This work was a response to my class' art provocation "The Body as an Object of Scrutiny".  My aim was to depict one of the ways in which we are apt to scrutinize ourselves and how we look.  What I did was write several insults that I have thought about myself over the years, along with compliments I have used to reassure myself of my beauty; so I displayed both positive and negative scrutiny.  As for presentation, I framed these photographs and hung them on the gallery wall in three rows, four pictures in each row.  This was a bit of an emotional challenge for me, as I was bringing to light the ways I felt self-conscious about the way I look.  I was pleasantly surprised, though, to find that I thought up more compliments than insults for myself.  I think this may be a sign that my self-confidence is growing.

Media Used: Graphite and Chalk
This was a response to my art class' first provocation of the semester: The Body as a Decorated Surface.  My idea was of a person touching something and taking on its appearance, like a chameleon.  For some reason the idea soothes me, being able to touch an object like a leaf and have their skin gradually take on the same appearance.  I stuck with drawing because I felt at the time like that's my greatest strength, and I spent days practicing my hand drawing before I produced this work.  My teacher said it was a good idea, execution needed a little work.  He suggested that maybe do the same thing in Photoshop.  I like that idea, except I haven't used Photoshop in years and don't remember much about how to use it.  Lately I've been taking more of an interest in digital art though, so I could definitely see myself recreating this work in Photoshop after I re-learn how to use it.

I never liked having to commit to these things.  It's so typical of me to start something like a blog and then leave it by the wayside.  I'll post some of my work later this week.