architecture
As a first year at the University of Virginia School of Architecture, I am just beginning to learn the tools I need to make artistic decisions in the field. In many ways this shift is completely opposite from my studio art focus. As opposed to bright, colorful paintings, I am creating monochromatic sculpture. My hope in these early stages of exploration is to imbue the same sense of energy that exists in the vibrancy of my paintings to this new and achromatic medium.
Studio art
From a young age, my artistic practice has focused on details and aiming for, for lack of a better word, perfection. This hardwiring for detail comes from my grandfather, who was an engraver that etched life-like flowers onto the surface of metal. This search for "perfection" in my work left me with an interesting conundrum of why I am drawn to things that decay. To the average person looking at a rusty peeling sign, they see the opposite of perfection. To me, nature is the ultimate definition of perfection. While the growth of plants may seem random and chaotic, it is infact a part of a never ending, beautiful, and perfectly calibrated cycle. In my art, I explore decay, its relationship between people, and the things they interact with through the destruction caused by consumerism on nature and humanity itself.
I take a long time with each of my drawings, paintings, and sculptures. A relatively small painting can take me up to six months to get to the level of detail and color I am satisfied with. While I have worked with many different mediums, I keep getting dragged back to oil. Oil paint provides a prolonged drying time that allows me to take my time blending instead of feeling rushed with acrylics or getting a soft, non-vibrant wash from watercolor. For some more substantial and straightforward projects, I use acrylic because of time constraints, but, aside from my earlier work, I rarely use mediums outside of paint. My themes all stem from decay, and I choose subjects based on this overarching theme.
Throughout my artistic journey, the subject of signs and creating an overall message about decay within society draws my attention time and time again. My earliest oil paintings demonstrate this fascination. "The Homestead" and "The Spot" are two traditional signs from Alexandria Bay, New York and involve the intricacies of decorative neon lights, light bulbs, and peeling paint around the edges. Going into my high school career, I continued to explore this idea of falling apart with different subjects. I delve into the decay of species with "Bees," the break down of human conversation with "Loss of Communication," and death with "Josephina." Despite the revelations that were driven by this exploration, I always return to the concept and purpose of signs. I want my message to be seen and to combine both avenues of my journey. In "Throw Away USA," I address the decay of humanity in light of American consumerism in the form of a neon sign, tying in the motifs that were established in the past year.
I take a long time with each of my drawings, paintings, and sculptures. A relatively small painting can take me up to six months to get to the level of detail and color I am satisfied with. While I have worked with many different mediums, I keep getting dragged back to oil. Oil paint provides a prolonged drying time that allows me to take my time blending instead of feeling rushed with acrylics or getting a soft, non-vibrant wash from watercolor. For some more substantial and straightforward projects, I use acrylic because of time constraints, but, aside from my earlier work, I rarely use mediums outside of paint. My themes all stem from decay, and I choose subjects based on this overarching theme.
Throughout my artistic journey, the subject of signs and creating an overall message about decay within society draws my attention time and time again. My earliest oil paintings demonstrate this fascination. "The Homestead" and "The Spot" are two traditional signs from Alexandria Bay, New York and involve the intricacies of decorative neon lights, light bulbs, and peeling paint around the edges. Going into my high school career, I continued to explore this idea of falling apart with different subjects. I delve into the decay of species with "Bees," the break down of human conversation with "Loss of Communication," and death with "Josephina." Despite the revelations that were driven by this exploration, I always return to the concept and purpose of signs. I want my message to be seen and to combine both avenues of my journey. In "Throw Away USA," I address the decay of humanity in light of American consumerism in the form of a neon sign, tying in the motifs that were established in the past year.
