Special Effects Projects Monday

This week we will be doing a series on Special Effects. These images were all created by my students at the community college where I teach. I continue to be charmed and inspired by the creativity of the people in my Emeritus classes!

Natalie's Art And Photography

We have a series of lesson plans in our Special Effects class where we copy the techniques of famous artists using Photoshop. The image below is of an easel in front of a window, reminiscent of images created by the wonderful Surrealist Renee Magritte.

Steve Caplin, author of Art & Design in Photoshop, says, “The Belgian painter Rene Magritte (1898-1967) was one of the foremost surrealist artists. He may not have had the technical skill of a Dali, but he more than made up for this with a fervent imagination that had the ability to delve deep into our collective psyche. More than any other surrealist, Magritte’s work strikes a chord with the viewer.

La Condition Humaine is a theme that he returned to again and again, painting numerous variations on this theme: a canvas in front of a window or an open doorway. At what point does the view through the window become the view as depicted on the canvas? It’s often hard to spot the join – and that’s deliberate. The view through the window is itself, of course, just another painting of the scene.

We’ll reproduce Magritte’s technique in a photographic manner, while staying true to the style of the original.”

It is such fun seeing what people come up with to fill that easel and window! Here is a perfect example put together by one of my talented and creative students, Natalie Harris.



And speaking of art, her much loved grandchildren often turn up in her work in unique, artistic ways. Here are two of them peeking out of a Barbara Hepworth sculpture that can be found at the Nasher Sculpture Garden here in Dallas.



In the next image the kids are collaged into an image of a sculpture called Boolean Valley by Adam Silverman, also found in the Nasher Sculpture Garden. Each of the children was added separately and arranged so that they look like they're holding hands, dancing on the water.

Speaking of the Nasher Sculpture Garden, every third Friday all summer long the museum will be presenting an event called 'til Midnight at the Nasher which features the wonderful sculpture garden of course, along with movies, moonlight and music. People spread blankets out in the garden or relax in chairs on the patio and enjoy the evening. We went this last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it!

A special thanks to Natalie Harris for allowing us to use her charming images!