Self Portrait

I chose this photo for my self portrait mainly because I could not get any other pictures of mine to upload to my computer. I always try to keep a smile on my face the best I can no matter what is going on in my life, but I really do like this photo because it was taken during my sisters wedding which was a very exciting time for our family. I am a very big family oriented guy so it is always nice to see a picture of me with a big smile when I am with the family.

This Video is a True Work of Art

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GXa2jOa7JE
T-Pain ft. Chris Brown- Freeze

This video really is a unique and creative piece of art. Not only does this video incorporate many different colors, it also uses creative shapes and transitions to keep your eyes moving in many different ways. The effects that they have created with all the lines, shapes, and objects are extremely crazy and keep you interested and hooked to the video the entire time. I chose this video because it is just out of the ordinary and something new catches my eye every time I watch it that just amazes me.

Film That is a Work of Art

"SEVEN POUNDS"

This was a very inspirational film to watch and I learned a lot from it. The role that Will Smith plays in this film was absolutely amazing and I believe that just by having him in it truly made it a work of art. After killing 7 people, 1 being his wife, in a freak car accident caused by his cell phone he looks to redeem his self by drastically changing the lives of 7 people that he does not even know. When he has his plan in order to help everyone out he is not going to let anything get in his way. But he did not realize that he was going to meet someone that would transform him along the way and cause him to fall in love with her. This film is really eye opening because when he makes a mistake that he will never be able to forget he does not just sit around and feel sorry for himself, instead he designs a plan that will help himself get a little closure as well as help out many other people that are in dire need of help in their lives. I loved watching this film and it shows that helping out others truly is fulfilling.

Another Catharsis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5L_VoBl7LY

This is a video of Hinder-Without You

This is a song that I really enjoyed listening to when it first came out. It came out when I was having some ups and downs in my relationship and it always helps me to just remember not to dwell on the past and to just enjoy life. This song does fit with me very well because just like the lyrics "I never thought that I would say Im fine without you." When a relationship is over you really do get a chance to see yourself differently and sometimes in the end you can realize that it is truly what is best for you.

Meet this Artist I Know

"El Capricho"

"Casa Mila"

All three of these extraordinary pieces of architecture were created by the  famous modernist architect Antonio Gaudi. Antonio was born in Reus, Spain in 1852 and he attended school there and in Tarragona. His exposure to nature at an early age is what influenced him to use natural shapes in his later works. Gaudi was not exactly outstanding as a student but he did do exceptionally well on his "trial drawings and projects". Antonio received the title of an architect in 1878. He was very fortunate to have many loyal clients to support him since he had a very unique and individualized form of art. Gaudi had a very unfortunate death. Since he was working on the Segrada Familia so hard and so long he didn't have time to talk to reporters or have his picture taken. On June 7, 1926 Gaudi ended up getting hit by a car and because of his rugged look cab drivers were reluctant to pick him up in fear that he would not be able to pay the fee. He was eventually taken to a hospital for the poor since know new who he was. Antonio Gaudi died 3 days later on June 10th.

"Segrada Familia"

Slide Show of My Favorite Works of Art

http://www.slide.com/r/8Ecuz6eF6j_U3PoCn348VbM0p6_JCMGG?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

http://centralhome.com/dance-videos.htm

Art can be displayed and viewed in many different ways and by many different people. Dancing is a very creative style of art that can bring many different personalities together. The emotions and movement of the dancers can bring out many different emotions in the viewer, just as a painting or body sculpture would do. Dancers have to spend a lot of time coming up with their routine and perfecting it exactly like an artist would. Dancing has been a way for people to express themselves for a very long time and over the years we have developed many different dancing techniques. This was a very funny but interesting video that goes through almost the entire history of dance. It is amazing to look at and realize how many of these dance moves we have actually seen growing and tried to duplicate.

Art and the Human Behavior

Human Behavior is influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, persuasion, coercion, and genetics. Many neopagans hold a monthly ritual called an Esbat at each full moon, but some traditional Chinese religions prepare their ritual offerings to ancestors and deities on every full and new moon. This painting is from the Ghost Ship Series: Full Moon Rising. As you see in this picture it is getting close to a full moon and the ship appears to be rising out of the dark ocean waters. The ship is representing the different human cultures that are getting closer to their religious rituals as the moon rises..

Art and the Human Condition

Artists have used various techniques over the years to show how they depict and interpret the human figure. Victor Safonkin created this creepy yet excellent painting to show us how he has interpreted the human figure throughout his life. Victor confronts human nature with powerful mythic images which reach back into an ancient past.

Art and the Human Struggle

Zlatko Vasic was the very talented artist that created this painting. I chose this painting to represent the human struggle because it is a portrait of different bodies being entangled together. Many people in the world can be influenced by others and end up loosing sight of their own individuality. This represents a human struggling to come back in touch with their own lost identity.

Free Post- UNC 2009 National Champions

I chose to do my free blog post on the North Carolina Tarheels because of the national championship that they just won. I have been a big UNC fan for my whole life so this was a very exciting event for me and the family. This has been one of the most talented teams that they have ever had in the history of the program and not a single game has been boring to watch this year. It was really great to see all that they accomplished this year as a team after what happened to them last year in the final four. They came back this year with some unfinished business and a very big goal, and that was to win the national championship. Even with a few bumps in the road early in the season you could tell they were not going to let anyone or anything get in the way of them accomplishing this goal. This was very inspirational because it shows that when you work very hard and together as a team you can accomplish all of your goals.

