My first concept for the self-visualization triptych was thrown out the window days before the final files were due. The only thing that stayed pretty much the same is the middle panel which was a montage of my old houses that laid a background for pictures taken throughout my younger childhood. I modified its appearance by putting the pictures of my houses through a black and white threshold and also putting the layered pics through either a color gradient or a negative color effect. I also accompanied the panel with lyrics from Regina Spektor’s song “On the Radio.” This quote just reflects my overall view of how growing up and aging works and also adapting to changes as you grow.
The idea for my left and right panel changed dramatically as well when I spent a few days taking negative pictures with my camera phone. The settings of these pictures were Washington Crossing Park and New York City. The pictures were amazing because of the coloring and also because the camera was only a three megapixel the scenes of urban and nature turned into more of a design. Unfortunately, before I had the chance of uploading these pictures to create my finished piece my phone was stolen. I was devastated but realized I loved the idea too much to not go through with. I was able to compile some pictures from my old camera of the city and Central Park and I also used some images I found online. I manipulated the pictures using varying gradients and color effects and I also used the smudge and gradient tool to make them flow together.
The left panel is a combination of photos that represent nature, the beach and wind. These are by far my favorite things in life and although they are simple, it is in these conditions where I am most serene. I used a lyric from Animal Collective’s song “My Girls” that reads: “There isn’t much that I feel I need; a solid soul and the blood I bleed.” I feel that this relates to the effortless beauty of nature and its impact that is has on my mood and emotions. The right panel is a culmination of photos from New York City. I wanted to incorporate this metropolitan jungle in my piece because it is where I see myself in the future. I have always been a shore kid and have spent my entire life on the beach with the tallest structure around me being a ferris wheel. I can really see my career prospering in the city and I can definitely picture myself continuing my life there. I used a lyric from Radiohead’s song “Bulletproof with Butterfly Wings” that states: “Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage.” When I say rage, I am not referring to rage as in anger, I pertain it more towards unreleased energy. Fully indulging myself into my career will allow me to hit my highest potential.
I scanned the childhood pictures into photoshop where I was able to use the quick selection tool. The house pictures were also scanned in and the top house picture was scanned in through Adobe Illustrator where I live traced and painted it. The rest of the work was done mostly through Photoshop and the finished panels went through Illustrator again where I added the final text. I wanted the panels to be poster size, so I decided to make them each fourteen inches wide and three feet long. I used the wide format printer and printed on Premium Luster paper because I really wanted the colors to vibrant and beautiful. I was ecstatic about the ending results. I plan on mounting them so that they each have a small black frame separating each from the panel next to it.
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