This project is meant to tell the story of my life through symbols that represent myself. The arc with rays is the symbol of a human footprint, and the set of arcs form a rainbow. I used these symbols because I like to think that I make impressions in the earth, and because I’m queer, respectively. Within the Leo constellation are overlapping symbols of the campsite (the rings) and the Leo symbol with flames is very literally my star sign. There is a lot of warmth and fire imagery because my star sign’s element is fire. I painted the dots using layering techniques on Adobe Photoshop.
Working to imitate Aboriginal art in a digital format feels disrespectful to me. I question whether we were undermining the original processes, which were used for storytelling and passing on information. According to various online sources, as dot paintings have shifted to canvas works (they were previously done on impermanent desert sand), the process of dotting has often been used to cover up other original iconography. Information in the dotted paintings are kept secret, not to mention that uninitiated western viewers are unable to understand most of the meaning of the uncovered works in the first place. This humble approach to painting conflicts with the original assignment, which is the rather glamorous goal of self-expression. I do not claim that this design falls in the category of Aboriginal dot painting; instead, it borrows partially from the aesthetic.
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