Fashion as Art

Ralph Lauren is one of the most well known American Fashion Designers and Business Executives around. His Polo collection has been worn by many guys and girls all over the country. His unique designs and flashy looks on all of his pieces of clothing has kept the interests of teens as well as adults for many years.

Right Brain Vs. Left Brain

Experiments have shown that the two different sides of the brain are responsible for different manners of thinking and suggests that each of us prefer one of them over the other. I would have to say that my thinking process favors the right side of my brain, although I have worked on using my left side much more. I believe that if I work on using my left side just as well as my right side I will become a more well rounded scholar.

Left Brain		Right Brain
Logical Sequential Rational Analytical Objective Looks at parts		Random Intuitive Holistic Synthesizing Subjective Looks at wholes

Poetry Slam

I stand here

walking along the moonlit beach,
thinking of reasons aplenty
beneath the twinkling stars,
dancing to the waves of melodies;

traveling in two different directions,
we came together at an unexpected stop;
as the silence of the night,
became unbearable, it was meant to be;

left speechless, without any inspiration
searching the shoreline and the waves
for a reason, that I must have missed
to kill this silence and enjoy the moment;

salt watered eyes soak
falling into poetic blindness
my heart plays a tune I cannot verbalize
the mouth runs dry at the thought of singing

dreams haunt my sleep
with traces of a past I never lived
walking blindly towards a mirage
of everything desired by my heart;

in silence, I stand here
questions running through my mind,
with the truth I cannot deny anymore,
as the moon weaves a ring of hope
in the darkened sky, I stand here
cherishing the moments,
as I embrace a new day!

My Catharsis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tk1n6kukNk

Here is a link to the Lil Wayne song- Something you forgot

In this song he is talking about an ex girlfriend that at the time he had recently lost. I had a break up just shortly before coming to college and this is something that has been on my mind for a while. There are many things that I wish I would have changed or done differently prior to our relationship ending. I definitely would have tried to express my feelings much more. Now that everything is over I have realized that there were several things I did not understand or that we did not agree on that were just stupid to ever argue over. I could never understand her reasons for everything we disagreed about and now I totally see her side of it. I do think that things would be much different now if we would have done things in a better way, but you must learn from the past and live everyday like its your last!

"...and I know you probably wish you never met me, and I just wish you never forget me..."

Art of This Culture

Amusement parks and theme parks of this culture are some of the biggest tourists attractions around the U.S., and the architecture that various artists have created in these parks are amazing. These pieces of art are enjoyable for adults as well as teens and are absolutely breathtaking. The movement that the architects create by using various lines and shapes is very inspirational.

My Favorite Artist

I would definitely have to say that my favorite form of art and favorite artists are musicians, and the artist that has always stood out to me and worked the hardest is Lil Wayne. Dwayne Michael Carter is a 27 year old musical genius. There have been very few artists in the hip hop industry that have worked as hard or have been such an inspiration for others. It is very hard to name another artist that has came out with the quality and quantity of music that he has put out over the last 10 years. This is what he has been doing his whole life and he has made it all the way to the top, as he is now the owner of Cash Money Records. Lil Wayne uses his artistic ability, his power, and motivation in order to help out young artists that are dreaming of making it big in the music industry. This is why I have chosen Lil Wayne as my favorite music artist.

Graffiti

This is graffiti that I get a chance to pass by almost every time I go home and it always catches my eye. It is very colorful and has many interesting and unique shapes. I do believe that graffiti is a form of art because it is just a group of people expressing their emotions through an unusual form of art.

My Photographic Eye

Woods Watcher

(Michael J. Taylor)

Slavery
(Jacob Lawrence)

The Raft of the Medusa
(Jean Louis André Théodore Géricault)

Constantine's Dream
(Piero Della)

Civil War
(Don Troiani)

All of these various artists have created these inspirational paintings about historical events that have happened over time.

Art and the Human Nature

Human nature can be described as a humans characteristics ,way of thinking ,and way of acting, that all normal human beings have in common. This piece of art shows the obvious human nature of reproduction. It shows that all forms of life, not just humans, must rely on efficient reproduction in order to carry out there lives on earth.

Architecture

Finlandia Hall

This is a piece of architecture that was created by one of Finland's most famous architects, Alvar Aalto. Alvar was born in Kuortane, Finland and studied architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology. He opened his first architectural office in 1923. Aalto became a member of the Congres Internationaux d' Architecture Moderne shortly after this and even though he had many famous pieces of architecture he did not receive world attention until the mid 1930's. Alvar created this building for the city of Helsinki and is used for conferences, concerts, and as a congress centre. This was a very unique design ,which caught my eye right away, and took him nearly 5 years to complete.

The Hall itself show many of the ideas in which Aalto experimented with during his lifelong preoccupation with monumental building construction. It is a very decorative and horizontal building with many cubist's forms. The main material for the exterior of the building was Carrara marble and also has copper roofs.

The inside is also covered with plenty of marble, but is also accented by very detailed hardwoods and ceramic. The inside of the building features many asymmetrical and acoustical wall structures.

It is amazing that Aalto created every lighting fixture, every piece of furniture, panels, and flooring materials specially for this building.

Drinking and Driving Diorama

I chose to do my diorama on drinking and driving. Many teenagers have passed away due to drinking and driving and I have had a couple friends pass away because of it so this is an issue that I feel very strongly about.