Monthly Archives: March 2015

Photography

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While there are unique features in painting, sculpting, or building, there is something slightly different when it comes to photography. Why would I say that? Think a little about it. How long might it take for an artist to paint on a canvas? Hours? Days? Weeks? How about sculpting? Or how designing a building? All these types of art require time. Time to focus on the topic. Time to organize one’s thoughts. Time to take a step back and come back later without the worry that the inspiration will change. But when it comes to photography, time can sometimes be a jerk. If you happen to miss that one moment, you’ve lost the opportunity. Perhaps the object has moved on. Perhaps the lighting has changed. Perhaps it’s just not your day. Sure, the newly bought cameras and other technology may compensate by allowing you to take multiple pictures in a short amount of time, but that doesn’t mean a foolproof plan. Sometimes it’s that one moment that you happened to capture on a small square screen will be your masterpiece. This idea was what drew me to do a little research on a few award winning photographs that have been submitted and chosen from a variety of places, ranging from the National Geographic to Sony’s annual photo competition. Take a look.

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The first photo is called “The World as Seen from the Outside.” What really caught my attention was the photo’s accurate portrayal of the lives of the modern day man and woman. Suit and tie. Coming back from work. Time restraint. Fast food. Isolation. Social media as life. Being from a family that places heavy importance to eating together, this picture shows a gloomy contrast to what I think of as happiness. Somehow, seeing this portrayal of life makes me feel pressured. Is dinner soon going to be defined as sitting alone at a fast food booth with a big mac, large French fries, and a medium sized drink? Is the only company going to be the phone in your hand or the music coming form your ear buds? Can that be considered a healthy lifestyle? A happy one?

The next photo is called “The Mask of Society.” Truthfully, I didn’t see any deeper meaning behind this photo. Instead, what drew me in was the mask and the lady next to it. While I do not know the details behind this photo, I imagine the photographer setting up the camera in front of the woman and taking shots as she prepares the mask for display. The darker more calm colors seemed to be the perfect fit for this type of setting. The woman with a slight frown and bright red lipstick seems to fit in with the settings perfectly as well. As for the mask, perhaps it means something important. And judging by the details and jewels that adorn it, this is no simple mask. There’s a high craftsmanship for it and an aura of elegance and coldness from it.

And the final photo attracted me because of the colors and, upon closer look, the subject matter. I loved how most of the picture is filled with the blue nets. It seems to swallow up the viewer. And the four workers are in the midst of this huge mountain, calmly doing their part of the work. Somehow, it just takes my breath away.

So, what do you think about these photos. Are there any photos that come into your mind that you would regard as breathtaking, meaningful, or just plain funny?

Deliberation Report

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The other deliberation I attended was on March 1st and was on Marijuana Legalization. I thought that attending this event would be interesting because the topic is very close to the one that my group did, which was about illicit drugs. I was mostly interested in this topic because of the third approach: marijuana for medical uses. Because I want to be a doctor, it was relevant to me. Unfortunately, due to bad weather and an unexpected change in the room number, I ended up being the only “outsider” that attended. Everyone else in the group was presenting. Thus, the deliberation was set up that everyone was seated in a circle and whoever wasn’t presenting was asking questions.

The three approaches talked about were if marijuana should be fully legalized, if marijuana should remain illegal, and if marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes. In addition, this deliberation was different than my group’s deliberation because it was 2 hours in length. Thus, each approach group could focus on key questions and the summary group could really review what had happened and what the audience learned that was new from this deliberation.

The introduction went smoothly. I learned that the policies involving marijuana varied greatly between states. Some allowed for recreational uses, some only for medical uses, and some not at all. Everyone also introduced him or herself and talked about why they were interested in this topic. It was interesting to hear how some of them came from or knew friends that came from more poor neighborhoods where smoking marijuana wasn’t too uncommon. There was a girl who was interested in looking at other’s thoughts on federal versus state govern and one boy was interested in hearing about thoughts on the drug policies abroad and what people thought of it.

For the first approach, the group first asked about thoughts of if legalization of marijuana was allowed, if the government should tax users and sellers. They brought up the topic of the benefits of economic boosts that could follow and gave an example of Colorado. In addition, they talked about how one possibility is to use that money to fund in stopping youth use.

