TOKEN ART MAGAZINE
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ISSUE #005
June 2012
Amber Bernstein Poetry Belina Kortotsi Visual Art Beth Maciorowski Photography Garrett Gill Photography Georges Petrequin Photography Greta Tuckute ** Photography Igor Kraguljac Photography
INDEX Jad Ghadieh Painting Kyle Mosher Visual Art Lisa Sou Watercolor Drawing Manar Binte Haseeb Poetry Marie Dücker Photography Mark Powell * Visual Art
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Patricia Alvarado Photography Selma Gurbuz Photography Soumya Jayaraman Photography Valerie Kasinski Photography
*: This month’s featured cover artist **: This months’s featured artist
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ANONYMOUS Anonymous is Singing along to the sunshine, Dancing to its tune. Just to Leave your dreams behind. Anonymous is Painting a picture Of tomorrow. Make it bright, Smudge the lines. Anonymous is Building a castle in the sky, Just to, Tear it down, Then bring it to life. Anonymous is Carving our names Into the sand Just to Watch as the waves Wash away our past. Anonymous is Whispered promises, That no one believes. Keep them, break them, Either way, we don’t care. Anonymous is Daring to move on, Instead of looking back. Anonymous is, Writing letters That never get sent To people whom you never knew. Anonymous is, The sound of childrens laughter, And stories of ‘forever after’ Anonymous is Trying to break free. Anonymous is, A smile that no one sees, A word that no one hears. Anonymous is me.
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Anonymous is a poem I wrote because I often feel anonymous. Have you ever stood in a crowd and realized that no one sees you? Sat with a group of people, laughing and talking, and noticed that though you are liked by all, you wouldn’t be missed? That is what “Anonymous” is about. It’s not that the whole world hates you. In fact, people like you well enough when you’re around. They just don’t notice when you’re not. You’re not wasting your life; you’re doing things. But no one knows you exist. That is what “Anonymous” is all about. Living life, anonymously.
There is nothing in particular that inspires me, not one thing anyway. Life inspires me. A word, a look, a feeling, a memory. The quote that follows explains my inspiration better than I ever could.
“Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any.” -Orson Scott Card
AMBER BERNSTEIN A nineteen year old poet from Vienna, Austria. www.tokenartmag.com 5
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BELINA KORTOTSI
A seventeen year old artist from Athens, Greece.
Moon’s Child This is a photo related with my dreams, ones I had since I was really young. I created this because I wanted to see that picture of me and the moon. The background is a manipulation I did, and I cut myself from the simple picture I took.
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Dreaming of Falling
This photo is a diptych, and it represents one of my own nightmares. I created it because I wanted to show how it feels to think that you are falling while dreaming. How I did the photo was a little bit weird; the left one is a levitation shot, and the second one was shot in my bed.
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BELINA KORTOTSI
Goodnight
This is a photo of me holding the moon. I created it and wanted to show my obsession of the moon because the moon is something that makes me feel relaxed and helps me forget my problems. I was holding a lamp and later added the moon. www.tokenartmag.com 9
Touch
The power of touch. I wanted some blur and some focus. Subtle and soft, but powerful and close. Like you can reach out for my hand...
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ETH MACIOROWSKI A thirty-three year old photographer from Northhampton, Massachusetts, USA.
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I’m a self taught photographer living in New England. My love for photography began in high school. I have completed a 365 self portrait project which was a great learning experience. My true love is film photography, and I own many different cameras. One of my favorite things to experiment with is long exposure light painting. Much of my work is influenced by music and poetry. I like to write as well. I am constantly inspired by music. By the strength in words. Poetry and journaling. Nature is also a big inspiration, and I feel at ease when I am out exploring it I need creativity as an outlet. Always have, always will. It is something that has always been a part of my life. I feel lucky for that.
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Pinprick A story about trying to overcome the darkness, based on a friend struggling with drug addiction. The pins represent the pain and difficulties of it. I don’t use Photoshop, so each pin is hung from the ceiling and the flare spots are actually a pin set close to the lens.
