samanthaswartz

[samanthaswartz]

Part 2 Spreading Love:

Conceptual Goals:

For spreading love I made my artwork for my boyfriend Spencer. Last year we went on a vacation to Mexico and it is some of my favorite memories of us together. While there one of the things we did was watch the sunset. I tried to capture this memory in my artwork. I drew us sitting and looking out at the sunset with a blanket wrapped around us. I look forward to watching many more sunsets with Spencer by my side.

Aesthetic Goals:

I started by outlining what I wanted to draw in pencil. After that, I colored my artwork with acrylic paint. I wanted to make the sunset look as dramatic as possible therefore I added in a lot of colors. To make my artwork look as realistic as possible I added the sun's reflection onto the water. After that, I used gold paint for the sand to make the scene look more dramatic. Lastly, I drew in palm trees and Spencer and I as silhouettes.

Course Inspiration:

My inspiration from the course came from the Secret Lives of Color’s chapter on the color black. When learning about the color black the book talks about how the colors black is an expression of light. When thinking about this I decided to draw in the palm trees and Spencer and I in a silhouette fashion to show how the light is reflecting from the sunset.

[samanthaswartz]

Part 1 Self-Love

Conceptual Goals:

For my self-love artwork, I was trying to express how I currently feel about the world around me. I am graduating from Bonaventure next week and moving onto a new chapter in my life. This is both a scary and exciting time for me which is why I drew a Blue Jay. They represent strength and confidence something that I need at the moment.

Aesthetic Goals:

For my work I started by outlining what I wanted to paint in pencil and then went over that in Sharpie. After that, I used acrylic paint to color my artwork. Some of my colors at this point are pretty low so I had to get creative with mixing to get the colors that I wanted. I mixed all different types of green paints to get the exact color I wanted for the leaves. I painted the flowers purple and red to add some pop of color at the bottom of the page. Lastly, I colored in the background with a greenish blue that I ended up truly loving the color of. When I look at my artwork it makes me think of a forest and that was the look I was hoping to get.

Course Inspiration:

My inspiration from the course came from the Secret Lives of Color’s chapter on the color red. I remember reading about how powerful the color can be especially when used even in a small amount. I remember the example they gave had to do with a woman wearing red lipstick. With this in mind when I wanted to add a pop of color in my artwork I thought of the color red to draw attention to the flowers.

[samanthaswartz]

For my note I selected “You are enough. Every morning, every sunrise, every day.” I picked this hoping to make people smile when they read it. With finals coming up I know a lot of people are stressed out about grades but I wanted to remind everyone that we are all so much more then a silly grade. I placed the note on a wall in the hallway of my townhouse building hoping to bring some happiness to some of my neighbors.

Attendance Prompt:

From page 261 of the Secret Lives of Color “Renoir once declared ‘white and black are not colors’ In one sense this is right. Like white black is an expression of light, in this case its absence.” I picked this quote because it reminded me of the fact that black and white are not technically colors but expressions of light. I remember learning about this in high school but kinda forgetting about it until reading this quote. Black is one of my favorite colors to wear yet technically it is not a color. It is hard to conceptualize the fact that it is not truly a color but just the absence of any color.

[samanthaswartz]

I first started by drawing out on a table what I thought were popular items that many people want and desire to have. This included a LV bag, Apple iPhone and a shopping bag. I next moved to doing my morphed object. I morphed an apple into a heart in the top right corner. I then moved onto my animated object. For this I used Dreak heads to form a face. I next added some more collage items to fill in the blank space. Finally I added color into the background to make the items pop out more. For my photo documentation I took the picture in the living room of my house. I put around my photo fake flowers, a Baby Yoda speaker and a banana. I noticed that by the end it revealed that current times are messy and loud. There is just so much going on in my art and there is always so much going on in our everyday lives. For materials I used sharpie, marker, colored pencils and newspaper.

