Learning about deaf culture through reading Cohen's Train go Sorry and viewing Deaf Jam has been my favorite part of this class thus far. My exposure to deaf culture was minimal before taking this class. There is nobody in my immediate family who is hearing impaired and with the exception of my 11th grade precalculus teacher, who periodically mentioned his hearing air, there was little discussion about deafness at my school. I may have known that there were specialized school for deaf students, but I didn't think much about what that meant. Now, after  reading the beautifully told narratives  and watching the everyday expereinces of deaf high school students at Lexington, I have gained a greater understandstanding of deaf culture.

Hey everyone I stumbled upon this article last night and I thought "hey I should share this with my writing sem" so if you have a few spare minutes, check it out!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5026425/Virgin-photoshops-Simone-Botha-Welgemoed-s-hearing-aid.html

Untitled (Dad 1966)

A 3.5 x 2 foot polaroid photograph lies within a 4.5 x 3 foot white frame. There is white space that fills the frame between the edge of the photograph and the white frame. A one inch border surrounds the photograph, appearing distressed and aged with the color yellow visible around the edges. A man with almond colored skin stands slightly to the left of the center of the photograph facing the viewer. He wears a pointed army cap and an army uniform.The top of his hat peaks an inch below the top of the polaroid frame while the tip of his boots is cut off by frame.  

Franny Condon, Marisa LaBarca 

Oral Description of: Untitled (Black 1968), 2017 + Untitled (Dad’s Mugshot), 2016

This picture shows Sadie Barnette as a toddler in her father’s arm, a typical image of a father cradling a child. This artwork has the approximate dimension of 24” x 18” positioned vertically. Despite the moderately large frame, the portrait of the father and daughter only takes up one around 6” x 3” in the middle of the entire picture. Sadie Barnette and her father’s portrait is cut from a photograph and cropped from his father’s head to his thigh. In this photograph, her father’s eyes gaze down upon his beloved daughter, and his lips slightly curl into a gentle smile. His skin is chocolate in color, and his hair is of dark brown color and trimmed into a fairly short length.

In “Untitled (Dad on Pink), 2017”, artist Sadie Barnette (born 1984) creates a collage with black spray paint, cut-out photographs, and a rhinestone tiara on bright pink glitter paper. A thick white frame encloses the piece, a thick leaf of paper. The frame is deeper than the paper itself, and is sealed off with glass, leaving a gap between the collage and the edge of the frame. The reflective glass enables the viewer to see themselves overlaying the piece, though the reflection is unclear and dull. Past the surface of the frame, the majority of the work’s available space consists of the background: a thick layer of tiny specks of sparkly pink glitter.

I admire her detailed descriptions of hand-eye coordination, her parent's drawings of her and her father's attitude.

I feel that as I have matured I have gained a stronger understanding and respect for portraiture. As a child when I had to view portraits and paintings I never appreciated or understood the message that the artist and or sujbect was trying to convey. However, in the past year, and especially in the past month, I have gained an increased interest in portraiture in general. When I look at portaiture now, I am more aware of background, color, expression, and minor details that may be easily missed.

Visual art denotes a visual experience, but I find it fascinating that in Georgina Kleege's perspective, visual art should also be a tactile experience. Learning from her father's experience as a sculptor, Kleege explains that she understands not only the visual appeal of art, but also the craftsmanship and the artistry put into the work. Most people view art as sacred and not meant to be touched or else risk damage. However, Kleege's father puts forward an interesting point about the value of art: "If the craft is sound it should stand up to touching." (Kleege 149).

The reading "A Portrait of the Artist by his Blind Daughter" has changed my viewpoints on the visual art and drawings. Because we artist draws what we see, when the author's father told her that she was not drawing the cup as she actually sees it, I feel the sudden sentiment building up in my chest. She has the partial blindness and no one can see that. The only way we would know that is if she paints exactly what she sees. It makes me feel that deep inside she may have felt lonely because of such problem. Also the color description in many parts of the story makes it interesting, especially when she talked about how color captures the light differently almost personifies the color as a person, some more showy and exrroverted, some more reserved and timid.