Alumni Museum Photograph

 

 

 

Marie Gagnon (Class of '96)

"My Studio" Set, 1-4

 

 

 

I picked this set of photographs because they seemed to be quite different than anything else I had seen in the museum. These four works are black and white photographs of artist and UNH alum, Marie Gagnon's home studio. The top left photo is of her various tools used to paint. The top right displays various glass bottles as well as the window to her studio.The bottom left features a stacks of her art books. And lastly, the bottom right is a close up, focused photo of her palette knife. 

 

The top left photograph features Marie's painting tools in action, including a water cup, palette, paintbrushes and paper towels. I enjoyed looking at this photo because there were many objects to look at. The composition of the photograph allowed me to float around the subjects fluidly. This particular photo is the reason I chose to write about the whole set. I loved the idea of photographing other art. The first thing that came to mind when I saw this photo was "art within art". I believe Marie, like myself, enjoyed the idea of a creativity overflow.

 

To the right on the top is the photograph of the bottles on a table. I enjoyed this one the most because of the relationship with the glass of the bottles and the glass of the window. The two seem to compliment each other. Likewise, the contrast between the darker bottle and the lighter bottle really draws the eye to the subject matter. The distance of the subjects is also a big factor in the overall reception of the photograph, it leaves viewers with an almost eerie, mysterious feeling.

 

The last two bottom photographs are both close up to their subjects. The stack of books on the left side are a wonderful representation of contrast. The dark shadow from the books contrast well with the light coming in from the window. The bottom right photograph has a more focused subject matter. It is clear that Marie found the balance of the palette knife intriguing. The shadow the knife leaves on the table is subtle but does draw the eye from the base of the knife to the top of the table's surface.

 

Walk and Write Photo

 

 

I chose this area to photograph because I loved the pop of the blue door as well as the green grass. I then began to notice to pattern of the brick walls. One side was in darkness and the other was contrasting in sunlight. However, my favorite part of this photo is the texture of the fence and the reflection it makes onto the door and grass. The angles of light are so interesting to follow. While the blue door was the first thing my eye saw, slowly I noticed each area of this photo has something interesting to look at.

 

 

 

I chose this photo primarily because I like the subject matter or story it might be telling. It could be a story of a couple, or even a story of youth and aging. Their expressions could represent a variety of things, which allows for audience members to be creative and make up their own story about how these two people came to be and came together for this photo.
I also chose this photo because I like the simplistic composition. I think this photo would have a very different feeling had it not been presented in black and white. The contrast of the sun on the woman's light skin and the dark shirt over her shoulder is incredibly interesting and truly draws the eye. I also enjoy the way the shadow travels down each of their faces in a waving pattern. The lighting is perfectly represented on each one side of their faces, making it an incredibly interesting photo.

My Choices:

 

 

Classmates Choices:

 

 

 

I chose the top two photos for a few reasons. First, I enjoyed the subject matter. The photo of the bed introduces a blue, gloomy mood. This is mostly caused by the lighting of the photograph. I enjoyed the photograph of the door because it has a lot of symmetry to it, including the door, the hood of the door and the railing. I believe my classmates chose the other two photos for their interesting subject matter too. There is also symmetry in the row of mopeds which I found interesting while shooting. Likewise, the symmetry and lighting of the no parking shed presented and interesting overall photograph.

Color Theory: Blue

Definitions

Primary Colors: Colors in nature that cannot be mixed and created by any other colors

Secondary Colors: The result of mixing two primary colors

Tertiary Colors: The equal mixture of  primary and/or secondary colors

 

 

 

I chose the color blue because it is a cool, relaxing color. While this color represent the color scheme of my school, it relates to my life in other ways as well. The color blue often reminds me of the sky and my love for being outside in nature. Likewise, it reminds me of the ocean and the beach, the one place I could spend my whole day. I also spend a lot of time looking at the color blue when I spend time in my blue/green themed room. It is a natural, calming color I really enjoyed taking photos of this weekend.

 

Person In Motion

 

 

More Than Three People

 

 

A Person Doing Something to Someone Else


 

 
 


                                                                Portrait

 

 

 

 
 

 

Subject Matter is Small

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                               Something Overlooked