I KNOW what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals —
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting —
I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings —
I know why the caged bird sings!
“Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)
CAGED BIRD
Promotional piece
A Visual Treatment Of
Paul Laurence Dunbar’s,
“Sympathy”
“I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings!”
As visual artists, our personal experiences create an eclectic and expansive wellspring of inspiration. We are predisposed to a fortunate and necessary relationship with fellow artists of every art form. Each art form is intrinsically connected to one another, and within this intricately woven fabric of the arts, we are able to find some of our greatest inspirations.
It is art inspiring art.
In my last semester of undergraduate studies, I enrolled in an American Literature course. Truthfully, I registered for the course thinking it would be routine and simply a final “fulfillment of academic responsibility.” I am happy to say I was wrong. The class was far from routine and American Literature 210-400 was one of the more fruitful experiences I encountered throughout my entire
curriculum… it was inspirational.
During the semester, I was fortunate to have come across the seminal work of one great American poet by the name of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Each verse of “We Wear the Mask” and “Life’s Tragedy” instilled a
notable poignancy within me. But it
was Dunbar’s poem, “Sympathy,”
that struck me at my core; it was a complete visceral experience that
stayed with me. The imagery
was instantly vivid and I was immediately inspired to create
Caged Bird, my visual interpretation of “Sympathy.” Furthermore, Caged Bird has become my personal homage to Paul Laurence Dunbar, his life and his meaningful contributions to the world
of literature.
Beyond the visual gestalt of pain and the symbolic meaning of the oppressed
winged heart, the ultimate hope for “Caged Bird” is to inspire a sense of
perseverance and fortitude during the darkest of times. More importantly, it is
my hope that “Caged Bird” will inspire you to further examine the artistry of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Setting my personal interpretations aside, it is my sincerest wish that “Caged Bird” and the language of “Sympathy” evolves into personal idiom where “meaning” arrives at a more colloquial and intimate place for the viewer…
a place where each person knows “why the caged bird sings.”
Wishing you the best of success in all of your endeavors and that your inspiration finds you every time you call upon it.
Kindest regards,
Samuel Guerrero, Jr.
CAGED BIRD
Promotional piece
A Visual Treatment Of
Paul Laurence Dunbar’s,
“Sympathy”
“I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings!”
As visual artists, our personal experiences create an eclectic and expansive wellspring of inspiration. We are predisposed to a fortunate and necessary relationship with fellow artists of every art form. Each art form is intrinsically connected to one another, and within this intricately woven fabric of the arts, we are able to find some of our greatest inspirations.
It is art inspiring art.
In my last semester of undergraduate studies, I enrolled in an American Literature course. Truthfully, I registered for the course thinking it would be routine and simply a final “fulfillment of academic responsibility.” I am happy to say I was wrong. The class was far from routine and American Literature 210-400 was one of the more fruitful experiences I encountered throughout my entire curriculum… it was inspirational.
During the semester, I was fortunate to have come across the seminal work of one great American poet by the name of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Each verse of “We Wear the Mask” and “Life’s Tragedy” instilled a notable poignancy within me. But it was Dunbar’s poem, “Sympathy,” that struck me at my core; it was a complete visceral experience that
stayed with me.
The imagery was instantly vivid and I was immediately inspired to create Caged Bird, my visual interpretation of “Sympathy.” Furthermore, Caged Bird has become my personal homage to Paul Laurence Dunbar, his life and his meaningful contributions to the world of literature.
Beyond the visual gestalt of pain and the symbolic meaning of the oppressed winged heart, the ultimate hope for “Caged Bird” is to inspire a sense of perseverance and fortitude during the darkest of times. More importantly, it is my hope that “Caged Bird” will inspire you to further examine the artistry of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Setting my personal interpretations aside, it is my sincerest wish that “Caged Bird” and the language of “Sympathy” evolves into personal idiom where “meaning” arrives at a more colloquial and intimate place for the viewer… a place where each person knows “why the caged bird sings.”
Wishing you the best of success in all of your endeavors and that your inspiration finds you every time you call upon it.
