Tabby Champney, Student Work

Everything is Connected

Watercolor, pen and ink on Bristol paper

10" x 12"

“An odd feature of touch is that it doesn’t always have to be performed by another

person, or even a living thing.” 

-Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of The Senses, p. 78

Statement:

The above quote emphasizes how everything in our universe is connected. I wanted

this piece to clearly depict that people are deeply connected to the world around them.

I merged nature imagery with the the silhouette of a girl to emphasize our interwoven

existence.

 

Alyson Hayes, Student Work

Self Love
Digital Artwork

“We can change its color and texture when the mood strikes us, but in time it will return to its original form, just as Nature will in time turn our precisely laid-out cities into a weed-way.” 

-  A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman, page 84

Statement:

The hair removal industry makes relies on women who are insecure about their body hair. For some women, hair removal is harder and can feel like a futile resistance to attempt to be rid of it. For teenagers, unwanted hair can be a source of insecurity and embarrassment and this can carry far into adulthood. The quote reminds me that no matter what you do to change the hair on your head or your body, Nature will return the precise grooming and styling into its natural state. 

 

Alexa Kane, Student Work

Torture of Adoration 

Digital Photography and Photoshop

9x11 inches

Inspiration

"Change the room from a cubicle in a beauty emporium to a prison cell. Keep the level of pain exactly the same, and it easily qualifies as torture" (Ackerman, A Natural History of The Senses, 103).

Artist Statement

Torture of Adoration takes a look at the length people go for beauty nowadays. Staged differently, common beauty items look like something straight from a torture scene in a horror film. But after all, beauty is pain.

 

Macey Oliver, Student Work

Flowers and Fingerprints

Acrylic on paper

8.5 x 11 

"... research found that a lack of touch produced brain damage." 

(Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses, p. 76)

Statement:

During this section of the reading, I was compelled to think about nature and how a lack of experiencing such can lead to mental illness or brain damage. As noted in the reading, human touch is vital to our well-being, but connection with our planet is also vastly important. Before starting this piece, I took a walk around my neighborhood and closely inspected different plant species, touching them and noting their differences. I was walking barefoot, feeling the raw earth beneath me. I brought many specimens back with me and decided to use them as my means of painting. I painted the flowers I collected and pressed them on the paper. I then painted over leaves to achieve imprints. I used flower stems in the place of paintbrushes. I didn't use any materialistic objects such as paintbrushes for this piece - just my fingertips and parts of different plants. 

This tactile experience reminded me how important it is to shed our materialistic obligations for a little while and fully immerse ourselves in the nature that surrounds us. It's refreshing to interact with living things that are not conventional beings like humans or pets, as we often take these things for granted. It's almost too easy to get lost in the societal worlds we have created and forget that we are all part of a living, breathing planet.  Reconnecting with nature is essential to having a positive headspace, and forgetting that we are part of something bigger can be detrimental to our states of being. 

Keeley Smith, Student Work

Skin and It's Textures

Toilet paper and cotton ovals on mixed media paper 

9" x 12"

Many touch receptors combine to produce what we call a twinge. Consider all the varieties of pain, irritation, abrasion; all the textures of lick, pat, wipe, fondle, knead; all the prickling, bruising, tingling, brushing, scratching, banging, fumbling, kissing, nudging. Chalking your hands before you climb onto uneven parallel bars. A plunge into an icy farm pond on a summer day when the air temperature and body temperature are the same. The feel of a sweat bee delicately licking moist beads from your ankle.” - Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses, p. 80 

Statement:

The idea for this piece was inspired by the complex way our body’s receptors interpret sensations and the varying differences in them all. I used paper products to demonstrate the many textures, bumps, and scars skin has; how one part of the body not only feels texturally different from others but also experiences sensations different.

 

Alyssa Fuggetta, Student Work

Express Uniqueness

Graphite Drawing

8" x 10"

"These days to shock the bourgeoise and establish their own identity, as every generation must, many young men and women wear their hair as a freeform sculpture, with lacquered spikes, close-cropped patterns that resemble a formal garden maze, and colors borrowed from an aviary or spray painted alley." 