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The Measurement of Light
About the distance between where you are and where you’ve been. This was one of the most beautiful late afternoons, the light was magical. I found this dirt road and field while on a bike ride. It has 14 become one of www.tokenartmag.com my favorite spots to shoot.
Memory Keepers
Each jar holds something important to me or something that represents a part of me. This idea came to me in a dream. I collected things around my apartment for this shoot.
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I am my own best friend
This one was inspired by a lot of the loneliness I feel. I think it is representative of how a lot of things are for me. I am often my own best friend. There aren’t a whole lot of people like me around my town. I took 4 exposures and blended them together in Photoshop Elements 9 using the Layer Masks function. 16 www.tokenartmag.com
GARRETT GILL
A fifteen year old photographer from White Oak, Texas, USA.
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Late nights on the iPod
This was definitely a fun photo to take. It was pitch black in my room, and I had a spark of inspiration while browsing Tumblr at late hours of night. At first, I tried capturing my blanket being illuminated by the light of the iPod, but I couldn’t keep it still enough for the 30 second exposure. I decided to ditch the blanket and try it like this. It took a few times, but finally got it right on focus.
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Focus on the pretty things
In life, it’s easy to see the negative over the positive. I try hard to switch that around, and as Adam Young says it “Every mushroom cloud has a silver lining!”
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GEORGES PETREQU A sixteen year old photographer from Grasse, Cote D’Azur, France.
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UIN I really wanted to give a summer feeling to this one, so I went really overboard on the processing, which I am glad I did. I brightened it up and used various Photoshop brushes to achieve the result.
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One of my favorite images that I've taken. I wanted to give an impression that the person was being engulfed by the sunlight, which was surrounding him. I took it during the late winter/early spring months at sunset.
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GEORGES PETREQUIN
I’m a 16 year old boy, and live in France. Since I started taking photography more seriously in November 2010, I can honestly say that it is something I never want to give up. I don’t know how I got into photography. We don’t do it at school and my family isn’t really into it, so it kind of just happened. I spend too much time on the Internet, I listen to music, and I take photos and read books. I take self-portraits, among other things, purely because I have more control over the outcome and I like being able to say that I created the entire image. That’s pretty much it. www.tokenartmag.com 23
FEATURED ARTIST
GRETA TUCKUTE A seventeen year old photographer and visual artist from Aalborg, Denmark.
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Storm
I am very fascinated by the elements of nature. Usually photographers shoot in sunshine and great weather, but I wanted to shoot a stormy, rainy, windy, and cold day. The model and I drove to the beach; we were the only people there. The model wore a gorgeous dress, and the sky was dramatic and dark. Although my camera got water damaged and the shoot was far from pleasant, I’m still extremely proud of the final result.
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FEATURED ARTIST
I am a seventeen-year-old photographer currently located in Denmark. I would describe myself as stubborn, dedicated, creative, and free minded. Photography has been my greatest passion since the age of twelve, and now my main interest is portraits, beauty, and travel photography. Usually people and something about them - interesting features as for instance an eye-color, a profile, a smile. Small things. Another thing that really inspires me is journeys. Traveling and seeing pictures from traveling that portrays the feeling of being somewhere unknown and new. To imagine all the amazing spots and people around the world. Last but not least I think I’m very inspired by young and creative souls. Since I’m seventeen myself and seeing someone at my age really working and living for photography makes me extremely inspired to do more myself and work even harder. To me, art is an endless journey towards perfection.
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GRETA TUCKUTE
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FEATURED ARTIST
Black Beauty This was shot in Tanzania 2011, and it portrays a woman from the semi-nomadic people, the Maasai. She is not a typical image of beauty in the Western world, but her powerful facial expression and the way she wears the traditional Maasai clothing makes her absolutely outstanding. Her strong glance speaks a thousand words.