Attendance Promote: From the Secret Live of Color on page 196 “ The color was thought to dispel evil and bring prosperity, and was much sought after in the form of beads, which in themselves were believed to possess magical protective qualities”

I picked this quote because it is so interesting to me the amount of importance that some colors were giving to different groups of people at different times. During current times I don’t believe that we give color enough importance or even think about it that much. So to read about how the Egyptians thought about color is really cool to me. I don’t personally believe that any particular color can dispel evil but I think that we could appreciate color more. Especially when it comes to looking at artwork we can spend more time looking at the different colors and how they interact with each other.

[samanthaswartz]

For my portrait I drew my boyfriend Spencer. My goal was to capture his fun and creative side. I included a dramatic backdrop to highlight this. I included colors that I thought contrasted well with his blue shirt.

Attendance Prompt:

From page 159 of The Secret Lives of Color: “She is we are told ‘so stylish it like the trees all round the house drew themselves up tall for a better look’ “

I picked this quote because when I first read it, it put a smile on my face. I imagined the imagery of this happening almost as if it were a cartoon. It is a fun way to talk about fashion and style. Whenever I am feeling down a shower and a fresh new outfit always seem to be the answer for me. It was so poetic and fun that it taught me that sometimes the best way a concept can be described is through a poetic way.

[samanthaswartz]

Activity #1: My portrait was of my boyfriend Spencer. We sat together in our townhouse and drew each other. One of the things that I love about Spencer is his bright blue eyes. I highlighted this by drawing the background blue. Another thing I love about Spencer is that he is always so caring and supportive that is why I drew the hearts around his face.

Activity #2: Spencer and I also worked together on this activity. We went out to the Bonaventure trail and located some rocks and built a little statue. It was on the far end of the trail past Francis. It was fun spending time outside. It was cold out but the sun was out keeping it somewhat manageable.

Activity #3: For the final activity Spencer and I painted a big pumpkin together. It was very large so we each took a side to complete it. We shared some juice and enjoyed the scent of a pumpkin spice candle.

[samanthaswartz]

Alligator Facts:

The only reptiles older than alligators are turtles and tortoises. Although alligators are not technically dinosaurs they have been around since the time of the dinosaurs. The American Alligator has been around approximately 84 million years. (treehugger.com)

The sex of alligators is determined by temperature. If the temperature is warm in the nest males are born and if the temperature is cold in the nest females are born. Baby alligators are born with a tooth on the top of their snouts so that they can break out of their shell when they are ready to hatch. (treehugger.com)

On average alligators live longer in captivity then in the wild. The average life span of an alligator in captivity is 50 years while the average life span of an alligator in the wild is 30-35 years. (evergladesholidaypark.com)

Male alligators can grow up to 15 feet and female alligators can grow up to 9 feet. (evergladesholidaypark.com)

Alligators are carnivorous. Meaning that they eat mainly other animals. They use their strong jaws to eat other animals such as turtles. They eat a variety of different animals but a few popular ones are fish, snails, birds, frogs and other mammals. (nationalzoo.edu)

Consumerist and technological facts:

Car: Windshield Wipers were invented by a woman named Mary Anderson in 1905. Before windshield wipers drivers would have to stop and get out of their car to clean the window. Mary being sick of doing this anytime it rained or snowed invented the windshield wiper. (wrench.com)

Guitar: The first guitar was created in Ancient Egypt over 3,500 years ago. It included three strings and is currently on display in a museum. (haworthguitars)

Computer: The first computer weighted more then 27 tons. (www.computercpr.com)

Ice-cream: Putting ice cream on a cone came about by accident. In 1904 at the St Lousis World’s Fair a vendor ran out of bowls so he used a waffle maker to make cones. (strasburg.com)

Books: The most expensive book in the world is Leonardo da Vinci’s science diary known as The Codex Leicester. It sold for 30.8 million dollars in 1994. (funkidslive.com)

Attendance Prompt:

The quote from The Secret Lives of Color on page 135 “ In 2012 a study was published in the Journal of hospitality and tourism research, advising waitresses to wear read. Why? It was found that if they wore this color, the tips they were given by male patrons would be increased by up to 26%.” I found to be interesting. I work at a restaurant and have heard of this before that waitress should wear red but I didn’t know that there was actually data to back this up with. It is strange to think about how a color can have an unknown psychological affect on people to the point where they would tip more money without even realizing it was because of the color the waitress was wearing. It also makes me think about how companies purposefully select colors for their logos. Such as McDonalds with the iconic yellow and red colored logo.