Kindest regards,
Samuel Guerrero, Jr.
CAGED BIRD
Promotional piece
A Visual Treatment Of
Paul Laurence Dunbar’s,
“Sympathy”
“I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings!”
As visual artists, our personal experiences create an eclectic and expansive wellspring of inspiration. We are predisposed to a fortunate and necessary relationship with fellow artists of every art form. Each art form is intrinsically connected to one another, and within this intricately woven fabric of the arts, we are able to find some of our greatest inspirations.
It is art inspiring art.
In my last semester of undergraduate studies, I enrolled in an American Literature course. Truthfully, I registered for the course thinking it would be routine and simply a final “fulfillment of academic responsibility.” I am happy to say I was wrong. The class was far from routine and American Literature 210-400 was one of the more fruitful experiences I encountered throughout my entire curriculum… it was inspirational.
During the semester, I was fortunate to have come across the seminal work of one great American poet by the name of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Each verse of “We Wear the Mask” and “Life’s Tragedy” instilled a notable poignancy within me. But it was Dunbar’s poem, “Sympathy,” that struck me at my core; it was a complete visceral experience that
stayed with me.
The imagery was instantly vivid and I was immediately inspired to create Caged Bird, my visual interpretation of “Sympathy.” Furthermore, Caged Bird has become my personal homage to Paul Laurence Dunbar, his life and his meaningful contributions to the world of literature.
Beyond the visual gestalt of pain and the symbolic meaning of the oppressed winged heart, the ultimate hope for “Caged Bird” is to inspire a sense of perseverance and fortitude during the darkest of times. More importantly, it is my hope that “Caged Bird” will inspire you to further examine the artistry of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Setting my personal interpretations aside, it is my sincerest wish that “Caged Bird” and the language of “Sympathy” evolves into personal idiom where “meaning” arrives at a more colloquial and intimate place for the viewer… a place where each person knows “why the caged bird sings.”
Wishing you the best of success in all of your endeavors and that your inspiration finds you every time you call upon it.
Kindest regards,
Samuel Guerrero, Jr.
Peace, love, hope
Poster design
“Peace, Love, Hope” is a poster design based on my illustration “On A Limb.” I wanted to illustrate a ladybug’s view of the world as blades of grass transform into dense jungles with twigs and stems becoming towering skyscrapers.
Where “On a Limb” focuses on the ideas of relationships and companionships in nature, “Peace, Love, Hope” introduces the viewer to Zen philosophy and extends the original concepts of “On a Limb.” Chinese characters become an important design element of the poster as serves as the title of the piece and is symbolic of Asian culture.
Modeling and texturing were achieved using Lightwave 3d. Background elements were also constructed in Lightwave 3d along with Fiber FX. I used Photoshop for final compositing and color correction.
harmony
Poster design
Fun fact: there are over 5,000 species of ladybugs that grace this planet and they come in a plethora of colors beyond the highly regarded and popular red! Albeit, only 6 colors are represented, “Harmony” is a poster design that “attempts” to illustrate the many varieties of ladybugs that exist in nature.
Based on my illustration, “Full Circle”, “Harmony” is a fun poster design that follows “Peace, Love, Hope” and continues its Zen themes. Inspired by the color wheel, a bag of Skittles and a football huddle, “Harmony” is symbolic of many elements working together in unison to achieve a goal or purpose.
More than the obvious color harmony, I thought it would be fun to have the ‘ladies’ in a huddle, conversating, communing—kind of like six longtime coworkers gathering at the water cooler to catch up on the gossip about the rest of the colony.
THIRST
Engine 9 Studios promotional piece
Direct mail, social media
Through iconic pop culture reference, abstract concepts of love and consumerism were the focus of my piece “Thirst.” It is an exploration of how the two ideas are married and then visually communicated via one sexy product shot.
I needed to establish a sense of monumentality with “Thirst.” It was necessary to exaggerate the perspective, depth of field and scale so that the bottles appeared like towering mountainous formations. This suggests that love is a colossal thing. The ‘Love’ logo on the bottle’s front label represents the combination of two ideas: love and consumerism. The desire for true love mirrors the need to quench our thirst with a soft drink. Love and thirst compliment each other in a physical and emotional sense.
