creating a variety of textures

some exprimentations which we worked on at the starting of secondary 3! We were supposed to be marked on “exploration and development”, “aesthetic control” and “control of materials and tachincal processes”. The first piece is done by squeezing out tubes of paint onto the paper and smudging them using a piece of cardboard. It is sort of like the Affandi style. The second piece is first done by crumpling up the paper. Then, I diluted the paint and splattered them on to the paper. The third piece of work was done with the usa of a sponge! I dipped the sponge into the paint and used the sponge to create the drawing. I sort of forgot though how the last two pieces were done though, but basically we all made use of all different types of materials.

please do comment!

ny generation

yes I know they almost exactly like the current one we have, but I really can’t think of any possible designs): Besides, I am totally clueless about Adobe Photoshop and although as simple as they might look, it actually took me 3 hours or more to complete them. (I know they look like they can be done within minutes or so) I will make use of weekends/holidays to further explore the different functions under adobe photoshop!

After all, teach less learn more!

here goes the 2 designs, in the end I decided to submit the orange colour one. I am too embarrassed to put them out so please don’t click on them unless you really are bored!

ny generation banner orange

ny generation banner green

oh by the way, I haven’t really got a chance to look at everyone else’s designs but from what I have seen so far I really like Theresa’s design for the magazine i hope hers get chosen!

pleasantville (1998)

Title: pleasantville (1998)

Director &writer: Gary Ross

Discussion points:

• What are the immediate differences that strike David and Jennifer between their lives in contemporary American suburbia and the idyllic American life in the 1950s as portrayed in the TV soap Pleasantville?
• Discuss the symbolic use of colours in the movie Pleasantville that address specifically the themes of race, sexuality, and personal freedom.
• Wht are some examples of the conservative and authoritarian values held by the inhabitants of Pleasantville and what are its effects on the character Betty?

We watched the film Pleasantville during AEP lessons on the 18th February and I must admit that it is a pretty interesting film. It basically tells the story of two modern teenagers, brother and sister, who are being transported into the community of Pleasantville, the setting of a black and white 1950s television show. Through their actions, the people of Pleasantville begin to experience strong emotion and consequently, events in town begin to deviate from the accepted norm.

As compared to the suburbia, where everything is full of colours and people enjoying personal freedom, Pleasantville is an enclosed village, isolated from the rest of the world. “What’s on the end of Pleasantville?” asked Mary Sue during her geography lesson. “Oh, the end of pleasantville is just the beginning.” As quoted from Mary, pleasantville should be more accurately described as a nerd ville where everyone abide by the rules, and does everything in order, like a daily routine. Nobody questions why things are so perfect the way they are. Its a realm world where father knows best, and where everyone is nice to one another, where neighbors greet each other with a kind word, and where there’s never any sign of lingering ill will. Everything goes on in routines and happen at the exact same time every single day. George Parker comes home every night at the same time and issues the identical salutation: “Honey, I’m home”, which is greeted by the canned laughter. It’s as if the laughter mocks the absurdity of the announcement.

Mr. Johnson, the soda shop owner, discovers to his delight that he can close the shop on his own and can even change the order of his chores. Also, when Bud turned up late for work one day, Mr. Johnson was not able to continue on with his job and just kept on wiping the table until part of the paints came off. All this happened just because Bud was not there to wipe the table and complete the routine with him. How absurd! Everything seems too pleasant in pleasantville, couples practise safe sex by sleeping on two separate beds, nothing burns in town and firemen are only needed to rescue cats stuck on the trees, and every single shot of basketball will be thrown inside the hook. This is very different from the idyllic American life which David and Jennifer led. Being in pleasantville is like being trapped in a radically different dimensions for them. People in pleasantville, even adults, had no idea what sex means and did not enjoy any form of personal freedom.

Of course there are some disquieting facets of life in Pleasantville. The school curriculum consists of nothing besides studying the difference between the two main streets in town, there are no toilets in the bathrooms, and all the books are blank. To sum up, the townspeople have no capacity for original thought. They had never seen a real fire, never experienced a real rain and the whether in town is described as “It looks like it’s going to be another sunny day. High 72, low 72, and not a cloud in the sky”–completely perfect with no room for flaws.

The appearances of people living in pleasantville is also significantly striking. They are pasty in colour, and everything in the surrounding is painted in a coat of black and white, and nothing comes in colours. However, as the film progresses, people begin to acquire colour when they have experienced truly moving emotions. In the early stages in particular, sex outside of marriage and masturbation are the typical catalysts for the change. Later, acts of violence, passion, loss and rage also can trigger the change. The contrast between the use of bright, rich colours against black and white is highly symbolic in nature as it represents the American society in the 1950s to 1960s. It is a reference to the racism during that period of time and there is a sign posted in a shop window at one point declaring “No Colors Allowed”, which referred to store owners refusing service to Black Americans during the aforementioned era. Also, when the more “conservative” townsfolk object to the introduction of color into their lives, they are compared with those who objected to the Negroes being integrated into American life. But African Americans were persecuted for what they could not control, just like in Pleasantville, the “coloreds” are persecuted for what they can control. Towards the ending part of the film, we are being presented with a scene in the courtroom. It is highly similar to the scene in “To kill a mockingbird” where Atticus Finch made his famous closing argument. As in “to kill a mockingbird”, the courtroom is divided by skin colour. Sitting in the second floor balcony seats are the coloureds, where the African American sat in to kill a mockingbird and the white sat on the floor seats.

Another symbolic aspect to consider is the assumed connection between colors and loss of innocence. For example most of the time a black and white had sex or experienced a moment of pleasure they obtained color, suggesting the idea that humans as people are truly recognized and seen as their imperfections and differences are made more apparent.

References:

http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/pleasantville.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleasantville_(film)
http://www.movieweb.com/movies/film/50/1550/summary.php
http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/lpop/etext/nova/joseph24.htm
http://www.film.u-net.com/Movies/Reviews/Pleasantville.html
http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0000466.cfm
http://www.reelviews.net/movies/p/pleasantville.html
http://www.mediacircus.net/pleasantville.html

Korea Photos

I went to Korea with my family at the end of year 2007!

there’s nothing much, really, I can’t seem to find the correct folder where I have all the Korea photos, will upload more once I get hold of them (:

butterfly and wings

medium: water colour on paper

some butterlies which I started off the coursework with, I feel that butterflies are one of the prettiest and most delicate creatures on Earth. Also, the patterns found on the wings of some of these butterflies are very interesting.

Charity

Piggy: Acrylic on mat

I can’t remember the exact event but this is a piece of work I did for charity to be sold to the general public! The pig was painted on the mat using acrylic paint, it was overall a fun and enriching experience. (: