My work for final critique, December 4, 2013
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| Blue Memory, 2013 Acrylic, oil stick on panel 24"x 24" |
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| Pink Memory, 2013 Acrylic, oil stick on panel 24"x 24" |
Red Memory, 2013
Acrylic, paper on panel
18"x 24"
Blue Stripes, 2013
Acrylic, paper on panel
18"x 24"
Blue Stripes, 2013
Acrylic, paper on panel
24"x 24"
Artist Statement
Artist Statement
My work is about memory and the recurrence of events, large
and small, in my life. I repeat images,
rhythms and color to evoke the idea of memory.
Repetition implies memory in the sense that an object seen for a second,
third or fourth time is an echo of the thought of the first time it was
seen. I use repetition to represent
events that happen over and over again. It
is also a way of outwardly expressing a déjà vu type feeling of having
experienced a situation before.
The investigation of my awareness of how seemingly different
sights and situations can share an often startling sameness informs the imagery
of my work. To depict this idea, I may start
a rhythm of shapes and then obscure them.
A repeated shape may start to disintegrate or look like it is disappearing. These are tactics which I use in my work to
seek meaning of my memories and my observations of events.
Summary of my experiences this term;
During this term, I was introduced
to several artists whose work will resonate with my students. I will
definitely include them in my teaching, and have begun already doing so.
Among these artists are Eleanor Aldrich, for the way she builds up
surfaces; Mitchel Gaudet, for the way he uses art to describe a social event;
and Lalla Esaydi for her rhythmic patterns.
Steve Griffin, Robert Stuart, and
Josephine Halvorson, among others, are artists that I have discovered this term
who will, and have, influenced my work.
I had no idea that I would enjoy
InLight as much as I did. I thought it would be interesting, but it ended
up being mesmerizing for me. I also enjoyed the show at the Visual Arts
Center, and was delighted to find a ceramicist whose work would inspire my own
work. I found inspiration there in the work of Blair Clemo.
I discovered a blog by Erin McNellis where
she writes about her poetry and her research for her dissertation. There
were very interesting comments on Gertrude Stein and repetition which mirrored
my own ideas, and helped me nail down how I could relate Stein's writings to my
work.
I had many great aesthetic
experiences this term. It is hard to pinpoint the best. I
thoroughly enjoyed the work and the artists talk at Reynolds Gallery when
Jessica Mann was there. InLight put me on cloud 9. I had an
epiphany discovering the work of Josephine Halverson in Vitamin P2.
And, oh my gosh, the night at Try Me gallery was a long-held wish come
true. It was phenomenal, and it was fun to sit in the courtyard at Linden
Row Inn at night and talk it over with everyone in class.
My most frustrating experience was
sanding. After carefully planning and adding layers with a purpose in
mind, I would then lose all control when I sanded. I never knew how it
was going to turn out. I had little control over the sanding because some
areas would not uncover themselves no matter how long I sanded. Other
areas popped out from the sanding that totally surprised me. I would have
given up the whole idea of sanding except for the feedback that I got in class.
Because of this class, I will continue using the sanding process.
