"The pause" which can also be seen to some as mindfulness, is found in different ways for each individual. Some people find their "pause" through different kinds of breathing, while others may find their "pause" through creating art. However, I find my "pause" as I sit amongst the trees in nature. For my sustained investigation, I chose to explore this theme of "finding the pause" through the different experiences I've had while in nature. Through my theme, "finding the pause", pieces #1 and #2 took the "pause" literally using the contrast of the color on the black paper as a complement to the metaphor of the "pause". In these pieces, I used the black paper to represent this "pause". Similar to pieces #1 and #2, in piece #3, again, I used black paper to represent the "pause". While the third piece isn't as literal as the first two, it does follow the same metaphor. Rather than trying to replicate an image I had taken like I did in pieces #1 and #2, I was interested in creating an image that casted light on the different experiences that I've had within nature. This interest led me to create a collage, using parts of a map of the United States and different magazines, to tell a story of my adventures. In pieces #4, #5, and #6, I didn't have a lot of options when it came to the continuation of the same type of pieces I was creating in class, because we were in quarantine. So, while I was limited to the materials in my house, I tried my best to relate back to my theme. In order to link the new pieces to the other ones I created before quarantine, I chose to continue using dark backgrounds to show the "pause", then would complement the darker backgrounds with color.

Diverging Trail

(below are some other pieces that I have done that aren't apart of my sustained investigation!)

Thanks for viewing!