Project1_Victoria Stout

Jamie Ruas is an artist who is doing a doctoral at "Universidad Complutense de Madrid.” I Like Jamie's work because it reminds me of the Neo-Abstract expressionist. The symbols and expressionism remind me of Basquiat. Basquiat is my favorite Neo- Abstact Expressionist so that is why I am so drawn to this artist. 

 I used the magnetic lasso tool for the entire cicada part of this piece, it is my holy grail. I played with the opacity to create the feeling of stained glass in the cicada wings and on my scanned background image to add a more dynamic feeling. For the Creation of Adam image, I played with the contrast till I could see it better through the wings and I also like the depth it adds to the piece.  

This piece is inspired by my childhood upbringing in the catholic church. I was always enamored with the beautiful art and the stained glass windows. I would stare at them and bask in the colors and imagery. In the cicadas wings, I used paintings from modern Christian and Catholic artists to create the stained glass effect. In this piece you can find Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko, Kieth Haring, Frida Kahlo. The background is Michalango's Creation of Adam to show the old Catholic art and having the modern artist show the new ones. The cicada is a symbol of resurrection to show how I am feeling about my Catholic past and coming into the present.