flash city

Flash City was created digitally. When you’re asked to picture a landscape, most people envision what interests them. Most would choose a farm, sunset, or any outdoor image. However, my life has been nothing but those images. Thus, I wanted to reflect a memory of mine where I experienced more than just grass and nature. I wanted to showcase the fine progress of humanity and their industrialization and creativity in skyscrapers and modern buildings. Additionally, I wanted to incorporate the idea of the perfect view with trees and natural sunsets.

As a child, I was always told stories of my family traveling to many extravagant cities, but not once had I ever visited them myself. This summer I embarked on a journey to Chicago, where all my dreams came true. To integrate that feeling into a picture, I complimented the piece with a flashlight. When you read a bedtime story, you are usually doing so under a blanket with a flashlight to see. In this graphic, I wanted to reflect that cities have their own story and beauty. Thus, if you shine a little light in your life, you can imagine nearly anything.

In the background, you’ll find a skyscraper. The skyscraper was first designed in the heart of Chicago in 1884. William Jenney had surpassed the limits of the sky to create something grand and spectacular, for the Home Life Insurance building was a whopping nine stories tall. However, this wasn’t his only creation in Chicago. He had constructed numerous pieces throughout the bustling city. He worked on anything from commercial buildings to public parks. Though, his life ended in 1907, he impacted the modern image of city landscapes and architecture.

Time & space

This piece is called time and Space and was created through acrylic paints. When looking at the art work, you’ll find many things that you wouldn’t find next to each other in real life. Every now and then I get asked what I think is interesting or what attracts me. It’s fascinating to realize they all originate from different backgrounds. Thus, pictured around the piece are things I am fond of. The octopus showcases the ocean, a place I have yet to visit. Additionally, the ducks on vacation simply reflect my favorite traits, humor and spontaneity. As you move farther back, you can see the different planets in space. For years I’ve found a liking for what lies beyond earth. The possibilities are what attract me the most, because Space is the one concept that doesn’t necessarily have a wrong answer. So, I believe that through interlacing animals, places, and characteristics, I have stated that beauty and allurement can come in many different forms. The catch is that not one answer can be wrong on the individual scale.

Upon finding inspiration, I looked to a man named Martin Wittfooth. His works consist mostly of animals caught in surreal circumstances. His adaptations of reality are what attracted my attention. Not every day do you see animals caught in absurd situations. I believe tying two completely different things can often result in harmony. Though he has many works, my favorite is “The Coronation.” It depicts a monkey sitting on the steps of a ruined building with fire blazing around him. I believe it tells a story of a creature committing an act of violence, but it also generates a sense of calmness. The monkey isn’t fazed and is instead sitting with its eyes closed. I want the same reflection from my art pieces. I want randomness that connects with a moral concept.

In my history of art, I have created works that point out idealistic worlds and show character not just through a human, but by objects. My intentions were to revolutionize our art programs works. Most of the time we find ourselves painting or creating pieces that abide by natural laws or simply don’t express new topics. Surrealism is the one way I can produce an unlimited number of situations with creatures and places from quite literally anywhere. However, with surrealism, I feel it is necessary to add concepts that pertain to the individual themselves. It helps the imagination flow and expresses the personality to a great extent, which is exactly what Martin influenced.

Wittfooth was born in 1981 from Toronto, Canada. However, he then moved to Finland and returned as a teen to Canada. While he was in Toronto, he attended Sheridan College and earned his BAA for illustration. Soon after, he moved to New York City where he continued to achieve awards for his exhibits. He was acknowledged in galleries worldwide for his paintings that represent past concepts and add a futuristic fear to the work. He then went on to write a book called “Babel” in 2014. On top of his appearances in New York, he had publications in Montreal, Seattle, and Los Angeles.

Ocean Breeze

Home is where the heart is

Home is Where the Heart is was completed through watercolor. I first asked myself what I could express with passion. Over time I realized that what I loved was versatile and couldn’t be portrayed as one item. Home was the perfect image of what I wanted to say. Not only did my piece reflect that a home is in your heart and not necessarily a place, but it can also be an individual. Every brick represented a different story that a person holds onto, and each having their own color for distinction. The windows portrayed the bright life of a whimsical individual. Behind the house is an anatomically realistic heart that embraces the importance of love. Above all, the main part of my piece was the body. In my life, home is a person, not a house. It implies to that one person in life who makes it worth living.

The house I picked was simple, much like my life. However, I added differentiating parts with pops of color to express a spontaneous life. Behind the house you’ll find the heart. In the fourth century B.C, a wise man known as Aristotle claimed the heart was above all the most important organ. I agree to that statement for its job is connected to all bodily things. The heart is made of strong flesh that is not easily penetrated. Additionally, the instrument is continually pumping oxygenated blood through the entire body. Its complexity is similar to that of someone’s life, yet still simple enough to rely on other organs. With each contraction of the heart, blood is transported to every vein spreading across your body. It’s as if it’s communicating with every limb, artery, and cell in a human’s body. With every breath coming in, the heart gives back what it has been gifted and does so for the rest of its life. I believe it is similar to what every individual’s life goal should be. Give back to the world what you take of it and do so continuously.