For the second approach, the group focused more on the socio-cultural costs such as increased car accidents and crime. They brought up Netherland’s policies and the results of higher crime that followed. However, it was interesting that someone brought up the possibility of the study being less credible because there was no note of the scale of the study and the acknowledgement of other factors.

In the third approach, the groups mainly mentioned different medical problems that can be addressed with the use of marijuana. I really liked this part of the deliberation in that the audience really addressed the problem and tried to come up with a possible solution together. We noted that there was the possibility of having people “fake” pain or illness to get the marijuana. The overall consensus was that it was because smoking weed had that cool factor. Thus, our solution was that a pill form could be made so that cool factor will decrease. We also suggested that this form of medication was made the last resort to prevent fake illnesses.

Overall, despite the limited number of people who participated, I thought this discussion was really interesting and valuable.

Solar Energy

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After looking at some of the less common sources of energy, it is now time to look at some of the better-known types that are available to us. Perhaps by looking at some of them, we can figure out what is preventing these popular forms of harnessing energy from becoming the next big thing. Thus, in this blog I will be trying to look at the pros and cons of solar energy.

So what is solar energy? Solar energy is the use of the sun’s energy (in the form of photons of light and heat). It is captured with a wide variety of technology, ranging from solar heating, solar photovoltaics/panels, and artificial photosynthesis.

One of the most basic pros of solar energy is that it is renewable – unless the sun goes out. However, if this happens, there would other problems to worry about other than the wasted solar panels. Another pro is that this renewable energy resource is abundant. In fact, “the surface of the earth receives 120,000 terawatts of solar radiation (sunlight) – 20,000 times more power than what is needed to supply the entire world” (INSERT). With all the possible places to put solar panels, we can just use a fraction of that area. Solar energy is also sustainable. Unlike natural gas and the burning of fossil fuels, we can’t run out of the sun’s energy. This will lessen the impact/problems that those in the next generation will have to face. Solar energy is also environmentally friendly. While there will be some pollution due to the manufacturing and shipping, solar panels do not constantly spew out harmful gases that could affect the environment. Solar energy is also not limited to certain places of the world. In most areas, having sunlight is a natural phenomenon. Where there is sun, there is a possibility of harnessing that energy.

But another thing that makes solar energy so enticing is the potential for energy savers to gain a profit out of using renewable energy. Through net metering and fee-in tariffs, homeowners can now sell the energy that they don’t use. And according to One Block Off the Grid, “adding solar panels to your home can bring in monthly savings of well above $100 in many states. In Hawaii, residents save on average $64,000 after 20 years” (INSERT). Because solar energy through the use of solar panels is easy to gather – unlike wind power or nuclear power in which only large companies can afford – individuals or schools can be a part of this renewable energy movement. And for those whose homes aren’t best fit to have solar panels but would like to be involved, some areas have things called “community solar gardens” in which a community can invest in a shared energy source. Finally, solar panels have low maintenance. According to the energyinformative.org, “residential solar panels usually only require cleaning a couple of times a year. Serious solar manufacturers ship 20- or 25-year warranties with their solar panels” (INSERT). With such technology that isn’t too intrusive and is available to be set up in different places, solar energy has a good list of benefits to the society.

However, solar energy isn’t without its disadvantages. Solar energy isn’t given as much incentives from the government as other sources of energy such as coal, which got “$1189 billion in federal subsidies and support” (INSERT) in 2010. Also, while solar energy is mostly abundant, the times when the sun is out and directly shining on the solar panels are limited. Things like day and night, the season, the area in the world, clouds, and objects that may block the sunlight can affect the harnessing of solar energy. This main concern is what prevents solar energy from becoming the next big energy provider. And coupled with the fact that storage is a problem, there needs to be an improvement in technology for further advancement in the usage of solar energy.

 

Resources:

Maehlum, Mathias Aarre. “Solar Energy Pros and Cons – Energy Informative.” Energy

Informative. N.p., 12 May 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

“Solar Power Energy Information, Solar Power Energy Facts – National Geographic.”

