Liz Shinn Concentration: Coffee Mugs

Liz Shinn 20102D PortfolioConcentration: Coffee MugsCoffee mugs are the central idea of my concentration. I wanted to portray the idea that mugs are more than just functional objects used for drinking; they are an integral part of American society. My concentration's progression follows coffee mugs as merely inanimate objects to the key role they play in consumerism and pop culture. Not only is America addicted to coffee, it's associated with the business world and the artsy underground. America is a coffee culture, and we don't even realize it.At first, mugs are just functional. In Image 1, I used black and white color to make the mugs seem impersonal. In Image 2, I added color and the design of a home to show that mugs are also a part of domestic life. In Image 3, I used a teacup to illustrate that specific cups have specific purposes globally, for example, a British high tea. I continued the global idea in Image 4 where I mimicked the water color designs of Holland to show that cups are artwork too. In Image 5, I used bright colors, sharp angles and reflections to show that mugs are beautiful if one will look. To further the global theme, in Image 6 I used the style of Mondrian with world news clippings and introduced people. To further the social idea of mugs, in Image 7 I drew friends on top of a restaurant menu. As I thought about the social implications of coffee mugs, I thought of Image 8 in which a girl is drinking coffee in order to stay awake. This resulted in Image 9 which depicts a typical American on a caffeine high. In Image 10, I replaced Andy Warhol's soup cans with Folgers to show coffee mugs' artsy connotation as well as our coffee addiction. In Image 11, I used American Gothic to show even rural America has bought into the coffee craze. Finally, in Image 12, I used Roy Lichtenstein's modern style to show pop culture's coffee obsession.

Liz Shinn 20102D Portfolio

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