[samanthaswartz]

For my Halloween themed drawing I drew a skull morphing into a pumpkin. I then used an old newspaper to make two extra pumpkins on the bottom of my drawing. I used newspaper to add in a different material and so that they would stand out more. At the top I added a bat and ghost to make it extra Halloween feeling. I then filled in the background with the color red. I used colored pencil and sharpie to color in my drawing.

An experience I want to have in my lifetime is to travel more often and to farther places. I have already been to five different countries and want to keep adding to that list. When I travel I want to try new types of food and drinks that different places have to offer. I also love to go shopping in different countries. While doing this art work I learned that it is not just about traveling to new places to see things but also interacting with other cultures that interests me.

[samanthaswartz]

I was born May 24th and I am a Gemini.

The color of Gemini is yellow and an animal associated with Gemini is a fox. Fox’s are curious and eager to explore new places just as Geminis are. I love to travel so this is very fitting for me. Fox’s are also representatives of knowledge and how to act cleverly. Which are other traits associated with Gemini’s.

The planet associated with Gemini is Mercury. This planet represents mind and intellect.

I also included the Gemini symbol and a drawing of twins in my drawing. Gemini is associated with twins because in Greek mythology Castor and Polydeuces were identical twins.

Attendance:

On page 138 of The Secret Lives of Color the quote “Fluorescent colors were a hot new thing in the 1970’s amped-up versions of the bright colors beloved by advertisers and pop artists in the 1960’s.” I found to be interesting because I feel like fluorescent pink is making a come back. I remember wearing the color as a kid and then growing out of it. But just the other day I bought a fluorescent pink shirt at Marshals. I think that the Barbie movie played a role in bringing the color back out in style. But I am totally cool with that.

[samanthaswartz]

Hey Patrick, I really enjoy the way that you drew a vase behind your flowers. I also like the color of your leaf in the middle of the page. When I went for my walk all I found were brown leafs. This artwork made me think about how sometimes we can all take a step back and appreciate the simple things in life. You artwork is simple and not over cluttered and I like that. Enjoying the simple things in life is important.

Sugar Maple (large orange leaf)- the sugar maple is the primary source of maple syrup. Seeds from the sugar maple tree have to be exposed to 45 days of temperatures below 39° in order to break their protective coating to germinate.

Helenium autumnale (yellow bulbous flower)- Also known as common sneezeweed. Common sneezeweed does not cause seasonal allergies, despite its name, which comes from the leaves of the plant being used in snuff to cast out evil spirits.

Lance-leaved aster (skinny plant with white flowers)- This plant was introduced into parts of Europe, where its production of chemicals causes harm to other plants and has been named an invasive species. Aster has been used by indigenous tribes to treat wounds, nosebleeds, and fevers.

“Lead white May have helped the painted occupant of the Goguryeo tomb remain fresh, but then he was already dead. The pigment has seldom been a friend to the living” (pg 46).

I thought that this passage was interesting because it never occurred to me that lead paint had been around for so long. When I think of lead paint I think of houses that were painted using lead paint and it feels like more a recent discovery than being used in the B.Cs. I also found it interesting that even though all these people that were using lead paint and wearing lead-based makeup kept dying, there was no movement to stop the use of lead based products.

[samanthaswartz]

For my animal I drew an elephant. I have always been drawn to elephants because they are so large yet seem like such loving creatures. Something that I learned about elephants is that they eat so much they spend about 3/4’s of the day just eating. They are also the worlds largest land animal. With the average African Bush elephant male weighing 13,000 pounds and female weighing on average 6,600 pounds. 2) My favorite music to listen to in the fall is anything Fall Out Boy. My favorite movie to watch in the fall is Harry Potter. The cozy vibes are the best. 3) I was born in the year 2002. During this year the Star Wars movie Attack of the Clones was released. The Star Wars movies were a big part of my childhood as I had a older brother who loved to watch star wars movies. 4) I picked the Cookie Song that was in Strawberry Shortcake. I remember hearing this song when I was a kid and it brings back memories. The lyrics “ Ooh, I smell a cookie baking, Tell me, what kind are we making” reminds me of not only watching the Strawberry Shortcake show but also baking cookies with my grandma when I was young. The cookies at the bottoms of my drawing are a representation of the song lyrics.

