Month: February 2020

So, things have changed around here. I’ve added a header on this blog to give you a little bit more context for what this page will be about. here’s an explanation…

1.

My header image uses a combination of bold colors, sketched images, and handwritten text to convey that this blog serves as a collection of art, as well as my own personal voice surrounding art. It uses an intentionally “messy” aesthetic in its placement of images to suggest a hand-crafted image, one that could’ve been created on a piece of paper. This image notifies my audience (you, the reader) that I intend to cover topics of art and visual creations.

2.

“Hands and body sketches” by Clara Clarafosca is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

“Reel Asian Film Festival 2013” by Brian Banton is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 

The images I used are licensed under Creative Commons, which is a service that allows for artists and creators to upload their media to a sharing platform and license it for specific usage. Most Creative Commons images are allowed to be repurposed for non-commercial usage, such as for my website header!

3.

I used Photoshop to create this image. It contains a total of 22 layers. I used this image-

• 

-as my starting point for my color palette. I then duplicated these images-

• 

• 

• 

-through multiple layers to create dimension and the concept of motion. These images naturally have solid white backgrounds but I used transparency tools to render the background clear against the colorful backdrop. I then added my website title and subheading, which I knew I wanted to create a handmade, but also intense feeling with. I managed this through thickening the outline on the text that I painted. I also uploaded a personal sketch of mine and multiplied it, inverting the colors as well as playing with size and transparency.

4.

My image- having 22 total layers- is obviously more complex than what could be created on a single layer bitmap on Microsoft Paint. Several effects I applied- such as duplication, thickening, applying patterns, inverting colors, and moving around layers- would not be possible. However, one similarity is my decision to hand paint my blog title- this is an effect that could actually be mimicked in Microsoft Paint.

Here’s a song I was listening to while I created this header. enjoy xx

an exploration in the visual medium.

Hi, welcome to my site. My name is Margaux. As someone interested in all things visual arts, this blog is an amalgamation of film, photography, fashion, and culture, as well as my own personal musings. I’m an art school student at Mason Gross School of the Arts as a Filmmaking major. This means more than just watching films- my coursework allows me to learn the ins and outs of the creative process of production. This includes editing, cinematography, writing, directing, soundwork, color correction, and perhaps most influential, the brainstorming process that allows me to really find myself as a filmmaker. When I’m not out shooting, you can often find me watching an experimental art film or reading an essay, gathering up my influences for my next creative venture. Of course, my influences are much more far reaching than just other filmmakers- I’m heavily influenced by art, be it modern or historical, as well as writing, and also contemporary photographers.

This site is meant to spread the word about different photographers, filmmakers, visual artists, and creative individuals who have become influences to my own work. I’ll also be including examples of my own work, and describing my creative process that eventually yields a finished project. Get ready for a step by step process that shows how my art comes to life! 

The music I listen to also heavily influences my artwork. I find myself basing my own films upon a specific playlist, track, or ambient tone. In order to fully cite all my influences, I’ll be including embedded playlists and tracks so that you can get the full picture of how I create my art.

My intended audience for this blog is anyone who shares my interest in art and wants to discover new and exciting examples of all sorts of visual art. 

how collaboration fuels this medium.

“How Creativity is Being Strangled by the Law” by Lawrence Lessig is an article that poses the challenges faced under modern Copyright laws and sticky concerns regarding fair use and what really constitutes as a “copy.” This is an issue near and dear to my heart as a filmmaker. Lessig considers the reproduction of image and video, this “remix,” as “just writing for the twenty first century.” Unfortunately, copyright law has not caught up to the discrepancy that you can cite a written work in an essay, but not quite as easily use a song to accompany your film.

Here is a series of stills from a film I created last year titled “textile residency.” It received a copyright strike on Youtube for the music I chose for the background (Birthday by The Sugarcubes).

Does my use of a song in the background of this film constitute as a copy of the song, even though the song has been situated in an entirely new context? Youtube copyright laws seem to dictate so.

Lessig would argue against this, that a “remix,” a digital synthesis, merely encourages creativity.

Filmmakers largely rely on the resources of others to aid their projects along. This collaboration can be a beautiful thing, except when it is bogged down by outdated copyright regulations that don’t take into consideration the digital age, and the context of modern creativity.

“How Creativity Is Being Strangled By The Law.” Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy, by Lawrence Lessig, Penguin Books, 2009, pp. 155–168.