STRANDED
--teenage expression--
volume 1//issue 1
Meet the creators
allie laing
designer--writer
sa r a h l e m k e
photographer
A
rt gives me an outlet to create something out of nothing. It begins as an idea in my mind and turns into a story on a canvas. It’s what compels me to answer the most complicated and confusing questions in life. Who am I? What is my identity? What even is identity? When my own thoughts can’t find an answer, art can. Teenagers are often over looked, especially in their creativity. There are times we feel stranded, like we can’t move forward. I wanted to create this magazine to show everyone just how talented teenage artists can be, that expression is what moves us forward. And we have art to thank for that.
C
reating photos is the way I speak best. I can stimulate emotion, provoke thoughts, and initiate action with a single frame. I found my love for photography the summer going into my junior year. I was offered the opportunity to intern with a professional photographer. Over those few months, I fell in love with the relationships built when taking someone’s photo and the process of creating art. For me, photography isn’t about nailing the shot on the first try. It’s about the process of taking the photo. It’s about how I still get extremely nervous even when I know I have the skill set to perform. It’s about the people I encounter and the little pieces of their lives I get exposed to.
w h o yo u ’ l l m e e t --matt-babe --
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--patryk-bogdanski --
--frances-joyner ---george-johnson -
--chris-digiorgio ---madilyn-marshall -
Stranded
stranded
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|’strandid| adjective
left without the means to move from somewhere 03
Introduction
A
ll teenagers suffer from times where they feel stuck in the same place. Our parents give us curfews, teachers give us deadlines, and we are just waiting to leave stress of growing up behind. Our adolescent years are the time for expressing who you are. For people like me, it’s through the bristles of a paint brush. Art is a journey, it’s a way to get all of our untold and unknown emotions out and share them with the world. It’s a way to get rid of the feeling of being stranded and shaking the feeling that we can’t move forward. Whether it’s through painting, drawing, pottery, or fashion, meet and learn the stories of these teenage artsists.
--Allie laing--
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Artist
meet 06
m at t
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b a b e
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Matt Babe
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about
the
artist
How long have you been involved with art? “I have been painting graffiti since I was in sixth grade. Recently I’ve started doing sacred geometry art within the past two years. I don’t really see myself going into art as a career, but if there’s an opportunity I would take it.”
What materials do you most commonly use? “I normally use markers, paint, brushes and spray paint. With that I also do sacred geometry artwork, which I mainly use the brushes and markers for. I normally tend to use spray paint for my graffiti art.”
Where do you get most of your inspiration from? “I get my inspiration for my sacred geometry artwork from glass art. It makes me think about how hard it is to create that type of artwork and how detailed it is. For my other paintings and spray paint art, I get my most of my inspiration from other graffiti artists.”
how long on average do you spend on one of your pieces? “Everything I do with spraypaint I start and finish in the same time period, so anywhere from two to five hours. The sacred geometry art takes a while with the brushes and markers. It just takes more concentration, so a piece could take a week or even a couple of months depending on the size.”
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Frances Joyner
meet
f ra n c e s j o y n e r
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Stranded
about
frances
How long have you been involved in making art? “I’ve been coming to Kent Bellows since the summer after my eighth grade year, so this is my fourth year here. In elementary school whenever someone would ask me what I wanted to be I would always say, “Oh yeah, I’ll be an artist.” Art class was always my favorite, but I didn’t know what kind of art I wanted to make. I got super into film and wanted to become a director, and now I’m planning on going into cinematography. But, the past couple years I’ve gottens super into painting and mixed media.
What materials do you most commonly use? “I actually do a lot of film stuff, but lately I’ve been doing more work with pastels. Last year, I was trying to show how my body was changing through art when I noticed stretch marks. I asked “how do recreate the same feeling” because I thought it was really beautiful. So, I came to the studio the first day and I discovered that pastels was going to help me with what I wanted to do.”
Where do you get most of your inspiration from? “I get my inspiration from watching a lot of movies. A lot of the times I would be inspired because I watch as many movies as I can fit into a week. Since that really trains the eye to see things a certain way, I would say films have helped shape my art.”
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Fashion Designer
meet 12
chris
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d i g i o r g i o
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Chris Digiorgio
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about
the
designer
When did you start designing? “I started designing clothes during the beginning of my sophomore year. I was interested in fashion design because I had been watching designers like Nigo and Pharrell Williams. I was just really interested in fashion and popculture. I figured I better start designing sooner than later and try to make a name for myself during high school. Originally, I just was sewing at school during classes, but then I got my own sewing machine and equipment and started designing all the time. I also have done some screen printing, which is really fun but expensive to do.”
How long does it take to design and amake a product? “One garment takes a decent amount of time, mainly because my ideas are often times experimental/difficult ideas to execute, so I have to spend my time thinking about how to construct the garment rather than just jumping right into things. It basically starts with a sketch or idea, then I buy the fabric online or locally, develop the pattern (blueprint of garment) and start sewing. I would say start to finish a garment takes five to seven days.”
Has your work been in any shows? “Through Kent Bellows mentoring program, I have been provided with the opportunity to show my designs in Omaha Fashion Week. I am very excited to debut my collection this March, it will consist of six menswear looks. I am hoping that showing this collection will give me some exposure into the fashion world.”