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FEATURED ARTIST
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Silhouettes Sometimes the hidden is far more interesting and beautiful than the obvious. I shot this model backlit, and the way she moved seemed so magical. Her profile, her hands, everything about her was so elegant.
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FEATURED ARTIST
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Symmetry The simplicity and symmetry of nature – that is the view from the world’s highest freestanding mountain, Kilimanjaro. After six days of hiking, we reached the summit and this moment was worth it all. It can’t be described with words; it was divine, and everything made perfect sense as the tears ran down my cheeks in the cold air. www.tokenartmag.com 33
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FEATURED ARTIST
Afflicted Unlike many of my other photos, this was shot in a studio. My collaboration with the model was absolutely unique. I find many studio photos boring and dull, but in my opinion this expression and emotion created an extremely strong picture.
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FEATURED ARTIST
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River Bank I wanted to create a contrast between a gorgeous evening dress and the nature. The model lay in the cold water a warm summer day and surprisingly it seemed extremely natural. The dress floated in the water and the model was relaxed – she could have been lying anywhere else than in a river.
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IGOR KRAGULJAC
A thirty-nine year old photographer from College Station, Texas, USA.
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IGOR KRAGULJAC I've always enjoyed experimenting with cameras and searching for new ways to express myself. Rather than being attached to a single theme or a photo category, I prefer to navigate through all of them, using new techniques or variations along the way. The most of my inspiration is coming from the art of old masters like: Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. Another big source of my inspiration is film. Art is helping me to express myself and better communicate with my surrounding. In some way, photographic art became my own personal language. I found very intriguing how other people interpret my photographic art, taking my own “language� on a whole new level.
About the Series
Inspired by chiaroscuro (specific type of light design) used in Renaissance paintings, I am exploring the possibilities that exist in translating the visual impact of chiaroscuro into the photographic medium. Like the painters and photographers who came before me, I am utilizing chiaroscuro in physical space. In this series, primary factors of light design and composition were identified and applied to studio subjects to effectively recreate the chiaroscuro effect. The additional element of a sense of weightlessness was subsequently achieved through the use of an underwater environment.
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Haliai
Nerites
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Scylla
Luthien
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Sky Mermaid
Indian Ink This painting represents a mermaid that left the sea, and chose to live in the clouds.
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JAD GHADIEH An eighteen year old painter from Beirut, Lebanon.
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JAD GHADIEH I’m an amateur artist from Beirut, Lebanon. Painting has always been my passion ever since I was a child. My concepts in painting drift more towards Fantasy and Surrealism.
Colour Revolution Gauche colors This painting is a self-portrait, representing a revolution of captive 46 www.tokenartmag.com emotions through colors.
‘Cause the Day is Cold, and Dark, and Dreary This painting represents a place that is too cold and dreary. I dreamed of this image, and when I woke up I couldn’t but paint it.
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Drained Beauty Indian ink with a little bit of Magenta acrylic This painting shall remind us that one day we will all lose our charms and beauty.
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Spiral Tulips Acrylic In this painting, the spiral tulips seem to be hypnotizing flowers, just like beautiful things in life that we may not be aware of.
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Cee Lo is the most recent edition to the series. He’s a character. He embraces his uniqueness and creativity. Supremely talented and I love that he is true to himself. He influences me because he’s taught me that no matter who you are or what you do, as long as you stay true to yourself, be positive, and work hard, you can make it. This is the most refined of all the portraits in terms of technique and composition.
KYLE MOSHER A twenty-six year old visual artist from Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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Curren$y This printed started it all for the Portrait Series. I love collage art, and I was fouling around with the idea of trying to take my Gallery work it more commercially appealing. I was doing mock advertisements for various apparel companies in hopes to force-feed creative directors what my work would look like in a commercial. I was day dreaming, watching MTV Jams, and had this image of Currensy pop into my head. His face was cut up into sections of newspaper and so the Portrait Series was born. I spent weeks trying to get the image perfect and this was the start of it all. The Portraits are more about the final product then the process. The process started by hand literally cutting newspapers and pasting them together, but I moved to mostly digital techniques for commercial purposes. There is going to be a series of one of a kind Portraits that are made entirely analog.
