2D Studio Art - Painting and Drawing
The title of my capstone project is titled Inside Voice. This project consists of small, acrylic paintings on fabric which explore my personal experience with anxiety and depression; the purpose of my works is to give visual form (often accompanied by writing) to my internal monologue. Some of the themes I deal with are dissociation, lack of motivation, and self-contempt in a humorous and self-depreciating way. The creation of these works are largely therapeutic. I have compared it to taking a decongestant when you have a terrible cold; the decongestion forces out all the vile mucus out of your body, and afterwards, you can breathe again. I like to think of making these paintings as a way of removing these thoughts from myself.
I chose to create my works in acrylic paint because I like the bold, flat colors. To me acrylic paint gives off a very matter-of-fact feeling. The other main component of my painting medium is the fabric I paint on. I paint on old t-shirts of mine. I chose to do this because I think it reflects the personal and informal nature of my paintings. In many cases I will tear and fray the fabric to emphasize the feeling of falling apart. I also am drawn to the tactility of the fabric, which I hope will encourage viewers to physically interact with my works (touch and hold them).
My most prominent artistic inspiration are the paintings of contemporary British artist David Shrigley. Shrigley's works have comical, out of context, stream of consciousness ways about them. He also uses bold flat shapes and colors and writing in his work. I am similarly inspired by cartoonist Liana Fink, whose drawings often depict her personal experience in a comical manner. Other things which inform my work are my interest in animation and tattoos. My approach to color is very inspired by Cel shading that is seen often in modern animated cartoons. Many of my works are compositionally ordered in a circular or symmetrical way, a mode which is influenced by my interest in American traditional style tattoos.