During the rendering process “Thirst” presented challenges in the reflection and refraction of the glass and ice surfaces. Particularly fun, was the transformation of the ‘Coke’ logo into the ‘Love’ logo that appears on the front surface of the bottles.
Software applications: Lightwave 3D for modeling, texturing and rendering. Photoshop for compositing.
PASSION
Engine 9 Studios Promotional piece
Direct mail, social media
Designed as a promotional piece for Valentine’s Day, “Passion” continues the theme of love and desire from my illustration “Thirst.”
“Thirst” tells us love can be calm, inward and intimate. In contrast, “Passion” expresses the side of love that is energetic and bubbly–effervescent. While “Thirst” is visually static, “Passion” is the exact opposite as dynamic movements of exploding soda bottles and swooping hearts lead the viewer’s eye throughout the frenzied composition.
A bright and warm color palette further emphasizes the excitement and passion that accompany love. The addition of the winged heart reinforces the ‘love’ logo on the bottle’s front label and bottle cap.
“Passion” shows us a side of love that bursts and is explosive! As with all of my work, whimsy and youthful sensibilities drive the conceptual focal point.
Software applications: Lightwave 3D for modeling, texturing and rendering. Photoshop for compositing.
“BEER MAN, i am!”
“forward drink!”
Poster and tee designs
Let’s be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun illustrating a piece. Based on my illustration, “I Am … BEER MAN!”, I lampooned the pop culture superhero. The save-the-world cliche gets twisted like a soft beer pretzel, as I send the superhero archetype spiraling down into a crisis of keg-size proportions.
“I Am … BEER MAN!” depicts the struggle with life and addiction for our rotund superhero. We have a character that loses himself in his gluttony, yet cannot rid himself of his superhero DNA.
One of the more festive points of the original illustration occurs when I tell the viewing audience that Beer Man’s missing boot isn’t actually missing. It’s just misplaced somewhere in the illustration.
(Click here to view original illustration)
Have fun looking for it!
Poster and tee design 1
“BEER MAN, i am!”
“forward drink!”
Poster and tee designs
Let’s be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun illustrating a piece. Based on my illustration, “I Am … BEER MAN!”, I lampooned the pop culture superhero. The save-the-world cliche gets twisted like a soft beer pretzel, as I send the superhero archetype spiraling down into a crisis of keg-size proportions.
“I Am … BEER MAN!” depicts the struggle with life and addiction for our rotund superhero. We have a character that loses himself in his gluttony, yet cannot rid himself of his superhero DNA.
One of the more festive points of the original illustration occurs when I tell the viewing audience that Beer Man’s missing boot isn’t actually missing. It’s just misplaced somewhere in the illustration.
(Click here to view original illustration)
Have fun looking for it!
Poster and tee design 2
the fine line
Poster design
A head nod to the world of Hip Hop, “The Fine Line” is a visual statement depicting the fierce relationship between the artist and the art form. Along the path to fame and fortune our venerable artist is constantly juggling his risks and rewards.
There is a ferocity not only in the artist’s delivery, but also in the microphone he chooses to rap into. Each is battling to overcome the other. In the world of Hip Hop, you’re only as good as the next punch line you deliver.
This piece is unique from my other illustrations due to its absence of color. The contrasting black and white values were derived from the single overhead light source and was intended to heighten the drama of this piece.
the fine line
Poster design
A head nod to the world of Hip Hop, “The Fine Line” is a visual statement depicting the fierce relationship between the artist and the art form. Along the path to fame and fortune our venerable artist is constantly juggling his risks and rewards.
There is a ferocity not only in the artist’s delivery, but also in the microphone he chooses to rap into. Each is battling to overcome the other. In the world of Hip Hop, you’re only as good as the next punch line you deliver.
This piece is unique from my other illustrations due to its absence of color. The contrasting black and white values were derived from the single overhead light source and was intended to heighten the drama of this piece.