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I’m an Artist, Designer, and Fashioneer from Canada living in Boston, MA. I party hard and work even harder. I Live, Breathe, and Eat creative enlightenment. I’m also the visual and media designer for Annie Mulz clothing. I’m inspired by the hustle of emerging artists and musicians or anyone who has a dream and chooses to follow it with all their heart; those who do not let their social or economic standing get in the way of their dream. People who overcome adversity in order to achieve greatness also inspire me. Art is my life. I live, eat, and breathe creative enlightenment. When I’m not working on art I’m looking at art. When I’m not working on design projects, I’m researching how to better myself as a designer. I’m a collage and cut-paper illustrator, but I also do collage and cut-paper fine art work intended for Gallery settings. When I’m not working on my personal art I’m the visual and media designer for Annie Mulz clothing. Since graduating from college three years ago I’ve been working my ass off. I’m one of the hardest working artists, and my peers can attest to that. I was unable to land a full time creative position so I was working a full time job that required 40-60 hours a week of my time. I would come home and no matter how tired or stressed I was and I would work until 3 or 4 in the morning building my personal brand, developing my art, and refining my design skills. I’m 100% committed to my craft. I believe I’m a professional in the truest sense. I take tremendous pride in my work, I’m true to myself, I also spread a positive message. I believe in work hard, play hard. I also believe my style is truly unique and brings a breath of fresh air to the world of art and illustration.
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Kanye T’da Kanye is hands-down the favorite in the Portrait Series. I’m hugely influenced by his story and how he overcome obstacles, more specifically, everyone telling him he wasn’t good enough to be an artist. I really relate to this because this is something not only I struggle with, but I’m sure every visual artist either has struggled with or continues to struggle with. Although loud and opinioned at times I think he’s an absolute creative genius and I love his music. He’s also a huge art and fashion fan. This was created more recently than the Currensy portrait so you can tell how much more refined it is. It was created using the same method scanning in paper and creating a digital collage illustration using various techniques.
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Pharrell
This is my personal favorite. I love the composition and the use of the muted blue through the portrait into his chain. This was made after the Kanye portrait, so you can see again how more refined this is including technique, execution, and composition. I love Pharrell and think he’s a creative genius, as I do most of the artists in this series. He knew what his passion was in high school and followed his heart. He was a little bit of a dork, but embraced it and turned it into his own brand, lifestyle clothing company, and recording group. Super creative, super stylish. I love his music.
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Oli Sykes
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Olamide
e Faison
Yeller
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Grace
4 ft x 5 ft This piece is the best illustration I could make of the mind. Our minds are cluttered with things that are both beautiful and ugly, which is represented through the lacing versus the black spots. There is darkness yet glitter, and the chaos within the mind is condensed to a reserved and refined face. This is a blank, emotionless mask that we all put on every day. The square blocks surrounding the eyes are used to emphasize this “refined” face. The area underneath the neck represents the mid point of control versus chaos. The paint through the eyes emphasizes the idea that “the eye is a window to the mind and soul.”
LISA SOU
A twenty year old visual artist from Frederick, Maryland, USA.
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Norway
4 ft x 2 ft “Norway” is my first attempt at mixed media. My initial thought when seeing this painting is that it gets at the idea of something foreign, which is why I titled this piece “Norway.” I wanted to represent something broken, while still capturing motion. This is my first attempt at creating something chaotic and experimental, yet controlled.
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Mud
3 ft x 4 ft This piece is a representation of my controlled chaos. The face was drawn with very messy gestural marks and outlines. A lot of paint was thrown at this drawing with very little control over where it would go or what it would look like. This is one of my first experimental water color pieces.
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MANAR HASEEB A seventeen year old poet from Garland, Texas, USA.
