Appropriated Artwork - Samantha Rodriguez - Wanderlust.

Dear Friend,

            It was getting bad again. My life was getting to chaotic and I didn’t know what I could do anymore. I had that feeling that I’m here but I’m not, that someone cares but there’s no one here. It was driving me crazy…

I decided one morning to take a walk, like we used to. Do you remember those walks? It was so early. The sun was barely up and there were hardly any cars driving around. I took that path down the road; the one that led to the forest. Oh how I always adored that path.

            It was so bright. The early morning gave off this bright blue light. I don’t think the sun was out yet, but then again how could one tell with the trees just overpowering the sky. I looked up and saw only trees. They made me feel so tiny in this world; so minimal in the universe. I closed my eyes as I continued to walk down the path.

            Inhale.

            I smell the trees. The fresh pine aroma fills my body, almost taking me away. I smell the dirt. This scent makes me feel absolutely one with my environment. I feel one with the earth.

            Exhale.

            I hear every step I take. The crunching of twigs and leaves under me. Those birds in the distant; every cheep and chirp they make. It makes me feel so at ease.

            I open my eyes now… I don’t recognize my surroundings. I’m… I’m lost. I turn around and look at the ground; the path is gone. I’m lost.

            I don’t feel scared. The trees don’t seem so overpowering anymore. I feel… free. I’m free. I’m not lost; I’m free. I feel so at ease. My body is spinning and my mind is everywhere and nowhere all at once. All the little problems are nothing. I never thought I could feel this way again. So happy. So… ugh, the feeling is so unexplainable.

            I never thought I could feel so happy; not until that day. I never thought I could see so much beauty. But I did. My whole outlook; changed. It was… miraculous.

Appropriated Artwork - Ricardo Bravo - Alchemist God

It's a rainy stormy night in the city. The city has a humid smell from all the rain that's falling like bullets from the sky the raindrops so big and heavy. You can hear the cars around driving over the rain creating splashes. People moving rapidly trying to get shelter inside a building from the rain. The main character is a alchemy god who secretly protects the city safe from shadow spirits that harm citizens yet aren't seen by them just by this god alchemist. The alchemy god looks like a human being, a man in his mid 20's, muscular and always wearing a hoodie. The god alchemist has the power to turn things into fire, which he uses to fight the shadow spirits. The shadow spirits are very dark like night with no light or starts with white glowing eyes like flashing of a flashlight and a big long smile. The alchemy fights them with his fire element transformation since fire brings light and the shadow are dark it enlightens them. The fire the alchemist creates isn't ordinary fire, it has a golden spark like fairy dust at the end of its gland creating a brighter illumination. The alchemist walks through the stormy city looking through the populated with people in raincoats and umbrellas rushing through the crowds to get shelter from the rain. He looks up to tall building filled with lights of the stores and apartments in search of shadow spirits to eliminate before they create harm to someone. The moment he spots one he uses his golden flames throwing it to the shadow spirit and the spirit vanishes in the wind, disintegrating. As long as the alchemy god is around the city it will always remain safe from the evil of shadow spirits.

Appropriated Artwork and Creative Writing

For this Guerrilla Project, students created mixed media artwork using two different transfer processes (tape and gel medium).

The subject of the work was directed by APPROPRIATING artwork from another Artist! No, it's not stealing or copying. Students literally took images from other artists, but deconstructed them and appropriated them to be used for their own vision.

Can you guess who they "borrowed" from?

Next, students participated in a Creative Writing Workshop with Polly Mills, a professor from Columbia College Chicago. They envisioned a world inspired by their artwork. They wrote descriptive creative stories/poems to accompany their work.

Student work is not only on the blog, but will be displayed in neighborhood libraries and businesses. Stay tuned for the locations!

Enjoy!

Appropriated Artwork - "Robots" Emelin Diaz

 

     As I walked to the electronic room it was all dark then, I saw a lot of different computers turn on. They were in different types of shapes suddenly I saw the computers turn into robots. They were big and they were all source of bright colors they were moving in a straight line they had a heart on their chest popping out.

I heard there stomach rumbling and grumbling I then heard a love song coming out of their mouth which I saw hearts coming out of their ears. Then everything was quite and I heard the relaxing water of the ocean at the end of the long song.

I got a sweet smell coming in my nose I sniff and it smell like a pan of sugar on the stove filled with pure cane sugar slowly melting. It smelled like cotton candy.

All the bright robots were still singing making noises walking in a straight line I saw beautiful colors rising from the earth going through the clouds they were on top of a bouncy rainbow.

