Nicky Freeman
I approached the theme of dissonance by intentionally dividing the background and foreground in each work I create. Both the foreground and the background are meant to represent and illicit different moods in the viewer. I render my digital works by starting with a realistic background in photoshop. All the pieces are cropped the same size in order to disarm the viewer with the contrast between an idyllic background and the foreground, which is less so. I intentionally distorted some of the faces in order to present the viewer with a more disturbing portrait, using colors from the backgrounds on the skin and hair tones of the anonymous people, providing a thin, but existing connection between the foreground and the background. The people seem large within the confines of the picture plane, crowding the viewer and sharing an experience with them. Despite the unnerving scenes, there is a sense of human emotion existing in each expression.