I am a high school student who loves literature. Writing has been my most fervent passion for as long as I can remember. In addition to reading and writing, I’m also involved in other nerdy persuasions. My most timeconsuming activity is my participation on my school’s Speech and Debate team. I also love the Internet. People inspire me. Art, to me, is the struggle to truly understand one another and to communicate that understanding. I find every aspect of humanity to be inspirational. Art gives me a window into the lives of other people. It affects me by giving me perspective. Art allows me to truly understand different people and different aspects of humanity. My piece is a poem called “Shh.” It’s about the intricacies of communication; it’s also about bitterness, anger, and revenge. I wrote it in April of 2011, because I was angry with someone. I like to funnel my anger into writing.
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“Shh” There’s a whisper Blistering my throat, Stinging with its singing Of malicious quotes. You ask me all these questions And I care to lie, Because your callous inquisitions Are meant to be defied. And all these words stay Screaming in my neck, For I will never be At your call and beck. I will not provoke you. Nor will I tell the truth. Though my soul yearns to speak, I am wary of my youth. Time will take my silence And change it to your fears. Until my evil words enchant, Drawing you ever near. I am not a killer. I am just a girl. And you are simply someone Who owes me all the world. Murmur, mutter, spit Your insolent remarks. And watch my silence flare Till you're spitting sparks. Quiet, sweet friend. Leave your fears behind. Let's talk, you and I, Within the confines of our minds.
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MARIE DĂœCKER A twenty-one year old photographer from Austria.
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It’s a Twister
This is one of my favorite concept photos that I have ever taken, I think. It represents friendship in a broad sense and how one should be thankful to have people in their lives who can be counted on, who are there whenever needed and no matter what. Especially in hard times, such as when a twister is about to destroy one’s life, there remains sense of security in knowing that one is not alone and never will be. It is a semiself-portrait—I was modeling with one of my best friends— so there is a lot of personal meaning incorporated into the concept. It’s A Twister was taken in August of 2010, at the lake I grew up near. www.tokenartmag.com 65
Red Riding Hood This was pretty obviously inspired by the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood.� My version of it is pretty traditional, I would say. I did, however, intend to have it look darker than what we would expect from a fairy tale for children. It was the second concept photo inspired by fairy tales I worked on and I wanted people to remember how much stories were used to teach us in our childhoods, given all the morals we were made aware of upon reading them. The image was created during the summer of 2011. After a week of rain, the sun started to come out again, and the atmosphere in the woods was perfect to plan a shoot around.
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MARIE DĂœCKER
I am a 21-year-old, Austria-based portrait photographer who focuses on conceptual portrait photography. Photography has always fascinated me. When I learned how to post-process, I realized that there are no borders in photography and that one can create absolutely anything with their mind. In my work I recreate my dreams and that which my imagination creates for. Whenever I do not have to study for my college classes I explore the woods nearby, camera around my neck, searching for inspiration, and anything whimsical to make a photo out of. Photography is my passion and my everything, the air I breathe, and the words I speak. No matter what, I know that I will always come back to it, as it is the only medium that allows me to express what cannot be said with words. To a great extent I am inspired by literature and the books I read. I love to recreate what I imagine fictional characters to be like. Apart from that, in my work I often recreate scenes from my dreams and I would say that dreaming is the most inspirational state I have ever found myself in. Of course, I am also inspired by that which I am surrounded by may it be a song, a story I am told, or scene I observe in the streets and in the subway. I am also influenced and inspired by other photographers, artists, and the work they create. In my opinion, inspiration is to be found everywhere when one is willing to look closely enough. www.tokenartmag.com 67
Of an Extraordinary Mind
This is about the imagination seemingly lost on the way to adulthood that is still evident in certain situations throughout life. It is again personal, as I have been told numerous times in my life to finally grow up when I have acted too enthusiastic about the little things in life. This concept therefore stands for the child in each and every one of us. Here , however, that child-like innocence is being disturbed, which references the fact that life is unfortunately nothing like a fairy tale. The wolf is meant to draw the viewer in and add depth to the concept. It was taken in early summer of 2010 and was the start to what I recall as an incredibly productive summer, which helped me develop in my photographic life like never before.
