Christian Gallagher: Traveler, Photographer, Filmmaker.

The assignment was to use isolation and concentration techniques to draw the viewer’s eye into a specific focal point.

 Isolation #1

In this piece the stars create a unity which is contrast by the single circle in the middle of the 3rd row. This contrast created by the circle draws the eye into the intended focal point.

Isolation #2

This piece uses a series of squares to create an inverted triangle which points the viewer’s attention to the isolated circle.  The circle lies beneath the entire pyramid to create tension and further draw the attention to the focal point below the pyramid.

Concentration #1

This series of rings has 3 times as many dots on the inner ring than on the outter ring this mixed with the rings becoming smaller and smaller draw attention to the smallest circle of negative space.

Concentration #2

This piece uses the variation in border boldness to create a concentration towards the center. The squares of white space are in fact evenly space between each of them what changes is the thickness of each of the lines. The changes in line thickness make the amount of white space more concentrated pulling the viewers eye toward the small circle. This piece could also be argued as isolation as well due to the small circle amongst a series of squares. The piece is catergorized as a concentration because this aspect is more dominant in drawing the viewers eye in.

I found the critique to be interesting and I was happy with the response to my work. My diagonal line piece was discussed by the class and garnered the comment of simple “yet effective.” This was exactly what I was going for; not to get out of doing work, but because I started my 100 sketches with many intricate tiny lines. As I looked at the pieces I had drawn I was failing to feel a connection between the lines. I decided to create fewer very bold lines with direct focus on realtionship. One note Mrs. Waldvogel pointed out about my piece was that she liked how my thinnest line was not aligned directly to the corners and was offset. This was not specifically intentional; the main purpose of this line was to connect the (nearly)perpendicular lines rather than divide the frame. I felt I was lacking some craftmanship on my curved line piece particularly simply because i was free handing the curve rather than cutting against a reference. I really enjoyed alot of the other pieces and how each set had a personality of it’s own. I liked some of the pieces that created tension by using our pre-conception of gravity to feel as if an action was happening within the frame.

I decided to redesign this piece because I actually attempted to cut out a design similar to this one but had extreme difficulty creating perfect symetry with curved lines using construction paper and an exacto knife. I like this piece because of the focal point being the only connecting factor between the two sides of negative space.

I am Christian Gallagher, from Central Pennsylvania, I’m a guy that loves to travel, take interesting pictures, record videos and then make movies out of them. I have two passions that sometimes go together and sometimes contradict one another. I love editing and  creating visual effects. I really enjoy putting time to problem solve how to make an image appear the best way it can to tell the story that needs to be told. At the same time I have a passion for the unaltered truth that can lie within a well-made documentary. Overall I want to do visual effects for amazing films and at the same time travel the world and create documentaries about interconnectivity, fulfillment, and life. While it’s difficult to do this in the same film I intend to figure it out.  Most of all I love converting all the knowledge I can take into experience. This is why I love to travel and this is why I chose SCAD; both offer amazing ways to gain knowledge and immediately convert it to experience which defines who I am. I am what I experience. I am what I live.

Who am I?