey. She attended Syracuse University, the School of Visual Arts. She also worked with Diane Arbus. Diane was a lady who influenced Barbara in that she took pictures of irregular people such as midgets, nude people, and circus people. This is sort of what Kruger does. While in her design job, she was promoted to head designer because she was working under Mademoiselle Magazine. After that job she worked in graphic designer, art director and picture editor for the art department “House and Home”.

     Barbara layers photos that she found and inserts aggressive text in it that talks about things she strongly feels about such as feminism, consumerism, and desire. It’s funny because she talks about being led like consumerism. People buy items because it is advertised and that is what the magazines that she works for does. They try to sell people things such as alcohol, cigarettes, and food. Some of her internationally renowned work has slogans such as: “I shop, therefore I am”, and “Your body is a Battleground”.   Mostly all of her pictures are black and white, but it gives her pictures a rustic look and can really bring out the message she is trying to send. Kruger’s work has appeared on billboards, buscards, posters, public parks, a train station platform in France, and in other public places. She also teaches. She taught at the California Institute of Art, The School of Art Institute of Chicago, and the University of California, Berkely. She now lives in New York and Los Angeles. Here are some pictures she has done. Hope you enjoy!