The Edge, Amplified: A Senior Explorations Amplified Piece by Kevin Chan (2014)

My Blink artwork piece was based off of 'the edge' quote, which I interpreted as how actions in an unknown environment reflect your deepest held beliefs. The contrast between the blue and red skylines is intended to show the conflict which arises between differences, yet the fact that the skylines are completely reversible reveals how the two can go together in harmony once they are on the literal edge. On the top and bottom the skylines are reflected in a pool of water, which symbolizes how your actions on the edge reflect your character.

Creating the piece was a two step process. First came the physical artwork, which was painted with acrylics. Afterward, I modified the image in Photoshop by adding a photo of raindrops (achieved with a pool and gardening hose) to the blue skyline, then using a gradient masking technique to evenly fade the photo and reveal the original painting. Next, using the ''Flood'' plugin, I added water to the top and bottom skylines in a surrealist manner. Finally, using a brush font I found on Dafont, I added the text with a slight drop shadow applied to increase contrast and legibility. As a finishing touch, I added a lens flare to the red skyline using the flare filter against a black background and setting it to screen mode, which removes the dark parts and shows only the highlights of the image.