Art Pieces

I decided to experiment by taking photos of water pouring out of a glass, trying to capture a still image of the water in mid air. I was inspired by the digital artwork produced by Claret, being close up shots of water where fire should be, for example in the shape of a flame at the tip of a match. I was unaware, however, of the message Claret was trying to get across, if he was trying to get any message at all. I wanted to create a piece of art that actually is symbolic, and with an intended meaning. So after taking 40 photos attempting to capture water in mid-air, I eventually found a shot I liked that I could embed meaning into via editing. The original picture is of a wine glass held by my hand, pouring water out of it, where drops of water can be seen in mid-air. The wine glass can be seen in the sky, and the camera focuses on the glass and the drops of water. In the background, there are houses on the water. A boat can also be seen, and also some bushes. I wanted the message of the image to be that of human destruction - the wine glass can be seen with a human hand holding it pouring water out of the sky, as a human making it rain. This is a metaphor for human interference with the natural order of the world, for example destroying forests and trees. I edited the photo using PhotoImpact. I decided to darken the sky and lighten the water using 'burn' and 'dodge' editing brushes, so that a greater distinction between the sky and the water was present. I then applied a thunder effect to the image, representing power. I cloned the few drops of water that were in the original image and made many more to create the effect of rain. I then distorted the images of the houses, the boat, and the bushes, representing the distortion of the world when humans try to take control of everything. I experimented with a lot of different effects, such as blur, sharpen, smudge, animations, etc. However, I felt that although many more effects were available, the image did not need any more, nor did it need animation. Overall I am really happy with the final product, and am planning to incorporate it into my digital portfolio.



This artwork is the result of experiment with photographing water. As I had already photographed water in mid-air, I wanted to try something different, so instead of pouring water out of the wine glass, I took several photos of the water in the wine glass. I chose to add oil to the water, to represent the idea of trying to make two things mix, but just not being able to. So I filled the glass with half water and half oil, and used a knife to stir it together. I chose to use a knife to stir the mixture to represent pain and hurt, as people often associate knives with pain. The overall concept of the artwork is to portray trying to force two people together, but only ending up hurt. For example, a couple may not be right for eachother, but they constantly force themselves to try and make it work, despite knowing its not right. As a result, they suffer a great amount of pain. The puzzle pieces represent the concept of trying to make a situation work; trying to solve a puzzle; trying to make the picture comprehensible. There are also some red spots at the base of the glass, simply to further portray pain and suffering, as people often associate red with blood, which also links back to the knife (i.e. stabbing, resulting in blood). Overall I am satisfied with the piece, but I'm not sure if I am happy enough to use in my portfolio. I'd like to apply an effect to the red spots, such as a blurred effect, to make them less artificial and blend in with the picture. However, once an animation is applied to an image, I have difficulty applying further effects without the image resorting back to a jpeg file and being incapable of showing the animations. If I decide to use this image in my portfolio, I will have to find a way in which to apply the effect and not lose the animation.






Clayton Bruster is an artist that produces digital artworks that he titles 'dancing fire'. The images show fire, manipulated via effects to create the illusion of dancing. I'm not entirely certain if Bruster intended a certain message via his artwork, or what the message is if there is one, however I like the way the images look and the idea of manipulation of fire, similar to the manipulation of water by Claret. I decided to take some photos of fire firstly. I turned the stove on and took images of the fire. I had to remove the flash, because I found that when I used the flash on fire, the fire would not show at all in the pictures. I'm not really sure why this is, I found it very interesting but could not really do anything with an image of just a stove top. I also got a thin piece of wood and lit it using the stove, and then took some close-up shots of that. The image of the stove top has been heavily altered by effects such as saturation, smudge, blur, distortion, burn, dodge, warp, etc. I think the message I was trying to get across in this artwork is that things aren't always as they seem - everyone assumes that fires are shades of red, yellow and orange in colour. But this image represents fire as consisting of many more colours than that. I darkened the background and lightened the fire, so that the artwork focuses on the fire. The second image shown is a manipulated image of the photo taken of the burning piece of wood. I used a warping tool to spread and manipulate the flame into the shape of a devil. The artwork has a similar meaning to the previous piece, in which things are not always how they seem. However, this piece is a little bit more specific. The image of the devil represents that anything can appear to be one thing, but can consist of hidden flaws. Viewers are meant to assume that people also may appear to be sincere, harmless, and have other positive qualities, but can morph unexpectedly into the 'devil', i.e. people can unexpectedly exhibit attitudes and ways that are 'evil', such as betrayal, selfishness, deceit, etc. The flame therefore is a metaphor, being manipulated into the devil, representing that people often are not as they appear to be. I am satisfied with these artworks, however I doubt that viewers will immediately understand the intended message, and may interpret the images differently, if at all. Therefore I am hesitant to place the images on my portfoilo, unless I create some way to further portray the intended message I'd like to get across to viewers.



This image is a manipulated photo of a girl's legs. There is a flag inbetween her legs, representing the 'finish line' or the 'goal', which is sex. There are five pathways shown which lead to sex. The first image of a heart with a line through the middle represents a broken heart. When a girl is vulnerable, or has just been left by their partner and is on the rebound, sex often results. Second, two beer glasses can be seen. Alcohol can heavily distort a person's judgment and morals, often leading people to have sex when they normally wouldn't. Thirdly, a ball can be seen. This represents games that people play with eachother, mind games, that if played correctly can lead to sex. The fourth image is a rose, representing romance. Buying things for a girl or being romantic and charming can often lead to sex. And finally, the two love hearts represent being in love with somebody. When a person loves another person, they often have sex. The text that is displayed across the screen states "He Broke my heart", indicating that all five pathways to sex lead in heartbreak. Vulnerable girls on the rebound may have sex with a guy, but he may have just been using her, acknowledging her vulnerability. Alcohol may distort a person's judgment about another, and a girl may have sex with somebody she has genuine feelings for, only for him to wake up and regret ever having sex with her. Mind games lead a person to believe that they are in love or have feelings for another person, when they actually do not. Romance such as flowers and gifts may appear to a girl that such a person has genuine feelings for her, but may in fact simply be a quick way to get inside a girl's pants. And finally, love. When a girl really loves somebody, they may be blinded to the fact that the person she is in love with is no good for her, is not a decent person, and is not in love with her back. Ultimately, all five pathways can lead to heartbreak. I am satisfied with this artpiece, as I think that the message should be able to be interpreted by viewers. I think its also quite interesting to look at, and therefore I am heavily considering incorporating this piece into my digital portfolio.