Influences
Block Printing, watercolor, canvas October 2016 Artist wants to portray the importance of influences throughout a cultural inspiration the game, La Loteria. Four different events are being reflected in this project which include: alcoholism, smoking, loosing the virginity, and fun violence. |
Research
La Loteria originated from Europe but was brought to Mexico by Spain. La Loteria is often known as the "Mexican Bingo" since it's similar to a bingo game. The difference between both games is the fact that La Loteria is more visually engaging and appealing. The game has not only been used to have a fun time but for educational purposes as well. Each card from the game includes an image of what the card says, therefore it is utilized to learn Spanish many of the times.
La Loteria originated from Europe but was brought to Mexico by Spain. La Loteria is often known as the "Mexican Bingo" since it's similar to a bingo game. The difference between both games is the fact that La Loteria is more visually engaging and appealing. The game has not only been used to have a fun time but for educational purposes as well. Each card from the game includes an image of what the card says, therefore it is utilized to learn Spanish many of the times.
How to play
1. Each person gets a board / tabla
2. Announcer picks a card from the stack randomly
3. Announcer calls off the card that was chosen often by a phrase that corresponds with the image in the card
4. If the player had the figure on its board he places a chip, bean or kernel of corn
5. The first player to fill the whole board / tabla yells "Loteria" and wins
1. Each person gets a board / tabla
2. Announcer picks a card from the stack randomly
3. Announcer calls off the card that was chosen often by a phrase that corresponds with the image in the card
4. If the player had the figure on its board he places a chip, bean or kernel of corn
5. The first player to fill the whole board / tabla yells "Loteria" and wins
Inspiration
My personal culture has been an artistic inspiration throughout my art pieces. The Mexican culture consists of many things. For this particular project I had in mind the theme (Influences) and I thought there was no better way to portray this than using the Loteria cards as an inspiration. The Loteria cards consist of vibrant colors which catch people's attention. The theme being reflected in this project is important and should catch people's attention.
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Meaning behind the piece
"Influences" was inspired by the events surrounding my life. The society now a days consists of many influences that aren't the best. This piece includes when a female looses her virginity, smoking, gun violence, and alcoholism. All of the previous things are important things but some of the times they aren't taken in vast consideration that's why I decided to make this a message in a way.
Being a female and coming from a Latino family, loosing your virginity is something immense. Latinos have the mentality that once a female isn't a virgin anymore they have left something huge behind, and can never come back. Also the mentality consists of how a female's mentality and body changes. The card that represents this is the one with the rose in the middle and petals falling from the rose. The petals represent how the women (the rose) is loosing something (the petals). Influences in a women can commit her to loosing it because "she's the only one that missing or is till a virgin."
Living in one of the most segregated cities in the nation has inspired me to create sense in my mind. Not only is the city where I live segregated but out of control with gun violence as well. Many deaths have occurred in the last couple of years, which is frightening to think about. Gun usage is often used "to have fun" with friends but what the people don't think is the fact that a random shot can kill someone out there. Bad influences think of having fun while good influences won't even let you touch a gun.
Another big thing in society is the use of alcohol, many use it to have fun or to relief pain as they say. The thing people are not aware is the fact they can get addicted to it. Alcoholism is one of the saddest addictions in my opinion. I say this from experience, I had an uncle who was addicted to alcohol and in his reflection I saw the depression he had in himself. Alcohol not only damages a person's liver but their life as well. Influences in life can lead you to drinking one cup and that one cup can lead you do becoming addicted.
Ever since I was a kid I couldn't stand the smell of cigarettes, specially when my dad would smoke them. I've never had a good view towards them (cigarettes) and never will have. I remember as a little girl always telling my father to stop smoking and that the only thing he was going to get out of them was lung cancer. It was not until I was 13 that he stopped smoking. Even though he stopped a couple years ago it frightens me that he might later on develop some type of cancer due to all those years of smoking and damaging his lungs. Many think that smoking cigarettes is okay because they are legal but what they don't think is that one can later on cause them their death. Teens feel "cool" when they smoke but what they don't know is that they look like fools offering people their death in that one cigarette. Bad influences will get you to do it, the good ones won't even let you smell the smoke.