A Natural History of The Senses, Diane Ackerman, p. 85

Statement:

I was inspired to do a drawing of a man and a woman with hair that is unique almost like a freeform sculpture described in the quote. A freeform sculpture has unique shapes that are different and special. I wanted to create a drawing that emphasizes how a man and a woman express themselves through their hair with colors, textures, and the way the may style their hair. The swirls I incorporated in the woman's hair was inspiration from a freeform sculpture I saw, along with the man's beard and his hair on top of his head. Touch is very unique when talking about hair and the different textures each person has.

 

Christian Galloway, Student Work

Translucent

Digital Drawing on Edited Photograph

 "Our Skin is a kind of spacesuit in which we maneuver through an atmosphere of harsh gases, cosmic rays, radiation from the sun, and obstacles of all sorts."

A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman, p. 101

Statement:

I wanted to play on the skin spacesuit idea by editing my skin to look like it was actually made of space. The glitch effect was added in order to convey that harshness that people often use to describe what space is like physically.

 

Shawna Huskey, Student Work

Tattoos
Digital Illustration

"Ultimately, tattoos make unique the surface of one's self, embody one's secret dreams, adorn with magic emblems the Altamira of the flesh." (Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses, pg. 100).

Statement: 

The illustration is to show touch in a physical and emotional way. This shows how the skin is a unique fabric to stitch into. Tattoos are seen as the patchwork to the body, hence the phrase, 'don't be sad, get a tattoo'. They are also a form of self-expression and one's identity through the artistry of a needle. I thought to take inspiration from the quote and my own interpretation to create this image I saw in my mind. Much like how patchwork quilts are made with love in their stitches, so are tattoos.

 

London Vertolli, Student Work

 

Sun Kissed and Star

Digital Photography Series

"It's our outer shell that seems to fear cold most, acting as a sentry on perpetual watch. Receptors for warmth lie deeper in the skin, and there are fewer of them." 

-Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses, p.89

Statement: 

    My photographs ties in with the quote I found from Ackermans' section, 'The Inner Climate.' I took inspiration from the idea that the warmth lies deep and there are few of the receptors. My models 'outer shell' or skin is being hit lightly by the sun. The tiny, bright spots of sun are lightly kissing her skin. Almost as if you could feel the warmth hitting her skin through the picture. She is glancing at where the heat is coming from in a seemingly appreciative way. The sun is light and inviting and her skin seems to be taking that in. I used a strainer to make the dots and gave the photos a black and white filter for a more dramatic effect. 

London Vertolli, Student Work

Perfume. My favorite scent is vanilla. I try to get this specific perfume or things vanilla scented as I am reminded of home.

2. Planner. I get a new planner every year. Writing my to-do list down physically helps me to stay organized and remember what is due and when.

3. Glasses. I, unfortunately, cannot see very far, so I need my glasses. They let me see things more clearly and I have them on me almost every single day.

4. Pen. Writing is a big part of my life as I am able to describe how I feel or simply write about something random. The pen is also a nice lilac color. 

5. Seashell. Shells remind me of the ocean, which I am fascinated with. They also remind me of my family as they enjoy the beach. 

6. Key. Keys have always been interesting to me, they hold the power to unlock or re-lock various items. They help me remember that there is always another option and things are unique, like keys. 

7. Ring. I try to wear rings every day. I find them fun to wear and think they help with fashion and ones self-expression. The one above is the phases of the moon because I love space. I find the moon phases especially interesting.

 

Hanah Tremblay, Student Work

1. A longboard fin because I found it on the beach one day when me and my dad walked out front of our house to watch the sunset years ago. It is a reminder of one of my favorite days I have spent with my Dad.

2. Amethyst because it is meant to relieve any stress or pain. I keep it in my bedroom at all times.

3. A shark tooth that I found here in St. Augustine. It is the biggest one I have yet to find so it I say favorite one so far.

4. A succulent to brighten up my art desk and give it some life. It is also a reminder to me that I need to not only slow down and take care of my plants, but also myself. 

5. A flower of life coaster because it is a super important symbol to me. It is a constant reminder that everything is connected and everything happens for a reason.

6. My old passport because it has all of my stamps from traveling when I was younger. It is super nostalgic to flip through it every once in awhile.