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Exhibit #98
This image was heavily inspired by Jeffrey Eugenides’ “The Virgin Suicides,”, one of my favorite books of all time. Who we see is meant to be Cecilia Lisbon, the youngest of five Lisbon sisters, and the first of them to commit suicide. When reading the book it felt to me that she did not leave after she died; I assumed that she was still circling the house every now and then, the white wedding dress she used to wear every day replaced with a black one. Not knowing where to go, she roams the fields at night with nothing but an oil lamp. I decided to create an homage to “The Virgin Suicides” because it left such vivid impression upon me—I felt the urge to recreate at least one tiny element of the book as I imagined it to look like. I am planning to create a sequel to it once I have found a house that looks like the one I imagine to be the Lisbon s’. www.tokenartmag.com 69
MARK POWELL A thirty year old visual artist from London, England.
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MARK POWELL
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I am originally from Leeds, England and moved to London over 3 years ago. I was educated at Huddersfield University in which I enrolled purely by accident. I draw with a Bic Biro pen as it is often available for anyone to use. I also use found paper, usually envelopes—, some of these date back to 1881.
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PATRICIA ALVARADO A nineteen year old photographer from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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PATRICIA ALVARADO
My name is Patricia Ann Alvarado. I’m a 19-year-old artist from Chicago and I am currently majoring in photography at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. My photography seeks to show the every day intimacy and light, the the various ways in which it illuminates the world, and the simple, yet loaded idea that photographs help to keep memories alive. I’m interested in punctum within the context of the every day and am constantly searching for truth and honesty. I take photographs of tiny bits and pieces of life in an attempt to keep these pieces alive.
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“Holding” series Created May 2011 Each of these photographs contributes to the main goal of the series, which is to express the ways in which the body can hold physical recollections of events in the form of scars. When I was in sixth grade, a boy made fun of the birthmark on my forehead, which up until that moment I had completely ignored. From that point on, I became highly aware of my body and the way in which others perceived my appearance, especially concerning my birthmark. For the very first time, I was completely aware of my entire face, and every single day for 8 years, I’ve made the conscious decision to hide my birthmark from sight. Each photograph was created using a Pentax 67 medium format camera with Ilford film, which I hand processed. I chose to photograph individual’s’ scars so as to communicate the way in which I view my own mark. I have have chosen to conceal each person’s identity and scar origin to provide them with anonymity. Finally, I have provided the viewer with the only photograph I’ve ever taken in which my entire face is visible, rendering myself vulnerable to their gaze.
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SELMA GURBUZ A seventeen year old photographer from Belgium.
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History
Once I came here with my school. I was so impressed by this location that I decided to come back. I really like the old house—the ‘feeling’ that many generations once lived here. The house has a; now it is empty and no one lives here anymore. (Model: Faline Lavet)
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SELMA GURBUZ
My name is Selma and I am a seventeen- year- old photographer from Belgium. Photography is the only way I can express myself—it is my passion. I prefer to make portrait photos because every person tells a different story. Through photography you can show people things that they have never seen before.
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My Expression I love to experiment with lighting, shadows, emotions, expressions, and paint. It is important that you try out your ideas because only then you can be a unique photographer. It’s not always easy to do what you want to do, but you can try. I made this photo when I had an SLR for two months. I was alone at home, so I thought: “Now is the moment that I can experiment with photography.” www.tokenartmag.com 85
My Memories
I wanted to express my youth in one picture. I did this by using some pictures from my youth to compare myself then and now.
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SOUMYA JAYARAMA A twenty-five year old photographer from Portland, Oregon, USA.
