artist statement:
“Hey Jude, don’t make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.”
Take a sad song and make it better.”
“Hey Jude” is one of my favorite songs. This line really sums up what I wanted to portray with this series of art prints. There is so much tragedy, pain, suffering, hurt, and despair in this world. I wish I had the power to take this away – to change a negative, life-altering event into a positive one.
As a graphic designer, I have the ability to digitally alter images, and in a way, alter reality. One of my favorite cartoons is of a doctor with his patient. The doctor is holding up an X-ray and says, “Your X-ray shows a broken rib, but we fixed it with Photoshop.” Although funny, the thought of being able to fix something so easily has really stuck with me. Adobe Photoshop has tools such as the Healing Brush, the Patch Tool, and the Magic Eraser – wouldn’t it be great if these tools were available in real life?
About five years ago, the idea for this series came to me, but with the busyness of life, it never materialized. When I heard about my university's faculty show in February 2017, I knew this was the time for me to make it happen. It was a scary thought for me to “put myself out there” in this way. I’m used to doing work that focuses on marketing clients versus doing something so personal. But, it’s been a great experience to work through the process of bringing my ideas to life. This work has evolved into what you see now thanks to the feedback I’ve received from many of my peers.
I searched for tragedy photos online, often fearful to look fully as to avoid seeing anything that would affect me too deeply. There were so many photos that captured the precise moment of utter despair and raw emotion, and it was extremely hard not to get vested in the tragedy.
I chose to work with photographs that many people would be familiar with. Each piece includes a reproduction of the original image as well as a brief summary of the reality of the shot. My prints were created using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and include parts of the original image along with color, text, and shape to change the reality. It’s not my intention to make fun of any individuals in these photographs or lessen the severity of the moment. It’s just my way of taking a sad song and making it better.
in reality…
On May 1, 1970, university students nationwide began protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War. The protests at Kent State University in Ohio escalated, riots began, and the Ohio National Guard was brought in. It’s unclear as to why the Guardsmen fired their rifles at students on May 4, 1970. Were they being assaulted by an angry mob? Were they under sniper fire as stated in an FBI report? During those 13 seconds of gunfire, four students were killed and nine were wounded. Of the students killed, two were caught in the crossfire while just walking to class.
This Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph was taken by student John Filo. Pictured is 14-year-old runaway, Mary Ann Vecchio, kneeling over the body of Jeffrey Miller minutes after he was fatally shot.
Kent State Planking Competition (2017), Digital, 19.75 x 27.5 inches
in reality…
In 1948, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Chalifoux were facing eviction from their Chicago home. Ray was out of work. They decided to put their children up for sale to make ends meet. The four children, including the child the woman was pregnant with in the photo, were sold or given away.
RaeAnn, age 7 at the time, was sold for $2 to farmers. Her brother Milton was crying, so the couple took him as well. The two were often chained up in a barn and forced to work long hours in the field. In her late teens, RaeAnn was raped and became pregnant. She was sent away to a home for pregnant girls and her baby was taken from her and put up for adoption. After years of abuse, Milton spent time in a mental hospital.
Lucille, the woman in the photograph, ended up remarrying and having four more daughters. RaeAnn reunited with her birth mother when she was 21. Her mother expressed no remorse or regret for what she had done.
Children in photo, left to right, top: Lana, 6. Rae, 5. Bottom: Millton, 4. Sue Ellen, 2 years old. Image by Bettmann/CORBIS
We’re Going to Disneyland! (2017), Digital, 19.75 x 27.5 inches
in reality…
This Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of Nguyen Van Lém being shot by South Vietnamese General Nguyen Ngoc Loan, chief of the national police, embittered the attitudes of many towards the Vietnam War.
Nguyen Van Lém commanded the Vietcong “revenge squad” that had executed dozens of unarmed civilians earlier the same day—many of them police family members. He was captured at the site of a mass grave.
This photograph was taken on February 1, 1968 by AP photographer Eddie Adams, who later wished he had never published the photo. Without context, one could see just one victim of this event. But, Adams wrote in Time magazine in 1998:
“Two people died in that photograph: the recipient of the bullet and General Nguyen Ngoc Loan. The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera. Still photographs are the most powerful weapons in the world.”
Introducing the BlastDry 5000® (2017), Digital, 19.75 x 27.5 inches
in reality…
On September 11, 2001, our country changed forever.
President Bush had been told about the first plane crashing into one of the World Trade Center towers about 10 minutes before arriving at Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida. The crash was thought to be an accident and he continued with his scheduled reading event with the schoolchildren. At about 9:05 a.m. White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card whispered into the President’s ear, “A second plane has hit the second tower. America is under attack.” The President held his composure and let the children finish their reading before he excused himself and left the room.
The combined death toll from the two towers was estimated at 2,819, not including the hijackers.
The September 11th Zipper Incident (2017), Digital, 19.75 x 27.5 inches
I welcome your comments!
