Oura Sananikone Reflection

I had a great time listening to Mr. Sananikone and I felt like looking at the different mediums he uses and how he maintains his distinct personal style throughout. I felt like starting with his murals, moving into his paintings, into animations, then into illustration was a really nice way to illustrate the flexibility he has. I really like he's able to use so many mediums effectively as well as exploring different meanings in his work, though they all contain a similar sense of unity. He talked a little bit about the political implications of some of his work, though didn't go into a whole lot of detail. He mentioned that he was exploring WW1/WW2 pictures as a reference for some of his comics and was intentionally avoiding the Vietnam War because of the personal implications it had, but did eventually end up exploring it so that it had a little bit more of personal emotional context. By mentioning how he wanted to shy away from Vietnam because of his connection, but then eventually gravitating towards it to make a powerful anti-war statement, he really demonstrated the value of bringing in some personal components in art. Because he had that connection to it, it makes the piece more meaningful for him as well as for the audience. I think overall this was a really insightful experience and I'm really glad that I got to meet him and hear about his work.