Catherine Claire Savitch

2011-10-13T09:33:00.001-07:00

I'm BACK! The post below is my first in a LONG time (as you can see by what has been posted a couple years ago).

My sister.

2011-10-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

Recently I’ve come to the conclusion that life isn’t as beautiful as it was when I was 5 years old. I feel like I’m on some kind of drug that controls everything. That I’m not really in control of what happens. Maybe there’s where God comes in? My emotions are not my own anymore. I smile because I feel it’s right time or because I need to. I cry without knowing it’s coming. I’m just going through the motions.

We reach an age that we begin to experience deaths in the family, real hardships, extreme sadness and at times extreme happiness. At a certain point a sense of realism and maturity hits us. For some this happens at the age of ten, for some—19 and some never reach thi

s. Some people I truly believe life in a world of unawareness and immaturity and I don’t believe it’s necessarily a bad thing. At times I truly wish that I didn’t see life the way I do.

Last weekend I had an extreme meltdown—to the point where I was sobbing uncontrollably and began having some sort of breathing problem because of it. After a few shots of vodka and a couple tootsie roll shots I began to think about how sad I was. I guess I’ve hit that time in my life

where everything is coming together and I’m making more sense of life. Earlier that week I began to work on a project for one of my design classes and I decided to present a collage regarding my sister

(7 years old) who passed away when I was about 3 years old. This is what I started to write for my gallery statement:

My older sister, Madeleine was diagnosed with Pyruvate Dehydroginase Complex Deficiency at a very young age. She was one of eight diagnosed that year in the U.S. and estimated one of 30 diagnosed in the world. All children die when they are about 6 years old. It is caused by an autosomal recessive gene—meaning my parents have that gene. I have a 25% chance of carrying that gene and a 25% chance that I won’t. My sister, Madeleine could not walk, talk, crawl, sit, stand, or see; however, her hearing and sense of smell was outstanding. She despised the smell of the grocery store and hospital—in fact the second she entered one, she’d scream at the top of her lungs! Although my sister did not have the best quality of life according to society’s standards, I know she was well love

d and cared for; furthermore, she’s missed. She taught our family determination, patience, the meaning of unconditional love, and the value of all people. These values have been passed on to me and I do believe that I see the world differently as well. I was very young when she passed away and very limited memory of her—however I hear stories from my parents and extended family, see pictures, and hold on to these dearly. My fuzzy memories of her are now fused with stories and explanations by my parents; furthermore, picture albums and a few saved toys and personal items.

I started thinking about how my family dealt with this and why my family is the way they are.

I understand why my family has such a respect for all people and general love for those close to us. It makes more sense why my family is so mentally strong and holds everything together so well. A reason why I felt over protected sometimes—more so than my friends.

I felt like I was reliving what happened so many years ago with Maddie. That probably sounds outrageous… but it became a life changing experience for me. Maybe some inspiration to be a better person, be more thankful for my life, and be more understanding and loving toward my family.

Need to be.

2010-02-01T11:31:00.000-08:00

“Don’t throw yourself out on another’s whim. People change, as do intentions and as a result, consequences. Live for yourself. Love those around you, but realize that they’ve got their own agendas”- Alex Gaskarth

2009-12-10T20:27:00.001-08:00

I tried to use techniques that Dennis showed me yesterday! I tried to make the background darker, and lighten up the faces! I think I did an okay job! I love this picture because these are the cousins in my family that are closest in age. I'm excited to see them at christmas.

BOOK

2009-12-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

Cover Page

2009-12-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

2009-12-10T18:50:00.000-08:00

2009-12-10T18:44:00.003-08:00

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2009-12-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

Self Portrait

2009-12-09T15:45:00.001-08:00

This is my self portrait taken with "photobooth" on my computer! When I look at this picture of myself, what stands out is...

-My new "mucks"

-A cheesy smile

-My hair down and tamed (for once)

-My dorm room

When I took this picture of myself I felt completely happy that I am about to go to another school, and I was super excited about my new slippers! This picture as a whole just makes me look happy!

Scratch 2

2009-12-05T19:05:00.001-08:00

Scratch Assignment

2009-12-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

2009-12-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of a destination in Dubuque, Iowa, where I'll be moving to in January. I'm so excited to be moving and I can't wait to see this for myself. This picture gives me the creeps to be quite honest because it's so steep and I'm extremely scared of heights! I'd like to go on this as soon as the snow clears anyway!

2009-11-29T10:46:00.000-08:00

The first image is of my aunt on I taking advantage of the photobooth on my computer. No, it is no photoSHOP, but it DOES create some interesting images! Our faces are distorted and crazy! The colors are pretty dull, and has a low resolution, but I still love it!

The second image is of a snowboarder. The background is a continuous background! It's a beautiful picture the mountains and trees look amazing.

2009-11-28T20:00:00.000-08:00

BRADEN. One of my friends!

Here is a person I do not know...

2009-11-28T17:18:00.000-08:00

"W"

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"z"

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"V"

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"Q"

Alphabet Soup

2009-11-28T15:16:00.001-08:00

"A"

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"O"

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"E"

2009-11-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

"C"

2009-11-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

"B"

Cube Monster finished

2009-11-26T18:25:00.000-08:00

MONSTER

2009-11-13T14:27:00.001-08:00

2009-11-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

This is a great example of flat color. It's an advertisement that works well to get the point across!

This is an example of a continuous background! The smaller picture doesn't show the different shades, but when the picture is larger it has several shades. The statue of liberty is also continuous color.

