James Hetherington

My final project compiles five of my previous projects (from to top to bottom): Art System, Chance, Photo Montage, Logo, and Gif. The base for my project began with the gif creating the crust like surface or ocean at the bottom that dwells below my logo turned train. Here the logo train passes by a hilltop castle that casts a shadow (just like the other layers) onto the mosaic and stained glass sky. The most unique feature is the cloud comprised of the microphones that are colored like the Chance Project's suits. My first usage of filter gallery, layering shadows, and the draw tool inclusively lent an extension to my blended interpretation of the real.

Carrying out the probability portion of that project is a breeze. I ensured a happy medium given the colors and how they are specified along the photoshop spectrum.

My only critique of this project lies within the bounds of coloring because I am not a fan of such brightness with a grey or black; however, I appreciate the varying colors and I think the shapes do add flow and continuity to the piece despite the lack of solidarity among the coloring pool.

Vary positions of 25 microphones in 5 x 5 matrix of black microphones on a white background. The round part of the microphone represents the end of a clock hand and every new placement rotates the mic 1 hour and 30 minutes or 45 degrees. Given this sequencing the microphone from row to row moves a total of 180 degrees / 6 hours per row. Something interesting about this particular matrix book ends with microphones at similar “times” or degrees! To recreate this piece I would add a system of color to paint over the microphones.

Observe! Here is my first gif that has been redone without the gradient green background. Now the bright colors have a lasting impact on the observer’s vision and an imprint is made in our retina that is made apparent by the now white backdrop. The gif represents a sonar and once the pixel sized target is locked in on the image increases in size as if to inspect what’s picked up on by the radar. From the abyss is a pentagon that expands into a stack, juxtaposition of dimensions, or a techni-colored object on a map! Then the layers disappear and the pentagon is whisked away by the sonar only to be looped back around and found yet again.

From top to bottom the surreal office does descend closer to Denali National Park located in Alaska, centered on Mt.Denali, the highest mountain in North America. Please observe a pair of “pillows” actually belongs on the wall and the reflection of the window is purposefully made transparent to show an expansive view of the outdoor territory via the panel-mirror. Although the office is unchanging, the journey back towards the cosmos illustrates a ride to infinity and beyond after a brief stop on a made-up desert (something like limbo.) If I am to remix this Time & Space cartoon I’d move the pillows around and alter the color of the guitar for each office space.

Look at this photograph of my sister and I peering into the world carved by the canyons of Wyoming. Having just summited to the rim and seen Trevor happily fake a bear poop tasting strides before the photo, we perched ourselves near the shearing cliffs to relax as a dynamic duo. This brand new black-and-white filter dumbs it down to alleviate the distracting colors calling away focus from our packs, belongings and panorama thereby beatifying all as one piece detailed by shades and shimmers. Here Shelby and I are seen meshing well together and taking in the views nearby the scenic overlook and double waterfall on either sides of us.

The creation process for my logo is very unique considering how after brainstorming a page of towns, friends, camps, dates, and initials I landed on the combo of my initials and birth year! JEH ’94  The minor technical modification that I made was reversing the J to create an E while accentuating the 9 and its window. I chose aqua because the zodiac sign according to my date of birth is Aquarius and my eyes are similarly colored. That Logo represents my origins. Since it does not wholly paint a picture of who I am today, if I were to recreate the project, I would add three more colors to account for the empty spaces: orange, solar-yellow, and mint-green.

Now while searching the Library of Congress and NASA’s flikr for a variety of pictures I had to be sure to keep an eye out for balancing my black and whites versus color in order to preserve the integrity of my second project. Although I did not have a specific vision in mind for what I was directly going to create, my artistic senses proved valuable when pulling 90% of the selection. Having discovered a unique frame book I utilized that for the bordering effect and then found two black and whites to serve as picturesque bases for either side. The hardest 3 extractions were the train carrying the rocket shuttle, double decker bus, and the spaceley-cadet given that I had to refurbish his helmet to complete the symmetry. Above all, I enjoy how the depth is portrayed and juxtaposition of both sides creates an excellent space to bounce to and from. 

I wanted to create an image that would be pasted on a website as an avatar, avi, or profile picture. In reference to our reading about the Indian block prints, I envisioned many of the textiles as the back of a playing card. This first project is like the reverse, as it portrays a character surrounded by symbolic Yin & Yang, sun / moons.  Oddly enough, the project is 3 quarters framed by a light-blue shirt and I like this effect because a doorway is created above that earthlike base. If I revisited this piece again I would add degrees of opacity to the solar moons and add a fourth and grounding borderline as well.