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Come Sit a Spell
Reading a book is a magical experience. It instantly transports a person to a new world. I tried to capture that magic in this picture
AN
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SOUMYA JAYARAMAN
I am an aspiring Fine Art Photographer. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of some new concept I’d like to create in the form of a picture. It helps me unwind and brings out a creative side in me that I never knew existed. I like creating an image more than taking a picture; with just a caption, Ii want to take people to other worlds with me. Art triggers my imagination. Whether it be a painting, sculpture, or a picture, art makes me think of the artist who created it. Was the artist happy or sad? Aggressive or patient ? These are just a few things I think about when I look at a piece of art. One thought leads to another and has the power to change my emotions.
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The Altar
I found an old abandoned mill in Vernonia, Oregon which was painted all over with graffiti. It had all kinds of religious symbols over it which made it look both sacred and scary at the same time. I had an old dress with me that was a perfect for this picture. I put it on and took a quick self portrait.
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Longing for Freedom
She feels like a prisoner, buried under her worries. She looks out of the window wondering if she’ll ever be able to escape this monotonous existence. As the world passes by, she can only hope that someday she too will be free.
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VALERIE KASINSKI A twenty year old visual artist from Alden, New York, USA.
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The Hinterlands
For this photo I was inspired by the first forty-five seconds of Tim Burton’s — “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. My father has always loved that movie so this photo is dedicated to him. I love the idea of having each holiday at arms reach.
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The Secret Haven
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This photograph represents my love for imagination and escaping reality. We all have secret places at which we can find peace. When I was getting ready to go on a shoot with my best friend, I saw a book on my bookshelf and knew that I needed to bring it. While in the woods, I found the perfect tree and was beyond thrilled that my best friend was willing to climb up in the tree for me. It’s true—we all need to escape to our secret haven’s once in a while.
VALERIE KASINSKI
My name is Valerie and I live behind the lens. You could say I’m a proud tree-hugger. I find nature to be one of my favorite subjects. Put me in a field or the woods with my camera and I will be at peace. I used to be a Graphic Design Major. After two years I finally took the plunge and changed my major to Photography. It was a nerve-racking experience but it was definitely worth it. Ever since a young age I have taken pictures of anything and everything. I was always the one taking the pictures rather than being the subject. Now that I’m a photography major, I have the drive to practice and push myself with new concepts. I’ve recently started a 52 week project and I find it to be exhilarating experience. I want to be an inspiration to someone, anybody. I want them to know that it’s okay to be different. Growth and change can be such a positive and powerful thing. My biggest inspirations come from the earth I walk on and the songs I hear. I can’t walk around or take a simple drive in my car without seeing something that inspires me. Seeing a simple field with a tree can generate so many ideas and concepts for me. I’m also inspired by all of the amazing talent that I find on Flickr. I love being inspired by everything in my life.
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Freebird
The inspiration for this photo came about after seeing a sculpture made of paper cranes. It was almost instantly that I knew what I wanted to do. Not much planning—it came to me with complete clarity. After doing some research on paper cranes, I was blown away by their history. This photo embodies what I currently feel inside—the need to break free and be reborn. 98 www.tokenartmag.com
Is Anybody Home?
When I discovered this incredible tree in the woods I knew I had to create a concept around it. The hole in the tree immediately made me think of Alice in Wonderland. Thus, my concept was born. Fantasy and nature are the heart of my inspiration.
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Someplace Kept Hidden
“It’s time to get away. To get away from everything and anything that has ever pulled you down. You’ve been holding back for far too long. Now, it’s time to get away.”
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This photo turned out exactly as I envisioned it. I wanted to combine my love for trees and nature with my emotions. There are times where your path becomes foggy and you need to find strength. This photo represents a journey of finding myself and discovering my destined path.
The Open Wind
This photo I was inspired by the incredibly fierce winds we’ve been having in 2012 so far. The abnormal snow on this day in particular also inspired me. I wanted to go with the flow and let the wind take over my body.
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Issue 6
Deadline: August 31, 2012
For submission details, go to www.tokenartmag.com
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www.tokenartmag.com Š 2012 T.A.M.
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