The theme that I explored in my artwork is one of identity. This theme is expressed in each piece differently, to create an exhibition of artwork that uniquely represents how I see myself. Some pieces are representational of myself as a child, others are critical of myself, and some represent a core belief I have. While each piece explores this theme differently, altogether they represent the overall theme of identity. The way that I chose to present my work in this exhibition is directly tied to the theme that I chose to present through my art. The theme that I chose to explore throughout this investigation into myself and my artwork was identity. This strongly correlates to the way that I display my artwork in this exhibit. In what appears to be near the center of the exhibition is my self portrait. Each art piece that I have created represents a different part of who I am, who I was or how I’ve grown in my life. However, the self portrait is the most directly representative of my identity as a whole, and has a nonspecific way of reflecting who I am. Where I chose to hang the pieces following that also correlates to the theme of my artwork. With that being said, it is important to note that I also found that it was necessary for me to balance the aesthetic appearances of the exhibition while also maintaining a display that was representative of myself and the themes that I portrayed in my artwork. Once I determined where I wanted the central focus of the artwork to be (the self portrait), I placed other pieces of my artwork surrounding it. While I was trying to maintain appearances, I wanted to maintain my method of placing work that tied my identity to the location the work hung. The process of doing this was simply that I would hang the art pieces with the strongest tie to my identity closer to the center of the exhibition. While every piece ties to my identity in some way, there are some pieces that allude more towards my childhood. This is a strong connection to my identity, however pieces like this were hung closer to the outside because currently I feel more removed from it. “Childhood” is an example of this. This piece is representative of the importance of the strength of relationships that I had growing up. While these relationships remain important to me, I feel further from it than other personal identities I investigate in this exhibitions Similarly to this idea, paintings with more immediate effect to me are placed closer to the center of the exhibition, where my self portrait is. “Sabotage” is an example of this. This painting has a very important meaning to me, and is something that I find present in my life each day. Because of this I chose to hang these paintings directly next to my self portrait, to demonstrate the vital importance of what they stand for to my everyday life and identity. Ultimately, the choices that I made in this exhibition, both within the works and in my method of displaying them, are influenced by my identity. This theme runs strongly throughout all the work that I have done in my pieces, and the ways that I choose to display them.
Final Art Pieces
Title: Night Skies This piece is a block print created on a linoleum slab. The goal of the piece is to demonstrate how, in the city, night skies are ruined with light pollution. This piece is about how as a child I wished to see beautiful skies at night without having to leave my home. This piece was heavily inspired by how Vincent Van Gogh used line to emphasize the stars in his paintings.
Title: Sabotage
This piece was inspired by Alphonse Mucha and the Art Nouveau movement. The contrast between the two works comes from the colors that were used in each piece. To me this piece is representative of self sabotage, but I believe that the meaning could vary depending on the person. The symbolism in this piece comes from the flower Buttercup and its poisonous family member Aconite.
Title: Belonging This piece features an interpretive representation of the moon and the stars. It was inspired by Vincent Van Gogh, and demonstrates my perspective on how there is a place for everything and everyone in the universe, whether that is an occupation, a relationship, or a goal. Overall, this piece strongly represents that, to me, there is a place for everything and everyone.
Title: Escape This piece features an interpretive representation of the moon and the stars. It was inspired by Vincent Van Gogh, and demonstrates my perspective on how there is a place for everything and everyone in the universe, whether that is an occupation, a relationship, or a goal. Overall, this piece strongly represents that, to me, there is a place for everything and everyone.
Title: Childhood This piece is inspired by Renoir. It explores how my identity has been heavily influenced by my relationships as a child, which influences how I am perceived today. I drew inspiration from the way that Renoir uses light colors and pastels to reflect childhood in his work
Title: The Worst Circumstance This piece is inspired by Paul Nash. The small white flower, in the center of a desolate landscape, is representative of not only how humans can overcome many struggles, and bad situations and still thrive in their lives. I titled this piece The Worst Circumstance to represent that.
Title: Self Portrait
This piece is a self portrait that is inspired by Francisco Goya's piece Señora Sabasa García. I was inspired by this piece by Goya because of the way that he contrasts the dark background with the subject of the painting. For this piece I chose to reflect my inspiration by wearing modern clothing in the same color as the original piece as well as positioning myself in the same pose.
Title: Delicate This piece is a watercolor painting with pencil and ink. It is inspired by the work of Robin Ironside, who was a Neo-Romantic artist in the early 1900's. This piece represents strength and fear with the column and the butterfly. It represents the delicate nature of confidence for me, and how fleeting that can be. This piece was completed in August 2023.
Title: Growth This piece is inspired by Gary Greene's technique with colored pencils, and Zdzislaw Beksinki's incorporation of surrealist elements and symbolism in his work. This piece is about how sometimes, with age, imagination and childhood can be lost. This connects to my overall theme because, I have found with time and age that I am losing these things. This is a fact that is both sad and a sign of growth.
Title: Hold On This piece was inspired by the Pop Art Movement and the Photorealism movement. This piece has a contrast between a black and white hand and what it is holding which is an unrealistic planet (one that is unrecognizable in our solar system. This piece discusses how, while life can be mundane at times, it is important to hold on to what brings back that joy and excitement. This is an idea that is very important to me and to my identity.
Title: Finale This piece was inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe. In this piece I wanted to contrast between a very colorful sky and a monochrome ground. This piece is about how the journey, emphasized by the plain path, is often overlooked by the destination itself, which is represented by the sky. This piece connects to my identity because this is something that I often find myself doing, and it shows a goal of mine to pay more attention to the process rather than the outcome