Artist Statement
Art is one of the greatest gifts and opportunities that I have to show how I view the world. To me, art is the creative expression of one’s beliefs on a topic that is conveyed in a sensory manner. I create art because I have always been drawn to visual expression and because it helps me to convey what I think and feel. Sometimes, words fall short of explaining exactly how something looks or feels. Art is a wonderful answer to this problem for me. My teachers always encouraged me to explore myself and the world around me through my art, so most of my work is heavily influenced by what my self-concept is when I am creating it. In a way, whether it’s a picture of a butterfly or something more complicated, every piece becomes a sort of self portrait. My goal for myself is to create artwork that explores a concept thoroughly, and will possibly reveal more truth about that subject in a manner that is visually interesting. I explore my personal sense of “self” through my artwork, finding little idiosyncrasies about what makes me who I am. My goal for the artwork itself is to have it communicate these discoveries in a way that others might understand, and possibly encourage them to do some self-reflection of their own.
When beginning my artwork, I reflect upon the concepts that I want to convey in the piece. I might make a list of inspiration words or do a stream of consciousness writing about it, in order to get the feeling for what the work might contain. I would have to call myself a multimedia 2-Dimensional artist. Usually, I use a combination of pencil, pen, colored pencils and watercolors on a softer textured watercolor paper to make my art. I also dabble in photography, both digital and traditional black and white film.
In my design work, I enjoy using circles combined with geometric, straight-lined shapes. I enjoy high detail and zooming in on my subject until the actual item is difficult to decipher. I use vibrant colors that create a higher level of contrast. It tends to look like a visual collage with swirls of color created by watercolor paint and dotted with drawn and printed images. One of my favorite colors to use is the color green. I like how it refers to the natural world, and how you can have a bright shade or a cool shade and have two different feelings to the same picture. I suppose you could say that I enjoy the duality within the color, which often extends my work. I find that, as a Gemini, I do conform to some of the expectations of that astrological sign. I like exploring the duality within myself, such as the introvert vs. extrovert conflict.
I find that my favorite artworks are the ones with a story behind them; where there is meaning to why the artist did what she did. When my artwork turns out well, it is compositionally balanced and contains an obvious focal point. It conveys the idea that I meant for it to have, and the average viewer can understand it as well. It’s visually interesting and catches the eye, encouraging others to explore the entirety of the piece. Overall, I hope for the work to convey my ideas, my own personal beliefs about the subject, and my self-concept so that others may see how I view the world.
When beginning my artwork, I reflect upon the concepts that I want to convey in the piece. I might make a list of inspiration words or do a stream of consciousness writing about it, in order to get the feeling for what the work might contain. I would have to call myself a multimedia 2-Dimensional artist. Usually, I use a combination of pencil, pen, colored pencils and watercolors on a softer textured watercolor paper to make my art. I also dabble in photography, both digital and traditional black and white film.
In my design work, I enjoy using circles combined with geometric, straight-lined shapes. I enjoy high detail and zooming in on my subject until the actual item is difficult to decipher. I use vibrant colors that create a higher level of contrast. It tends to look like a visual collage with swirls of color created by watercolor paint and dotted with drawn and printed images. One of my favorite colors to use is the color green. I like how it refers to the natural world, and how you can have a bright shade or a cool shade and have two different feelings to the same picture. I suppose you could say that I enjoy the duality within the color, which often extends my work. I find that, as a Gemini, I do conform to some of the expectations of that astrological sign. I like exploring the duality within myself, such as the introvert vs. extrovert conflict.
I find that my favorite artworks are the ones with a story behind them; where there is meaning to why the artist did what she did. When my artwork turns out well, it is compositionally balanced and contains an obvious focal point. It conveys the idea that I meant for it to have, and the average viewer can understand it as well. It’s visually interesting and catches the eye, encouraging others to explore the entirety of the piece. Overall, I hope for the work to convey my ideas, my own personal beliefs about the subject, and my self-concept so that others may see how I view the world.