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Dreamed Many Things
Scale: Spans across the entire wall height of the wall, also very wide. The human figure is large but not dominant. The “portals” that the human figure is bouncing between each take up almost a half of the painting. Composition: The human figure diving between each “portal” is the main focus. She isn’t very large but still prominent, takes up about a third of the entire mural’s width and half the height which is large enough to immediately draw the viewer’s eye but not so large that it takes up all the space on the wall. The remaining space is filled with vibrant “swirling” forms that spin around the diver’s trajectory, making the subject the primary focus but keeping her environment important as well. Pictorial space: There is a striking sense of depth and spatial energy through both color and overlapping forms. With this swirling effect, there is a clear sense of what is behind the “swirl” (or “portal”) and what is in front of it - It is almost like the viewer fixed inside of a hallow donut looking toward the center. The diver overlaps all the wavey bands around her which clearly put her in the foreground, like she is swimming around this hallow donut. Form: The swirly shapes and patterns evoke eyes or galaxies. The most prominent figurative form is the diving human. The human acts as a bridge between solid form and this flowing energy between this human and the universe around it. Line: There is a defined contour line that outlines the diver’s body from its surrounding environment. Around the diver, thick lines define the swirling, trippy wave-like shapes and they form this visual vortex that pulls the viewer’s eyes toward the diving figure. Color: Shades of purple primarily dominate the scene. But, there are two main color groups - on the left, darker purples and black dominate; On the right, colors of the rainbow dominate. The diver is jumping from the “portal” of this darker color group to the “portal” of this rainbow color group. The other color group that occupies the space are lighter shades of purple that is used to identify space as “neutral” – space that isn’t either dark or “light” (rainbow) which lies between these two portals. Light: The artist doesn’t attempt to imitate real light. The diver is in this dimension where every element is seeming equally illumined, even the waves of color deeper into the portal are just as illuminated as the colors “closer” to the viewer (not tucked in the background). Tone: The artists colored the “waves” deeper into the portal a darker shade/tone The use of these “darker” toned gives a sense that the diver is emerging from and diving into depth. Texture: The diver and flowing color bands appear visually smooth and fluid, defined by the soft gradients and clean edges in each step in the waves. Pattern: There are repeated shapes, again like eyes or galaxy swirls, that span across each band of color like a link where each link is the shape. Each link in the this “chain” in every band of color is mostly made of bright, contrasting/conflicting color for the bands in the left portal, and the colors of the chain patterns in the right portal blend more with the color of the bands they wrap around in. -
Little Africa
When viewing this mural, it covers an entire wall of the Ramsey County Public Health building. For the best vantage point, the viewer should stand about 10-15 feet away in the middle where the tree is. In the foreground, there are two women; their size shows the viewer that they are close to you. On the left side of the mural, there are four smaller characters and two characters looking at a tree, indicating they are farther away. The size of the tree in the mural spans from the right to the far left and from the bottom to the top, showing how large the tree is. The shadows on the characters’ clothes and the tree create an Illusion of the mural being three-dimensional. The lines on the character’s clothes and hair show motion in the clothing and hair. The colors of bright blue on the girl’s hijab are eye-catching. The green and yellow sky creates a sunny day with the transitions from light green to dark green on the tree, showing the tree providing shade. The source of light for the mural appears to be the upper portion and left side of the mural. The shadows on the tree show the light being in the upper portion, and the shadows on the right side of the characters show that the light is also to the left. The tone of the clothes is bright, and the color of their skin is very dark. These differences in tone guide the viewer’s eyes to those parts of the mural. The texture of the mural is smooth from spray paint being the medium. There is a pattern created by the brick in the background. There are also patterns on clothing items and jewelry that the characters are wearing. -
Untitled
This highly intricate and abstract style of graffiti is illustrated by interlocking letters, complex designs, and vibrant colors which to new viewers often making the text difficult to read, this is known as "Wildstyle". This mural is a remarkable piece of work and it was a very cool experience. The composition of the mural included a Wild style format along with random figures and white spray painted icons in the middle of the letters. Along with this, Smith utilized an array of colors much purple and warmer colors including orange and yellow. Complimented with the array of color palettes smith used several different shapes to make the complexation of the piece stand out. The brick texture of the mural also compliments the “Wildstyle” approach because it contributes to the urban appearance of the piece. This piece also took up the entirety of the side of the building making this a very large space that is taken up. This very much so made the piece more appealing to the people who are able to experience this form of art. Color: The mural features a vibrant array of colors, with a focus on purples, warm oranges, and yellows, creating a dynamic and eye-catching palette. Size: Spanning over the entire side of a building, the mural is massive in scale, making it both immersive and eye-catching. Depth: Smith incorporates intricate shapes, Wildstyle lettering, random figures, and spray-painted icons, layered over the brick texture to enhance the mural's complexity and urban aesthetic.