Declan McQueeney

ARTH 322-01

[declanmcqueeney]

For my final project, I created the shadow outline of a rocket ship. This piece was achieved through the combination of "Light Experimentation" and "Arte Povera". I used an old Coca Cola bottle as the rocket itself and taped torn-up used napkins to the base to mimic flames/smoke. Both of these lessons inspired me as they were two of the more abstract pieces that we worked on. I found it interesting how one could use multiple items laying around in the house, like a flashlight for light experimentation, and trash for an outline.

[declanmcqueeney]

The triskele, also known as the triskelion, is an ancient symbol consisting of three interlocking spirals or three bent human legs radiating from a common center. Its origins can be traced back to the Neolithic era, with notable appearances in ancient Celtic, Greek, and Sicilian cultures. In Celtic tradition, the triskele is particularly significant, often representing concepts such as life, death, and rebirth or land, sea, and sky—key elements in their spiritual worldview. Found carved into stones at Newgrange in Ireland, which predates the Egyptian pyramids, the symbol suggests early humans used it in religious or ceremonial contexts. Over time, the triskele has come to embody themes of motion, progress, and the cyclical nature of existence, making it a powerful emblem in both historical and modern spiritual and cultural contexts.

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[declanmcqueeney]

I chose this ad for "Bobbi Brown" makeup because the wording in the advertisement felt contradictory. The ad reads "SEE YOUR BEST SKIN, NOT MAKEUP" and "When you find the right foundation shade, all you see is you". Both of these statements felt completely contradictory to me, as the ad is for makeup which inherently makes you look different than how you would without it. To highlight this contradiction, I added an extra couple words to make each phrase say "SEE YOUR BEST SKIN WEARING MAKEUP, NOT MAKEUP" and "When you find the right foundation shade, all you see is you with makeup". I also added a collage of parentheses, quotations, and asterisks to support the contradictory theme.

[declanmcqueeney]

These photos capture a shadow puppet dog, in the first picture being aggressive and attacking me, and in the second picture being more tame and allowing me to pet him. I used help from two of my roommates to create this piece, one to create the shadow puppet and hold the flashlight (from my phone), and the other to take the photos.

[declanmcqueeney]

For my arte povera project, I used an old McDonalds fries container I found in my garbage. I contrasted the light red and yellow colors on the container with a black sharpie, and used the Mcdonalds "M" already on the container as the focal point while creating a narrative of little characters and environment around it.

[declanmcqueeney]

Based on my collection of mostly basketball/sports magazines, this week I utilized the plethora of different basketball shoes I had. These shoes vary in many ways, including color, size, and brand (Nike, Puma, Reebok). Shoes are a way for basketball players to express their individuality on the court, and the variation between all these models speaks to that uniqueness.

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This is my abstract piece for the midterm. The digital version is much simpler, but the drawn on version left much more room to add detail due to the thin colored pencils. On both pieces, I used a dark orange to outline the shapes, and then added layers to them using lighter and lighter orange and eventually yellow colors. The blue and pink colors within the shapes clash as the pink continues the warm color theme and the blue adds in a cooler vibe. With the open space due to the colored pencils, I realized the shapes began to resemble meteors or asteroids, so I bought into that theme and used the stars and other abstract lines and shapes to fill the space.

[declanmcqueeney]

The top two images are both artworks from our second assignment involving abstract backgrounds. These two images both made me think of the clash between the past and the present, which I attempted to incorporate in my artwork. The first artwork shows a mixture of older styles with bright, vibrant, modern colors, and the second artwork shows a player from the 1990's wearing sunglasses recently made popular. I brought together players from multiple eras in an attempt to achieve this. Also, I took inspiration from the background in the first artwork by using many different shapes and shades of the colors in order to create a background that draws you in.

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The color combination I chose for the background was yellow (warm-toned) and purple (cool-toned). The outfit consists of Allen Iverson's head and Caitlin Clark's jersey, both from SLAM magazines. I attempted to keep the same basketball theme throughout with the shoes, but struggled when it came to pants.

[declanmcqueeney]

This is the album cover of "Un Verano Sin Ti" by Bad Bunny. My favorite song off of this album is "Callaita". The things I incorporated into my art which I took from the album cover are the vibrant colors, but also the sad expression on the heart's face, as "un verano sin ti" is a Spanish phrase translated to "a summer without you". I tried to emphasize the contrast between the sadness of the heart and the bright and vibrant atmosphere surrounding it.

[declanmcqueeney]

[declanmcqueeney]

Hello! My name is Declan McQueeney and I'm from Netcong, New Jersey. I will be graduating in the spring with my bachelors degree in Sports Studies with a concentration in Coaching and Human Performance, and intend on pursuing a career in coaching collegiate basketball after graduation. I like to read, watch basketball, and volunteer at the Allegany SPCA in my freetime.