Do you see yourself doing fashion design in the future? “In the future, I can't really see myself doing anything except for fashion design. It's just something I'm really passionate about and I dont think I would be content with my life if I chose any different career. Fashion is a very competitive industry, but I have all the confidence that I will one day be one of the most well known designers in retail stores across the globe.”
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Potter
meet
pat ry k b o g da n s k i 16
Stranded
about
the
potter Where do you get your inspiration from? “The weird things is I never really start a piece of pottery with an idea. When I work the clay, it sort of just tells me what it wants to be. I see the shape and how the clay is reacting and I use that as my inspiration.”
What is your favorite part about pottery? “My favorite part about pottery is the transformation part of it. Simple materials that are mixed together to make clay could be turned into a cup, bowl, or vase that’s aesthetically pleasing. My favorite things to make are definitely pots of all shapes and sizes.”
How long does it take to design and make a product? “It depends really. You could whip something up in 5 minutes, or you could put days into a piece. The time you spen on your piece will show in the craftsmanship.”
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Artist
meet
g eo r g e j o h n s o n
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about
george
How long have you been involved in making art? “I got into art in high school and when I came to Kent Bellows, but before that I had always just doodled like everyone else.
Where do you get most of your inspiration from? “I get my inspiration primarily from spontaneous moments or what music I might be listening to. Even how I’m feeling at the time influences how I think the painting should look. For each of the people I make, their personalities are shaped by the way I’m feeling inside my mind. It’s cool how my thoughts can turn into a person.”
What materials do you most commonly use? “My favorite thing to make is abstract art and I really enjoy working with faces. Nothing I make is really realistic, everything’s more abstract. My favorite materials to work with are plaster, pastels, and any medium I can pore onto a piece of art.
can you see yourself continuing to do art in the future? “I actually got a scholarship to Minneapolis College of Art and Design, so I’m excited to continue to do art next year after graduation and throughout college.
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Fashion designers
meet 20
m a d i ly n
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m a r s h a l l
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Madilyn Marshall
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about
the
designer
When did you start designing clothes? “I have been using patterns and altering them to be my own since I was a freshman. The beginning of this year was when I started to make my own patterns and draw out my own designs. I became interested in sewing when my mom taught me when I was in first grade. I became interested in designing when I went to a fashion camp in NYC last summer.”
How long does it take to design and make a product? “I am a perfectionist. Because I am usually not on a time limit, it can take anywhere between a week to a month depending on how detailed the piece is.”
Where do you get most of your inspiration from? “I get a lot of my inspiration off of Pinterest. If I have an idea in mind I will look up things that are similar to it. Then, I draw a sketch so I can get the whole picture of the design. I also get a lot of inspiration off of Instagram because most designers have one and I can follow them.”
Do you see yourself doing fashion design in the future? “I could have tried out for Omaha fashion Week, but I thought during the school year it would be too stressful. I might try out for the one in the fall so I could work on my designs during the summer. I will for sure be in the the design show at school in May. I plan on going to UNL for fashion design and maybe fashion merchandising, and hopefully continue it as a career.”
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Kent Bellows
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k e n t b e l l ow s
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33rd & leavenworth
Joslyn’s Kent Bellows Mentoring Program is a place where teenage artists and designers can explore and create. Twice a week, students who get accepted into the challenging program meet for studio time. Here they are given unlimited resources to create art to put in the exhibition at the end of each semester. In this photo essay, see the beautiful and expressive pieces from the last exhibition.
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acknowledgements
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Stranded
ac k n ow l e d g e m e n t s The book published in 2014 entitled, Design Elements and Typography Fundamentals, influenced the typography found throughout this magazine. This book helped me gain knowledge of how to provoke emotions and portray feelings through typography. Cullen, Kristin. Design Elements Typography Fundamentals : A Graphic Style Manual For Understanding How Typography Affects Design. Beverly, MA: Rockport, 2012. eBook Collection
The style manual entitled, Color Fundamentals: A Graphic Style Manual For Understanding How Color Impacts Design, helped me learn about the value of color. This manual influenced my project because it enhanced my knowledge about contrast and value. Sherin, Aaris. Design Elements, Color Fundamentals : A Graphic Style Manual For Understanding How Color Impacts Design. Beverly, Mass: Rockport Publishers, 2011. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
The article entitled, “Cover Lesson”, gave advice on designing a magazine cover. This influenced my magazine by letting me know that it’s okay for a cover to be simple if it is visually appealing. “Cover Lesson.” Creative Review 33.12 (2013): 50-55. OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 7 Nov. 2014.
The article entitled, “Yearbook and Magazine Layout”, gave me advice as to how to layout photos. It taught me how important it is to have proportionally cropped photos. Adams, Marlene E., and Miami, FL. Dade County Public Schools. Yearbook and Magazine Layout, English, Journalism. Language Arts: 5113.200. n.p.: 1972. ERIC. Web. 7 Nov. 2014.
The article entitled, “Best Practices For Graphic Designers”, talked about column spacing in magazine design. I used this knowledge in my magazine by making sure everything was lined up vertically and horizontally. Graver, Amy, and Ben Jura. Best Practices For Graphic Designers, Grids and Page Layouts : An Essential Guideline For Understanding & Applying Page Design Principles. Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers, 2012. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 31 Oct. 2014.pp
For my interview, I interviewed David Williams from Omaha Magazine. I used the knowledge from him to learn how to create a product that will appeal to different groups of people. I did this by including different genres of artists. Williams, David. Expert Interview. 30 October 2014.
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