Self v2
This piece is heavy on experimentation, most notably with my choice to mix different mediums for different effects. This experimentation can be seen, specifically, in my use of a glitter glue that was gifted to me by a friend, which I combined with paints and Modge Podge to create mixtures that gave me interesting ways to layer colors. During the process of making this work, I found myself bored, so I rummaged through old boxes left over from my move this year. I found old 3-D fabric puff paint, which brought me a lot of fun texture that I used to recreate a pattern I had made for a different project in my printmaking class. Overall, the experience of making this work opened another door for me within the boundaries of my art.
Simone Spanbroek ‘24
Adriatic Sea
The sound of seagulls, circling lazily,
reverberates across the dimming sky
mixing with the soft rustle of plantlife,
bravely clinging onto the ledges of cliffs
that act as a backdrop for the slowly receding sunlight.
Waves caress eroding shoreline
showering the air in a salty mist.
Sharpened boulders, carefully forged,
reject the tide’s pressing advances.
Broken rocks find solace in the embrace of sand,
buried deep enough to become one with the seascape.
The sun's light, a fading ember, a husk of its former glory,
swims into the infinite ocean,
its rays stolen by the gentle moonlight, which cuts deep
through the veil of darkness that falls from above
causing the jagged cliffs to sink into darkness.
They melt into the background,
like the wax from a blown-out candle,
coagulating into silhouettes in the moonlight
that reflect off of the vast Adriatic sea.
Unseen clouds soon lumber overhead
stealthily plotting their advance over the now lightless landscape.
The first drops of rain fall,
siphoned from the ocean,
and pelting the ground with their careless force.
The droplets grow larger with each passing second,
pairing with the wind and whistling in all directions.
They threaten the sturdy beachgrass.
The blades soon grow stronger,
whipping around cliff-edges like daggers,
breaking off rocks that dance atop the drum-like sand.
The sound blends with the now pummeling rain,
attacking both sand and sea alike.
Organizing into a grand symphony of chaos
until the sun climbs back up over the cliffs and shines over
the Adriatic sea.
I have revised this piece and have continued on its development over the course of a few months, working off and on. It is mainly a descriptive piece, where I tie in some themes about the perpetual essence of nature, while also creating an environment via vivid descriptions. The landscape, in particular, was what came to mind when I thought about the color of the Adriatic sea, which is a rich, dark blue.
