Melissa Harshman: Leap of Faith
Artist(s):
Title:
- Leap of Faith
Exhibition:
Creation Year:
- 2004
Medium:
- Lithography and inkjet
Size:
- 39 inches x 23 inches
Category:
Artist Statement:
For the last five years, I have used the computer as a tool to create images. I am interested in the different ways a variety of recognizable images can be juxtaposed and altered in meaning and narration by my new combinations and compositions. The computer allows me to move items easily and play with transparency, scale , and color. The image is then “brought out of the box” via traditional printmaking or painting methods. In Leap of Faith, the diver serves as a metaphor for many situations in life where one must take that “leap of faith” into the unknown and trust one’s instincts. The movie starlets and children’s doodles at the bottom of the image refer to different cultural stages, desires, and developments in women’s lives that echo this metaphor. In most of my work, the focus has specifically been geared toward identity issues surrounding women. Some of the images are completely whimsical, while others have underlying political content. My goal is to create images that are aesthetically pleasing and conceptually significant, often playing off the meaning and inference of the chosen image.
Technical Information:
Leap of Faith began with a scan of a small image taken from
the Athletic Association Handbook of North Carolina College for Women 1927-1928. The original size of the image was 2 inches x 3.25 inches and was scaled up to 23 inches x 18 inches. Other images were then scanned and layered with the original image in Adobe Photoshop until the desired outcome was achieved.
