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Statement about Project by Virginia Phelps:

The theme of my project is Evolution and Discovery and was inspired by an aerial photo of the John Day Fossil Beds which contain one of the longest, continuous records of evolutionary change in North America. That photo is blended into all six images. The processes of Exploration and Discovery are at the core of understanding evolution, as well as being at the core of the blending and compositing process that I go through while creating each piece. The visual elements portray evolution of Western land and animal species, and changes in Native American culture. Each image contains objects that are easily seen and others that are more hidden providing viewers with the opportunity to experience Discovery, again mirroring my own creation process. My goal is to entice viewers into wondering about the relationships between the objects, to experience the moments of discovery when they recognize the more subtle elements in each image, and to simply enjoy the colors, contrasts, shapes, and textures in each composition.