What is considered painting, photography.. etc?

[MjamesPDX]

Hi guys! So I have a situation that hopefully some of you have encountered as well. I'm trying to decide what to declare as my focus solely for my applications. I know that most schools ask you to choose a focus but are open to you working across disciplines, which is great. But, I'm wondering what y'all would recommend. I studied painting/drawing in undergrad and have worked in that same realm for many years since graduating. Painting represents about half of my current portfolio. The other half is newer work that is very mixed media and I'm not sure what to call it. I'm using cyanotypes and synthetic dyes to create large scale collages on wood panels. Any ideas? Would this still be considered painting because of the dying methods I'm using? Or would it be closer to photography, even though it's technically camera-less photography?

 

Any ideas or experiences you've encountered in the past would be very helpful!

Also- for anyone who's gone through the application process before.. Does having a split portfolio like this appear to be a weakness or strength? The work is still very young and I'm concerned it might be seen as a red flag, but I'm very invested in continuing my exploration of this process through grad school.

For anyone that wants to see what I'm doing, my instagram is https://www.instagram.com/m.j.white/

 

Thanks in advance!

-Michael

Edited October 15, 2018 by MjamesPDX

[swinglinestapler]

You could definitely use your cyanotype pieces in a painting portfolio.  It's best to think about what history, discourse, or expanded-field your work relates to the closest.  Your cyanotypes exist between photo, painting, and craft histories, but your established body of work is clearly painting.  

In regards to the question if lack of consistency is viewed as a weakness or strength, it really depends on the program and how you write about your work.  Personally I like to see evidence of experimentation and growth mindset, rather than someone that thinks they have everything figured out.