I, unlike many of my art major peers, knew nothing about the moon and the sun and the stars before this semester. I am getting a BS in Art degree which means I have to take a bunch of absolutely ridiculous science classes that will never contribute to my life as an artist. This semester I enrolled in Astronomy to fill one of my many prerequisites and as much as I despise spending my money on learning about stars and nebulae, I have learned more than I could ever imagine. There is so much out there, and not only are we an astronomically small blip in the Milky Way galaxy, and our galaxy is an astronomically small blip in the vast and ever expanding universe. I enjoyed this spring equinox project because it gave me the opportunity to not only spend the day being creative and making art but also a chance to study and learn things about our place in our solar system.
As you all know, I have a deep obsession and appreciation for the Black American musicians who have shaped and influenced generations of musicians and artists and have spent my time as an artist trying to incorporate sound and visuals. I enjoy learning the practice routines of my favorite musicians and trying to apply them to my practices. I transcribe, I improvise, I develop motifs and themes, and use the visual languages of the artists I am influenced by most.
About a year and a half ago, I began experimenting with a new way of manipulating my photographs so that I can begin using 2, 10, 15 even 24 photos in a final image. The more photos I use, the more abstract it gets. But learning to use a roll of 24 exposure B&W film and creating a single artwork that describes the aura of the photographs inside.
The night of the equinox I went out on bike with my camera and photographed the sunset at James Madison Park with my new favorite people from Art 470. Then as I went to bike home, I decided to impulsively go to the jazz club, Cafe Coda and photograph both sets of their grand re-opening show.
Below are my final images for this project. I really enjoyed the outcome of these pieces and had a great time doing what I love with the people I love.