Attendance Prompt:

When reading the Secret Life of Color on page 65 “Perversely though, yellow has simultaneously been a color of value and beauty. In the West, for example blonde hair has long been held up as the ideal. Economists have shown that pale-haired prostitutes can demand a premium, and there are far more blonds in advertisements than is representative of their distribution.” I found this quote to be interesting because I remember when learning about the Romain Empire blonde hair was associated with prostitution and that many woman tended to dye their hair dark. It is interesting to think that today we still hold a hair color to have significance. Such as having a particular color hair to show up more in advertisements. Showing that some hair colors are valued higher than others.

[samanthaswartz]

I went on my walk behind campus on the Allegany River Trail!

Common Sneezeweed (yellow) - This flower is native to North America. It has been used as a snuff which causes individuals to sneeze witch supposedly casts out the evil spirits. The plant is poisonous to many animals including dogs and cows. Sneezeweeds have been known to cause cows to have bitter milk.

Balsam Fi (green on left) - Most often found in Canada and the Northeast United States. Native Americans used Fi for medical purposes for several years.

The large plant in the middle of my paper I was unable to identify. My best guess is a type of Scaldweed but I am not 100% sure.

Attendance:

On page 40 of The Secret Lives of Color the quote about the color white representing wealth was something I was unaware of before. “ White has long been intricately connected with money and power. Fabrics, including wool and cotton, had to be heavily processed in order to appear white. Only the very wealthy, supported by battalions of staff, could afford to keep the fresh lace and linen cuffs, ruffs, and cravats worn in the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries pristine. This connection still holds true.” This made me think about how today we often take for granted the colors we have available to us both in clothing choices and paint. We can easily go to the store and pick up the color white paint or go to the store and buy a white dress. Its easy to forget how long it took us to get to a point of being able to easily produce not just white but all colors.

[samanthaswartz]

Step 1 (Marker)

Step 2 (Paint)

Step 3 (Magazine)

Attendance Prompt:

When reading The Secret Lives of Color something on page 21 caught my attention. The lines towards the end of the page “William Perkin, for example, stumbled across the purple dye while trying to synthesize a cure for malaria in 1856” . I found this very interesting and was hoping to get more information on just exactly how something like that happens. Unfortunately there was no more information given so I am left with questions that I might have to look up online. This made me think about how sometimes in the scientific field important discoveries are often made by accident also.

[samanthaswartz]

Hi, my name is Samantha Swartz I am a senior criminology major from Rochester, NY. This is my last semester at Bonaventure. In my free time, I enjoy reading books, going to the gym, going on nature walks, and cooking. The Star Wars movies are my favorite movies of all time. I am looking forward to being creative in this class!

[samanthaswartz]

Connecting to the Earth

To connect with the Earth I went with the third option of using leaves or flowers. I used dandelions which although technically are a weed still look to me as pretty yellow flowers. I put them in the pattern of a heart because I believe that we can all do a little bit more to love the Earth. Such as being more conscious of the decisions we make and how they affect the environment around us.

[samanthaswartz]

Favorite place on St Bonaventure Campus

Title: Home Away from Home

My favorite place on St Bonaventure Campus is in front of Robinson Hall one of the freshman door rooms on campus. This is my favorite place on campus as it is where I have memories of my freshman year at St Bonaventure. I met my boyfriend in Robinson Hall my freshman year and we are going into our senior year in the fall which is crazy to think about. I used warm colors in my painting to reflect the warm feeling I get walking by the building.

[samanthaswartz]

To get my voice out there in public I did a post-it note installation in a bathroom in Plassmann Hall. My main theme is positivity. With final exams around the corner, I know a lot of people are feeling stressed out and overwhelmed. Therefore I hope that someone sees my post-it notes and it makes them smile.