For my final piece, I recreated a portrait of a modern day Virgin Mary. The portrait is charcoal collaged photos of roses taken in my garden back home. The piece was inspired by my past, specifically my high school years. I went to an all boys catholic high school where art was never discussed. The idea of religion as a formal subject was something that was talked about often. Most of my photography work took after these religious images and their pastel, soft features. Women and the femininity of women has always been a major theme throughout my work. As an opposition to my high school days as well as the art that I was often exposed to, I chose to do a piece with high contrast and saturated colors. I also incorporated the garden in my home where I spent most of my summer days.