Being a female and coming from a Latino family, loosing your virginity is something immense. Latinos have the mentality that once a female isn't a virgin anymore they have left something huge behind, and can never come back. Also the mentality consists of how a female's mentality and body changes. The card that represents this is the one with the rose in the middle and petals falling from the rose. The petals represent how the women (the rose) is loosing something (the petals). Influences in a women can commit her to loosing it because "she's the only one that missing or is till a virgin."
Living in one of the most segregated cities in the nation has inspired me to create sense in my mind. Not only is the city where I live segregated but out of control with gun violence as well. Many deaths have occurred in the last couple of years, which is frightening to think about. Gun usage is often used "to have fun" with friends but what the people don't think is the fact that a random shot can kill someone out there. Bad influences think of having fun while good influences won't even let you touch a gun.
Another big thing in society is the use of alcohol, many use it to have fun or to relief pain as they say. The thing people are not aware is the fact they can get addicted to it. Alcoholism is one of the saddest addictions in my opinion. I say this from experience, I had an uncle who was addicted to alcohol and in his reflection I saw the depression he had in himself. Alcohol not only damages a person's liver but their life as well. Influences in life can lead you to drinking one cup and that one cup can lead you do becoming addicted.
Ever since I was a kid I couldn't stand the smell of cigarettes, specially when my dad would smoke them. I've never had a good view towards them (cigarettes) and never will have. I remember as a little girl always telling my father to stop smoking and that the only thing he was going to get out of them was lung cancer. It was not until I was 13 that he stopped smoking. Even though he stopped a couple years ago it frightens me that he might later on develop some type of cancer due to all those years of smoking and damaging his lungs. Many think that smoking cigarettes is okay because they are legal but what they don't think is that one can later on cause them their death. Teens feel "cool" when they smoke but what they don't know is that they look like fools offering people their death in that one cigarette. Bad influences will get you to do it, the good ones won't even let you smell the smoke.
Process
1) Brainstorming
Medium? Block Printing
Inspiration? Mexican board game, La Loteria
Why La Loteria? It's a big thing towards my Mexican culture, since everyone plays it in family gatherings to have a good fun time
Inspiration? Mexican board game, La Loteria
Why La Loteria? It's a big thing towards my Mexican culture, since everyone plays it in family gatherings to have a good fun time
2) Sketching
3) Steps to final piece
Experimentation
The experimentation in this piece was the use of watercolor with a block print. I had never mixed these two mediums to become one. It was actually really fun seen the effect the watercolor had on the ink.
Reflection
This was my second time using the block printing method and I must admit it was way easier than the first time. The carving was way smoother and my sketching wasn't as bad. The balance in the whole block prints was equal. I met my goal in portraying what I wanted with this particular project.
Success - The overall outcome Failures - Doing a detailed carving Struggles - Getting enough ink |
ACT Questions
1. The relationship between my artwork and inspiration can be seen in the way I emphasized the block print. I made it look like a Loteria card with the phrase in the bottom of the card.
2. This piece was meant to show awareness of the social issues happening now a day. Therefore, the point of views was to show society how they truly are as a whole. 3. A generalization and conclusion I learned through this project was the lack of attention each one of the themes receive. They are all important, therefore they should be looked upon more often. 4. My central idea for this piece was the usage of gun control, virginity, alcoholism, and the use of cigarrettes. The idea behind this project was to demonstrate something negative to something colorful. 5. While researching more in depth the game of La Loteria, I learned that the board game is often used in spanish classes to learn the language. I found that very cool and unique. |
Work Cited
http://www.teresavillegas.com/history-of-la-loteria/