Honors Portfolio Emma haysley Fall 2024

As an artist, I’m always experimenting with every type of art form there is to show the mood, emotions, and message. The common art medium I use, however, is digital art and Photoshop. Human emotions, world issues, nature, everything can influence the next piece I want to create. Communicating a message or feeling is what inspires my desire to create. This portfolio created follows the theme of Controversy and Hypocrisy. All pieces are loosely based off present issues I’ve seen frequently through social media or what’s been a common / present topic. I always hear the generation or two above me say sorry for the state of the world and how they’re leaving it for kids to take over. Yet not many people care to move forward with changes and help these issues we discuss. I aim to show and bring light to these little and big everyday problems. These influences shape the way I go about creating them, whether I want to create a dull and dim piece to bring forth solemn emotions or want texture to display reoccurring and prolonged concern. When creating this portfolio, I set aside three weeks per piece. At the beginning of starting a new piece, I will be actively looking through the news or social media to see what’s “trending” and what current controversial idea is being brought forward and seeing the hypocrisy of them from people’s responses. I used those topics to create a piece and restart the process at the end of the three weeks or a new. My goal with this portfolio is to invoke emotions and conversation that’s left up to everyone’s interpretation, for people to engage both deeply with the topics and emotions present. For the future, I want to continue making pieces that raise awareness to our world’s progressing problems, controversy, and hypocrisy.

This was one of two banned books pieces I did. Inspired by Fahrenheit 451, I wanted to represent the main message and theme of the book. My goal for this was to make a match-box style piece that has important elements and quotes from the book. I realized this book is eerily becoming more and more true to today’s world, specifically with banning books from schools, and wanted to convey that issue. I hope this reaches the right audience that cares for and loves books.

This was the second banned book I made, and the piece that won. I made this from The Handmaids Tale to similarly speak on the message of the book. My goal was to incorporate the elements of the book that apply to the reason it was banned in schools. The dystopian world feels like it’s getting all too real and I wanted my audience to see that connection or have that realization.

This piece is the first of my portfolio. The whole portfolio was intended to slightly tell a story and touch on topics and problems currently happening. Titled Tree of Life, I wanted to make a piece that gave a dystopian feeling as an introduction to today’s world. My goal was to communicate how it seems there’s always a higher power controlling us, making a tree of how our life goes. I want the audience to take this how they see best fit but also see how it applies to the present time.

This piece was intended to use light colors to create a seemingly safe environment but when paying attention, the message is the polar opposite. Man or The Bear was inspired from the “trend” turned reality that women feel safer around a bear than a man. The message and goal of this piece was to show the present issue of safety around people with growing homicide and S/A rates. I hope people can take this message and not see it as a joke but a reality and persistent issue.

This follows the idea of the previous piece. To Preform depicts a statue of Juliet, from Romeo and Juliet, but the chest has been touched enough to cause severe patina unlike the rest of the statue. This was intended to represent women and how it seems we are nothing more than our bodies, no matter achievements, statue, grave, etc. This is also one of many statues that are supposed to be in honor of a woman for her achievements but is turned and belittled into nothing but a show and provocative touch.

This piece was intended to show the cruelty in our world, no matter how small. I found this being shown for spiders, rats/mice, or any small animal people immediately jump to kill and call disgusting. Let Death Be Kinder Than Man is supposed to be an emotional piece that evokes sympathy for all these living creates and highlight on the violence and inhumanity. This always makes me cry and my heart goes out to all animals, so I hope the audience can see and feel the emotions as well.

This piece is straight forward, targeted towards gun violence in schools. When books and drag queens are banned and not the serious issue at hand. The title, Weapon of War, was also incorporated into the piece to show how the easy access weapons that were intended for war are now being brough to schools to cause harm by young children. There have been more school shootings this year than school days in total. My goal was to create a political cartoon style for this concern and communicate the significant problem. I hope the audience and world acts on this, so no one in American must go to school fearful.

This piece was specifically tailored towards how media picks and chooses what they want to broadcast and create bias. Its Media was made to show how this is the new normal in news and you never know if what your getting is the truth or if its leaning towards specific opinions or beliefs. My goal was to follow the dystopian feel and older elements to show how this issue is also blatantly overlooked and could be right in front of you.

Created By

Emma Haysley

Credits:

Created with images by ekapolsira - "Dramatic Sky with storm cloud." • Bits and Splits - "Dramatic stormy sky, dark clouds before rain" • Bits and Splits - "Dramatic stormy sky, dark clouds before rain" • Bits and Splits - "Dramatic stormy sky, dark clouds before rain" • Bits and Splits - "Dramatic stormy sky, dark clouds before rain" • Bits and Splits - "Dramatic stormy sky, dark clouds before rain" • Bits and Splits - "Dramatic stormy sky, dark clouds before rain" • Bits and Splits - "Dramatic stormy sky, dark clouds before rain" • Bits and Splits - "Dramatic stormy sky, dark clouds before rain"