Appropriated Artwork - Rebeca delaTorre: My Idea of Heaven

           I envision being in an open space outdoors. Everywhere I turn my head, all I see is grass, colorful flowers, and these beautiful tall trees with their dark green leaves blowing in the gentle wind. I look up at the sky, and I have to cover my eyes because the sun is shining brightly. The sun is smack dab in the center of a light blue sky surrounded by fluffy, cotton candy like clouds. I look over to my right, and there is a couple. However, this is no ordinary human couple. They are owls. They are sitting on a tree branch that is pretty close to the top of one of the tall trees.

            As I walk closer, I look up to them and realize that they are in love. There is no obvious way to tell this, but somehow, I can tell. We are the only ones there. They are there just because that is where they are happy. They wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I am there simply because that is where I am happy too. No one else is there because then it wouldn't be the peaceful place that it is. Nothing really happens there but pure relaxation and reminiscing.

            We are accompanied by the soothing music by Explosions in the Sky. It plays nonstop as long as we are there. As I walk along the line of trees, I go and sit on a swing attached to a tree branch. I start swinging and as the gentle and subtle wind begins touching my skin and face, I let go of the rope on the right side of me to remove the hair that gets in my face. I just smile because its moments like that mean the most to me. However, it doesn't really make a difference because every time I am on my way down again on the swing, my loose and long hair gets in my face.

            While I am swinging, I take a deep breath and I smell all kinds of flowers. The ones that stand out to me the most are roses and lavenders- my two favorite. Things couldn't be any better around here.

            The only thing about this place for sure is that it is what I consider a happy place- where I go when I want to be alone, with the exception of the love birds (literally). The owls are there because when I think of being happy, I tend to think of being in love. Of course, that’s not all that makes me happy, which is why I included Explosions in the Sky. Their instrumental music tends to relax me and take my mind off anything negative I don’t want to think about. This is a world where there are no worries. It my version of heaven.

Appropriated Artwork - Karina Arciga- "The In between"

I look at my work and I see peace.  I picture myself alone, no one to bother me, no one to listen,  just alone. Peace and security. I look around and i see myself in a calm,lonely, quiet, and beautiful place just to listen to my thoughts and keep to myself.i look around and stand alone. no one but my fingers and toes to accompany me. I look around and see ” the in between”  from the lovely bones. the place  just above earth but right before you go into the kingdom of heaven connected as one. The bright light of earth and the beautiful blue sky and the green grass from earth giving life to all around. I look around and see a small stream,  a wild roaring ocean and an open field looking back at me in the distance. Skies full of all different color blues and fields of wild greens and yellows.

I stop and listen. I listen to the sound around me, no one to talk to, no one to speak but the sound of my thoughts and my cries. Cries that will never be heard only if you step into the garden, but no one will ever step into the garden for it is to be empty with the full sound of my thoughts and the nature around me. I listen to the sound around me, the waves of the ocean, the stream sprinkling down fresh water.the waves wrestling each other to get to shore so make the soft sizzle on the sand. the sound of birds singing calmly.  The howling, whistling wind in the distance racing to hit my face. the warm air brushing against my face, through my hair, and in between my fingers, through the warm, soft grass, and racing through the trees.

I take a breath of new fresh air in and smell the salt of from the ocean. The sand racing up my nose. I smell the water from the stream, new water, dirty water. I smell the new fresh cut of grass warm short cut grass. I let the air out and take another fresh breath of the new smell coming in. I let go of everything inside me holding me back. And then a new breath of air again.

Apropriated Artwork - Jennifer Martinez, Hollow World

                I see a big world full of colored blocks and the diagonal lines. I see the lines starting to have a pattern as they each start to develop. It sort of reminds me of a spider web when it’s being made. The only thing I notice is the lines appearing. I look around to see if there is others, but I can’t find anyone. I look at the blocks and they are all colorful; they remind me of a rainbow. I decide to walk around and explore. As I go down the diagonal lines I notice they’re really slippery. When I try to go up its hard because they’re so slippery. I feel like a little kid trying to go up a slide.

I start smelling different scents but I am not sure where they’re coming from. I walk around trying to find were the scents are coming from then I realize they are coming from the colored blocks. The red one is cherry, yellow is banana, blue is blueberry, green is lime, etc. I step away for a second and inhale everything at once. I can almost taste all of the flavors like having a bunch of skittles in your mouth at once. I think it’s an amazing feeling!

I decide to stay quiet to see what I hear. At first I don’t hear anything, but then I concentrate. I hear like a hollow sound getting louder and louder. At some point I feel scared because I am alone. The sound reminds me of when I listen to a shell. It sounds scary but at the same time I think it’s pretty cool.