4/3 Portrait Collage - Jenelle Mejia

    I allowed myself to have a lot of fun with this project and execute the collage with no plan. When in doubt begin to charm! One of my hobbies is decorating things we use everyday, such as phone cases, vapes, and bags. My first step was to decorate the paper with stickers, then the gems and charms followed. Once the background was complete, I decided to add a baby photo. I chose my favorite baby photo. As a child I was obsessed with 50 Cent and frequently pretended to be the rapper. I had a very masculine personality, while dressing very feminine. The picture encompasses the duality of my personality. As I worked on this piece I realized charms, stickers, and glitter heal my inner child. And, by giving myself no plan or rules, I truly felt free while working.
    My collage is inspired by Mickalene Thomas’s artwork. Thomas uses rhinestones to create a lot of her pieces. Although her creative process is more thought out, I connect with the playfulness in her portraits. Mickalene Thomas’s identity plays a big role in her portraits. Thomas is a black woman creating artwork that centers other black women. She is also a big fan of using bright colors and patterns.
    In Susan Sontag’s book “On Photography”, Sontag explains how photos document our lives. Sontag wrote, “To collect photographs is to collect the world.” (Sontag, 2). As I’ve grown up, I’ve learned that photographs are our primary connection to the past. It is easy for our minds to distort or create memories. Photographs help us remember with accuracy. I have a big collection of photo albums and they’re priceless.

    In Nicholas Mirzoeff’s book “How to See the World”, Mirzoeff explains how we see ourselves and others. When we take pictures we are curating the photo. As the photographer we can easily leave out what we want to. Mirzoeff wrote, “The selfie depicts the drama of our own daily presence of ourselves, in tension with our inner emotions that may or may not be expressed as we wish.” (Mirzoeff, 30). The photo I choose for my collage was very intentional. It expressed everything I love about my personality.
    Everyone's definition of what is visually appealing is different. What someone defines as beautiful, can easily be considered ugly by someone else. Mirzoeff explains how we visually process the world, "A visual culture is the relation between what is visible and the names that we give to what is seen. It also involves what is invisible or kept out of sight." (Mirzoeff, 10). Some people believe photographs reveal hidden truths. Through analyzing body language, we can reveal someone’s true emotions/intentions. Understanding visual culture is very important because I live in the selfie generation. I’ve been taking selfies since I was a baby. :)
    Unintentionally, this project healed me and reminded me that enjoying my work should be a priority.

Works Cited

    Mirzoeff, Nicholas. How to See the World: An Introduction to Images, from Self-Portraits to Selfies,

 Maps to Movies, and More. Basic Books, 2016.

    Sontag, Susan. “On Photography.” Susan Sontag Foundation, Estate of Susan Sontag, 2010,

 www.susansontag.com/SusanSontag/books/onPhotographyExerpt.shtml.

Lovely Six Foota, 2009

Giclee

Portrait of Wrestler #5, 2007

Rhinestones, Acrylic and Enamel on Panel

Baby Jay