Appraisal of Tom Chambers Springs Landfall

Describe:  In this art piece a blindfolded girl rows her boat through dry grass fields. Her boat is full of colourful flowers yet the landscape is fairly barren. Seagulls fly over head which suggests the sea must be nearby or they are just as lost as she is. Also, the sky is overcast and dark storm clouds are approaching. The girl is rowing the boat with not oars but sticks and dust flies out from behind as she rows over the mound as water does when rowing over a wave in the sea. If one were to look closely at the bottom of the boat, one would see an anchor that is embedded in the soil and vines. This image seems surreal and out of place.  


Analyse: There is a strong sense of Juxtaposition in this piece. It is seen in the flowers in the boat compared to the dry landscape, the rowing boat on land and the blindfold she wears when she would need to be relying on her sight to row. The girl rowing blindfolded suggests she is oblivious to the world around her and going blindly through life. Also contrasting colours enhance the juxtaposition in this piece, the girls bright dress and colourful flowers - the dull colours in the field and sky. The focal point is obvious through use of strong tonal contrast and use of space. There is movement in the piece mainly coming from the  oars and the birds flying. There is also a sense of balance in the piece but not harmony as the objects in the piece are out of place and strange. The expected place of a rowing boat is in the water not in a field. This makes the art piece seem confusing and difficult. Also, this piece seems surreal as the girl in the rowing boat is so out of place, as are the seagulls. Even the fact that she is wearing a long dress, not the attire you would expect one would wear rowing, this suggests she is lost. 

Interpret: Tom Chambers is trying to create a surreal image that creates a confusing and bizarre image. He uses juxtaposition to give express this as well as strong tonal contrast. There is strong juxtaposition through the mix of reality and fantasy. The blindfolded girl, the rowing boat and bright flowers are out of place which suggest she is in her own fantasy world, whereas the landscape is the harshness of reality around her. She refuses to accept reality but instead lives in her own beautiful world away from others (hence rowing through a field in comparison to water). Yet she is anchored to the ground and at a stand still, trying to row will not get her anywhere. Also, a storm is approaching and she is about to find herself in trouble. This at piece is of a girl at a standstill in her life as she will not accept reality but contents herself to be in her own beautiful world. 


Evaluate: I find this piece of work hard to confusing but it communicates it message quite clearly. I like it for its surreal and unrealistic qualities. I pick up lost and alienated feelings from this art piece. I find it is almost shocking as it seems unreal to see a blindfolded girl rowing aimlessly on land. Her refusal to move on but row without purpose or direction is very strange and she is completely out of place and about to approach a storm of problems. 

Tom chambers final pieces with comments

NigelD said: there is always another way

Bonnie said: It looks like a nice afternoon at the beach. It seems a bit depressing and melancholic, like someone's pondering over their childhood memories. It has a cold feeling, which I don't really like. 

As for meaning, it seems to say 'segregation'. It's illustrated in the physical sense, but I guess it could be spiritual segregation or separation as well. I think the girl on the horse is lonely. She seems to be in her own world, mentally removed from the physical reality around her, or perhaps removed from the mental reality of her friends' world.

Award said: if you ever played marco polo as a child you might kind of know what i mean ... when you're playing around in the pool as a kid and you're waiting for people to catch you, but they swim right on by? there's a sense of relief, but also this "why didnt they know i was there?"she's slowly become the outsider and she doesnt seem to like that idea...

Jaebin said: The girl on the horse looks left out of the girls group. The lonely girl doesn't know where to go, she is following the group. The girl looks quite lost and cold. From my point of view this piece is quite depressing.

NigelD said: Rowing blindly and inadequately to eternity?...

Bonnie said: I've never associated happy feelings with dry fields and old style clothing, so I feel largely negative when I look at it. I guess the symbolism of the boat paddling in the same place, on ground, means that she's at standstill or really confused. It looks like there's a storm coming or something like that and she'll get drenched and even more confused. She looks lost and defiant, despite the fact she's in a bit of a pickle. A very big pickle.

Award said: the boat images poses an interesting juxtaposition: so out of place, rowing blindly through a field. i get this feeling of alienation and confusion (who wouldnt be, i guess?)the storm, as bonnie mentioned, i think really captures this juxtaposition. it looks like the kind of sky you see over the water - and the seagulls add to this. i think it's about blindly searching for something when youre looking in the wrong place to start with.

Jaebin said: The girl's life has been ruined. She doesn't know where to go and she is just paddling in the same place, like she's not moving forward. The world seems to be a beautiful place in her own world, like flowers, but when you look around everything is dead.

Tom Chambers art piece's

Rite of passage: Springs Landfall

 

Rite of passage: Once bitten twice shy

 

Marwari: Maritime sentry

 These three pictures are my chosen pieces from tom chambers Rite of Passage and Marwari portfolios. Here is what he says of each porftfolio.

Rite of Passage 

With time, adolescents begin to abandon the natural, untamed state of childhood for the artificial pretenses of adulthood. After my own daughter's arrival at the complexities of her sixteenth milestone, this juxtaposition captured my attention.

In composing a variety of stark, woodland settings in contrast with a billowy dress or other man-made articles, I explore the dichotomy between what is natural and what is fabricated. Why do people costumed in formal dress seem so omnipotent on the street, yet so vulnerable in the wild? Each of these photomontages explores a place where unexpected circumstances collide.

Marwari: Indigenous Spirit

In my eyes horses represent that which is beautiful and sacred in nature. In particular, the noble Marwari horses from India have captured my attention after an inspirational encounter with them. Known for their loyalty and bravery, the Marwari were considered divine beings as far back as the twelfth century. Victimized by difficult economic times, poor horse management, and global warming, the Marwari horse population was almost decimated late in the twentieth century. Fortunately, efforts currently are being made to preserve the Marwari breed.

Inspired by the ancient Rajput art and the legend of the stallion Chetak, I hope to capture the elegance and resilience of the Marwari horses. In these photomontages I present dreamlike images of children at play with the glorious Marwari. The Marwari horse series illustrates both the struggle for survival and the hope for prosperity shared by innocent children and animals.