National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 2015. Web. 05 Mar

Abstract Painting

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One type of artwork I feel that I must talk about is abstract art – or more specifically, Abstract Expressionism. It feels like whichever art museum I go to, there is always a section of the museum that is dedicated to the abstract. There, you can find the canvases that contain random shapes in a random order or a canvas that is composed of solely one color. And it’s also where you can find the canvases that are filled with drips of paint splattered here and there. For this blog, I decided to look at a painting made by the famous Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock, a man who revolutionized what painting meant. If you take a look below, the painting that is shown is called Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist). It’s a 221 x 300 cm canvas that features the drip style of art. Supposedly, the inspiration to creating such a painting came from the Accabonac Creek in Long Island. When creating this, Pollock had taped the canvases onto the floor of a barn and splattered house paint onto the canvases. According to museums, through the flicking of Pollock’s wrists and unrestrained movement, the splatters on the canvas have an “all-over” style that doesn’t give the viewer a certain place to focus their attention. Instead, the whole painting is important.

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When I first saw this painting, I wasn’t sure what to think. For me personally, I prefer to have the theme or motive of the artwork to be obvious and easy to find. However, with this painting, it’s much harder, if not impossible, to understand what the painting is about. There was no focus point – everything seems to be very similar. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to get from the painting. Other questions rose up as well. Why did Pollock call his painting Number 1, 1950? Was it a date of when he painted this? Was “Number 1” supposed to signify his first drip style painting? Why was it also termed “Lavender Mist” when where wasn’t any Lavender paint used? All I saw was black, white, blue, and silver. What about the word “mist”? What did each strand of paint mean? Why was the black paint usually in thicker bands than other colored paint? What is the correct way of viewing the painting? There were just so many questions that I had about the painting. When I saw painting, I was reminded of a book I read one time, where one of the characters uses his hamster to win first prize at an art show. He dips its paws in paint and lets it scurry around on a piece of paper. Then, he cuts off the corner of the paper that looked the messiest and submits it to the art show. I’m pretty sure that Jackson Pollock was famous for a reason. And I’m pretty sure that anyone or anything can create a famous painting. So I wonder – what am I not seeing in this painting? Is there something that is hidden within the splatters of paint?

 

Resources:

“Active Expression.” Head for Art RSS. Head for Art, 8 Mar. 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

“Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist).” Explore This Work. National Gallery of Art, 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

Passion Blog #6

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Once again, it’s time to write in my Passion Blog. Today I would like to share with everyone a painting that I found online while doing my weekly art research. While this painting may not be the most well known nor the best drawn in the world, I would dare to say that it is special in it’s own way.

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When I first saw this picture, I was amazed at the scenery the artist chose. This painting pictures a snowy landscape, possibly located in the forest or woods. And while this obviously wasn’t exactly in the middle of nowhere (you can tell by the bridge in the center of the painting), there’s no one except a deer present. At this moment, the feeling given off by this painting is sort of an isolated feeling.

Another thing that I really liked about this picture is the colors used. Everything is toned down. There are no flashes of green or red that stand out to you. Rather, all the colors are paired with either white or black. When looking at this piece of artwork, I felt a sense of calmness wash over me. And adding to that, there seems to be three layers that were painted, each with its “own color”. The first layer was the deer and the bushes next to its feet and on the opposite side of the painting near the bottom. The next layer that I saw was the waterfall, the three large trees, and the mini trees that hugged the two sides of the picture. The last layer was the group of trees in the distance – they were more of a purple color and created a misty/fogginess image. This further created the isolation feeling.

But I would say that the most impressive aspect of the painting was the detail. When presented with nature and a lot of trees and bushes, it would be tempting to just paint everything one color and be done with it. However, it felt as if everything was given the utmost attention to. The deer had a variety of shades ranging from black to white to gold to brown. The trunks of the three large trees looked as though they were made of real bark that had cracks and bumps over it. And the bushes seemed to have been made of hundreds and hundreds of individual leaves. And what really impressed me was that the author even took into account the snow that might have fallen onto those leaves and had painted tiny specks of white on top of the bushes.

Overall, this was really well painted. And if you hadn’t noticed already, a man by the name of Peter Longstaff painted this work of art. His specialty was painting everything using his two feet, because he had been born with no arms. Despite the tragedy of his fate, due to the drug called thalidomide once used for morning sickness, he was able to make such a wonderful picture for us to enjoy. I really thank him for that!

Resources:

West, Angela. “The Amazing Art of Disabled Artists.” Webdesigner Depot RSS. N.p., 16 Mar. 2010. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.