2009-11-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

I really like this picture because it's attractive to the eye. It has so much detail! In photography sometimes a normal picture or something can be spiced up by cropping it! This works really well. The contrast of the black and grey is great!

I took this picture while I was in New York. It was at the MoMA (Museum of modern art). I think it shows flat color really well!

Collage!

2009-10-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

Poster 2!

2009-10-26T22:03:00.001-07:00

2009-10-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

The first picture is one that I managed to take on my own with help from my camera's self timer and a very creative set up with the use of ledge off of the chair lift machine! It's of me and my friends snowboarding. There was obviously great light, and contrast from the snow!

The second image is one I put up because I just can't wait until winter break so that I can spend a month snowboarding! My favorite brand is burton, this image shows flat color really well and is attractive, the red draws your eye to it. It's also recognized all over the world which is what brands strive for! The arrow is interesting and different. It's like it's squeezed into a box!

Poster

2009-10-26T00:21:00.000-07:00

Collage 1: WE CAN DO IT

2009-10-24T00:03:00.000-07:00

Letters!

2009-10-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

Flashing Lights

2009-10-19T01:31:00.000-07:00

With almost all of my pictures posted I've been able to describe what catches my eye first. With this one... I cannot. I took this picture when I was in New York with my family. One of the reasons I like it is because it is SO BUSY. I feel like I'm looking at one of those "i spy" books. The lady in the left corner stands out because it seems as though it was "wear dark colors day" in new york and she missed the memo. Of course all of the neon lights stand out against the dark sky. The vertical and horizontal lines are interesting. The building outlines are most of the vertical lines, while the horizontal lines stand out in the sign on the center of the far left side of the picture.

Moulin Rouge

2009-10-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

This is a poster by Toulouse-Lautrec. I love the writing at the top, it's kind of a stretched out Verdana looking font that was obviously painted by the artist. I think it's interesting how the main object in this picture (the can can dancer) is mainly white, while everything else surrounding her is colored. It has an abstract feeling to it because of the yellow rounded piece on the left and yellow parts above the dark brown/black silhouettes. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a post-impressionist artist. He painted a series of posters when a Moulin Rouge cabaret opened up in Paris. OKAY I only used this poster because I'm obsessed with it, and others like it. BUT, In the back of my mind, I was thinking that it was a good picture to post because of our poster project that's due soon!!!

Interesting Change of Scene

2009-10-14T22:49:00.000-07:00

Spring break of 2008 my family and I visited Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Like many other relaxing vacation seekers, we found a nice resort with a private beach and room service. Downtown Puerto Vallarta has several interesting shops and fabulous restaurants. Everything is clean, there's a beautiful boardwalk, there's fluorescent signs right and left, there's even a Starbucks! We got downtown by bus, and took the bus back to the resort as well. We were so busy looking out the bus windows at interesting things that we missed our stop! Long story short, we ended up going though a very low income area of PV. I loved watching everyone so happy... all the kids and families were all smiling and happy... and it made me realize that money is only a small factor of happiness. Every time I think about how much happier I'd be with a car at college, I'm reminded of the little kid I saw playing soccer outside his home. If he can be happy with a soccer ball and a patch of dust covered grass, I can be happy with what I have and the fact that I have the opportunity to even be at college.

BOTTOM LINE- This is a terrible picture because the bus was bumping up and down through an unpaved road, but this little boy was playing soccer with a huge grin on his face. Even with the bumpy bus, I believe this picture is interesting because it has a lot of depth. The green plant is obviously closest, then we see the boy, the house, and hills in the background. I'm a fan of browns and greens so this picture was attractive to my eye!

Speaking of pictures with depth...

I like this photo because of the depth as well. Of course the first thing I see when I look at this is the fence and the contrast of the dark sky and the lights is the second thing that I see. I like the two lines running parallel and horizontal on the bottom half of the picture. For me the picture reminds me of half time at soccer games. When we're just getting back to the field after the locker rooms. I can almost feel like chilly breeze and the see the glare from the lights. This picture was taken from (blogs.eveningsun.com/ mull/soccer_futbol/)

Hmm

2009-10-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

-Guy holding Obama Condoms

-Bus in the background

-Cookie monster in the background

-Micky and Minnie Mouse

-Guy with hat on in the right corner

-Car poster

-Car in the right corner

-Green sign post

I took this picture in New York when I was on vacation with my family. It was a funny and interesting picture so I decided to analyze this particular photo. Obviously the red and blue sign catches ones eye at first. This is not only because it says "Obama Condoms" in big letter.. which is funny and eye catching, the colors stand out. The man who is attached to this sign is what my eyes go to next. Probably my favorite part of this picture is the Cookie Monster in the background waving to micky and minnie mouse.

Holiday Spirit

2009-10-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

This is my mom and dad. I believe this photograph captures the personalities of both of my parents perfectly. My dad is hilarious and the most interesting guy you will ever meet. My mom is interesting as well, and can be funny as well, but she's the more serious realistic one. This picture is so busy all over! My dad's new grinch robe is eye catching, and the most dominant element in the photo. Several things in the picture make it interesting. If there was a plain white background, I feel that the picture would be dull and almost confusing. The tree tells us that it's christmas and the robe and books were presents, and the window tells us that it's night time. I like the reflection of the tree in the window for some reason, but feel like the arm of my cousin in the right corner could be cropped out of the picture to be less distracting.

This is a random christmas poster I found. I believe the font choice fits

awesome with the tree. It flows together nicely. I like the contrast of the white and red and the fact that there's really only 3 colors in this and the red background has a shading in certain parts. The font changes at the bottom and is easy to read.