Response to NYC

Reflection on Work:

I think that it is possible to capture a weekend in one image/work, but I do not think my piece did. Having to balance between making a New York piece that still fit in my sustained investigation was kind of difficult and (unfortunately) my focus wasn’t just on our weekend. I would have loved to do something utterly New York, but I decided to capture a feeling that I felt, which was slightly negative and definitely not how I felt the whole trip. (That feeling being the realization that no one cares who you are when there are so many people, very unlike Yarmouth in my mind). I think if I was able to create whatever I wanted, not limited by my investigation, I could have captured more of the weekend in one piece. 

I definitely think it was hard to combine New York with my investigation. I think the feeling matched well, but the subject matter was difficult to concretely define the setting as New York. I tried to add a suggestion of a cityscape in the background of the piece, but I am very unsure if that came across enough. I would say the color is the strongest part of my work. I love how it contrasts and how my jeans are super highlighted. I think that color was the most important part of my piece (besides subject, but I feel like that is a given) so having this be the strongest is beneficial in the meaning of the piece. 

I was really inspired by my sustained investigation question. I was trying to figure out what you can only learn from yourself, which did not lead to many ideas. I was thinking about self-discovery but landed on being yourself, (rather than finding yourself). It is difficult to not be influenced by others and I am the only one who can stop myself from doing that. (I also think that technically every lesson is something you can only do, but I think that might be too theoretical and philosophical?). I hope that I succeed in that individualistic, finding yourself, sort of feeling, and I think that I did, but is that because it is about me? Probably. But regardless, I think the contrast of color worked well and the dark blues of the background aided in that monotonous city feel. Overall, I think I was successful in expressing that feeling.