Amusement

1. How did you show amusement and variety in your piece? Explain your choice of subject matter and how you created a unified piece of art.
I showed amusement in my piece by choosing to use balloons which I relate to amusing people and events such as birthdays and parties.  I put these balloons on a tree because it almost seems like they are the leaves which also is amusing.  Variety is shown with the different materials, colors in the background, and colors and patterns on the balloons.  My subject was the tree with balloons hanging on the branches.  It was unified with the balloons being similar in size and shape but still being different in color and design.  The tree is put together from different magazine clips but is still unified as one whole tree because it is similar in color and shapes.
2. Describe your experience with using mixed media. What mixed media did you use for your piece?
I enjoyed my experience with mixed media even though there were some obstacles with a few materials I used.   For my piece I used tissue paper, magazines, balloons, ink, and fabric.  The background is tissue paper and water,  the magazines made the tree and some balloons, the balloons were cut up to make some of the balloons, ink was used on some balloons for patterns,  and fabric is on a few balloons. 
3. What role did our lessons on visual journaling play in the success of your piece? Explain.
The lessons on visual journaling helped me choose to use tissue paper as my background.  It also made me more open to using a variety of materials and layering them.
4. Discuss any challenges you experienced and how you overcame obstacles.
It was challenging finding of magazines that had pictures I could use, cutting the balloons and making them lay flat, glueing the balloon to the paper, and deciding how to layer designs on top of the balloons while still making them unique and contrasting. It was pretty easy to overcome all these obstacles by taking my time, being resourceful, and trying to think creatively.