"The Calm Before The Storm"

Spencer George. The Calm Before The Storm. Altered Photography. 2014.

This is a new image made from multiple layered photographs. I took the original photo and then continually layered it on top of itself, changing the size marginally each time so that the photos came out slightly off. The effect of this is that you can hardly make out the original photo, which leads to a sense of confusion. In contrast to the confounded effect created, I layered a photograph of a calm, blue ocean. This is meant to juxtapose the confusion of the image by lending a calming background. Layering the blue over the black and white photo makes the entire picture a nice grey/blue which further creates the calming effect. The result is an internal confusion contrasted by an external calm.

"How Angelic"

Spencer George. How Angelic. Altered Photography. 2015. 

This is a photograph from the set of angel vs devil photos I took. In contrast to the devil pictures, this is an angel. I wanted the photos to have an ethereal feeling to them. In order to accomplish this, I dressed in all white, left my hair loose and down, put on light eye makeup and pink blush, and used a white background. I moved some lamps around my bedroom so that there would be a soft light to the pictures. The flower crown is meant to symbolize a halo. In order to fully complete the angelic sentiment, I used Afterlight to overlay a drawing off angel wings over my body. The effect is subtle and not immediately seen, which adds to the innocent and benevolent feeling of an angel, in contrast to the stark and striking black wings and dark clothing of the devil photographs.

"Learn To Love Or Die Trying"

Spencer George. Learn To Love Or Die Trying. Sharpie and Prismacolor Pencil. 2015. 

This is a mind map for the word "passion". I used this mind map to plan the set of photographs which featured a girl putting on red lipstick with smeared mascara. In this mind map, I planned out the different types of photos I wanted to try in order to figure out what props I needed and how I wished to set them up. Arrows come off of the word "passion", which lead to different quotes, song lyrics, and lines of poetry that helped inspire the photos. The different drawings are tests of the photos I planned to take and objects that give light to the mood and feeling of the work.

"Dangerous Things"

Spencer George. Dangerous Things. Charcoal and Acrylic. 2015. 

This is another painting from my concentration, which is focused on the idea of harsh beauty. Like my painting of the lips, I wanted to show the contrast between the perfectly manicured pink nails and the blood dripping down the hand. The cigarette is meant to show ease with the figure, that even though the hand is clearly dirty, they feel comfortable enough to take the time to smoke before washing off the blood. You are left to question why the blood is there, how it got there, and why the figure in question has proceeded to leave it. I used charcoal to draw the hand itself so that it would be black and white, providing stark contrast against the bright red of the blood and the pale pink of the nails. The shadows the charcoal provides allow the work to feel more sinister, and the juxtaposition between the color and it's absence highlight the contrast between the attractive and the grotesque.

"Nefarious"

Spencer George. Nefarious. Colored Pencil and Sharpie. 2015. 

This is a mind map for the word "nefarious". This was created to plan for the "wicked/nefarious" photographs. In a mind map, you plot your ideas through the use of drawings, words, and quotes, organized by arrows. I decided to take nefarious and use it in the terms of wickedness, teenage rebellion, and evil. The many quotes and song lyrics written throughout helped me to synthesize the and connect the inspirations for my idea. From there, I drew out some of the elements I planned to have in the photos and wrote out lines of poetry in any empty space on the page. On many of the photos, I layered lines of poetry across the images. Mind mapping allowed me to plan out the photos in order to have them successfully demonstrate the ideas shown here. 

"I'm Not Searching For My Other Half Because I'm Not A Half"

Spencer George. "I'm Not Searching For My Other Half Because I'm Not A Half". Photography. 2015. 

This is a photograph from a series based on the word "passion". In these photographs, I wanted to show the resilience of women, especially teenage girls, to continually look beautiful. I decided I wanted to show a girl dressed up as if going on a date, putting on lipstick, mascara dripping from her eyes as if she had been crying. The symbolism is that even in the midst of sorrow and pain, we, as girls, have been taught that we should still attempt to look beautiful. The contrast between the red lipstick being carefully put on and the dark black stains from the mascara shows the breach between our internal emotions and our external appearance. On my wrist, there is a corsage full of dead flowers, to show that  the "romance is dead", but the girl is still trying to make something out of it by continuing to wear the corsage.

"Geodes"

Spencer George. Geodes. Watercolor. 2014.

This is a design for a nature inspired fabric. I wanted to focus on the shapes of geodes fitting together, and the intricacies in their colors and patterns. To do this, I picked five main colors and a few different types of geodes, and then filled the page with them. I kept the colors similar since the size of the geodes continually differs. This design was then printed onto a fabric.