Series of Emotions- My time spent at Northern Illinois University

 e·mo·tion

əˈmōSH(ə)n/

noun

plural noun: emotions

1. a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.

   "she was attempting to control her emotions"

   synonyms:

   feeling, sentiment; More

   • instinctive or intuitive feeling as distinguished from reasoning or knowledge.

     "responses have to be based on historical insight, not simply on emotion"

     synonyms:

     instinct, intuition, gut feeling; More

Emotions sketch with Gel pen

While attending NIU I took printmaking for the 3rd time. However it was the first time at this college. I decided that I wanted my pieces to convey exactly what I was feeling while there. At this time I was already familiar with Intaglio but had never experienced any other form of printmaking. The first prints we were assigned were woodblocks.

NIU was new, intimidating and horrifying. I met many amazing people while there but my overall experience was one of pure distress and disillusionment. I only finished a semester.... just barely. 

The very first wood block assigned was black & white. I decided to use a page I liked from my sketchbook that conveyed exactly how I felt. It is featured below.

 sketch in  pen & marker

This is how the finished print turned out:

"Overwhelmed"

Not as good as my original sketch but for my first woodblock I think it turned out pretty well.

The next assignment we had was another woodblock. This time with color. By the time of the next assignment all  of the stress stripped away any feelings and I became void of all emotions. The next piece I titled "Listless - Feeling as though you have no energy & no interest in anything (including spelling & grammar)" The grammar part was thrown in there because I had spelled interest incorrectly.

List·less

ˈlis(t)ləs/

adjective

1. (of a person or their manner) lacking energy or enthusiasm.

   "bouts of listless depression"

   synonyms:

   lethargic, enervated, spiritless, lifeless, languid, languorous, inactive,underactive, inert, sluggish, torpid "this heat makes me listless"

"Listless - Feeling as if you have no energy & no interest in anything"

The next assignment was my one true love intaglio. I shared some of my ideas with friends and of coarse it made them uncomfortable. So I decided to put on a facade and act like everything was fine at my new school.

fa·cade

fəˈsäd/

noun
an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality.

"her flawless public facade masked private despair"

synonyms:

show, front, appearance, pretense, simulation, affectation, semblance,illusion, act, masquerade,  charade, mask, cloak, veil, veneer "Maybe it's not a facade"

1. The next piece I went in a different direction. I was taking Russian and my teacher was not fun.She would bark orders at her students. During a quiz she spoke across the room to a fellow teacher, then when I went up to ask for quite so I could concentrate, she asked to see me after class. She insinuated that I had a learning disability and that I should get help. When I spoke to my fellow classmates about it they were just as distracted by the talking. Why would someone even talk during a quiz?!  Of coarse I had trouble concentrating.Unfortunately I do not have a full photo of this peace at this time.The print is titled "нет лай (no barking)"
   

   
2.