ok, those posts were just me taking literally the comment i received in class "put your heart and soul into your posts" ok so i did.
anyway, while we are talking about the word literal:

lit·er·al (ltr-l)

adj.

1. Being in accordance with, conforming to, or upholding the exact or primary meaning of a word or words.

2. Word for word; verbatim: a literal translation.

3. Avoiding exaggeration, metaphor, or embellishment; factual; prosaic: a literal description; a literal mind.

4. Consisting of, using, or expressed by letters: literal notation.

5. Conforming or limited to the simplest, nonfigurative, or most obvious meaning of a word or words.

look at the third entry. and focus on the word "avoiding."
many people would assume that this is what i am doing in my work. avoiding creating artwork with a deeper meaning. well. most people that look at artwork do not know the rules of composition, or know how to analyze an image for content the way artists, and art students know how. they see an image and if they like it they like it and if they dont, then they dont and thats all there is to it.

i do not want a viewer to have to dig deep into my artwork to figure it all out. If you think that I am taking the easy route, think instead of the possiblilty that i am giving viewers the easy route. people that are not intelectually inclined can immediately understand the purpose of my piece without having to dig up the hidden or disguised messages. Most of the time when people discuss art, they make things up that aren't even what the artist intended while the artist has another meaning or intention that makes perfect sense once shared with the viewer. So, the bottom line of this whole post is that what a viewer gets from my artwork will always be interpretation, even if they perceive it as i intended it to be. So, "easy way out" or "allowing all viewers to understand" will still be open to interpretation.

...and here's someone's representation of a soul.
actually this is a really cool image and an interesting take on the subject.

here's my heart...

...with some shading.

here is another image that i'm working on. it's a scanned in sketch colored with photoshop. i'm using textures from photos that i've taken for grass, obviously the sky, and i am working on putting texture into some of the buildings.

Here is an image i've been working on. Please give me some feedback (suggestions, etc.)

Blog2

i filmed a wedding this weekend for a friend of a friend. after the ceremony, the bridal party went to downtown ashland for a photo shoot with the photographer. the location was in an alley where you drive to get to the parking for home hardware. again, i saw this harmonious clash between the grungy, man made structures and the very classy-looking bridal party. to see both together emphasizes the charactersitics of each. the bride and groom looked great when placed in front of an old concrete wall and buildings with chipping paint. these background structures, however, appeared to be even more run down than they actually were.

Blog1

recently, ive been doing a lot of driving from ashland to akron and cleveland. and as i'm driving, i'm noticing a lot of rural areas with spots of urban objects and structures. in the car on the way to northern ohio, and entering the city, i notice that this balance reverses itself and it is mainly urban with spots of rural objects and structures.