"The Critics"
Oil, 24 x 24 in.
This piece speaks to the experience of stage fright and being put on the spot.I am notoriously afraid of speaking in front of a crowd and it is a hallmark of many introverted individuals. In the piece, my hand is pulling back a curtain in fear of going onto the stage and facing a crowd of "critics" with overly judgmental expressions. With a microphone and spotlight as the focal point, I want to make the viewer experience anxiety and stress to perform. When completing the faces in the background, I wrestled with the idea of whether to make them realistic. Once I got started, the expressions seemed to flow out of my paintbrush with ease and I realized that the stylized, almost dream-like quality the faces had taken on was exactly what I was going for.
"Blind Line Contour Portrait"
Pen, Watercolor, 13.5 x 18.5 in.
This piece is a blind line contour self portrait accentuated by watercolor
"Legs"
Charcoal, 21 x 28 in.
The piece’s central idea is about negative body image and specific parts of our bodies that we are ashamed of. In my case, I have never really liked the size or look of my legs and wanted to highlight them. I decided to make the legs the focal point of the composition and have light directly hitting them. I purposefully obscured my face and used expressive marks around the legs to highlight their significance. I appreciate "Legs" because I feel it was a major turning point in my journey as an artist and helped me gain confidence in my own abilities. In addition, it also helped me have a renewed appreciation for a part of my body that was previously disliked.
"Speak"
Pen, Colored Pencil, Thread, 17 x 17.5 in.
This piece is about introverts being pressured to speak by outgoing, extroverted individuals. I have experienced this many times, particularly in a group setting, which is why I added many small mouth figures. My lips are sewn shut because my difficulty in contributing to a conversation often feels overwhelming and physically beyond my control.
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"Persimmon Still Life"
Watercolor, 8 x 9 in.
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"Bee Illustration"
Pen, Watercolor, 6 x 30 in.
Though the illustrations appear as one piece, they are actually five separate boards that form a series. The bee starts in full color and is further abstracted until it is only line and shape.
"Paint by Number"
Pen, 14 x 17 in.
This piece features a paint by number version of me being filled in by the world. Because I have a hard time opening up to people, they will often form their own opinion about how I feel or what I'm thinking. In the photo, my hand (bottom right corner) is the only one not filling in myself because I've given up trying to explain my thoughts or control other people's view of me.
"Rabbit Still Life"
Oil, 11 x 14 in.
"Many Sides of Me"
Charcoal, 18 x 24 in.
The piece has five versions of me, all portraying different emotions. Though I typically present only one neutral, ambivalent face to the world (upper left corner), I feel a whole range of emotions in my head. This charcoal drawing encompasses the many feelings I have that the world does not get to see: annoyance/disgust, sadness, joy, and suspicion.
"Pumpkin Still Life"
Oil, 12 x 18
"Ideas"
Acrylic, 30 x 40
This piece centers around an individual's creativity and capacity to form ideas. When we have a brilliant concept to share with the world, we are sharing our inner light with others. The multi-colored figures represent innovative ideas being created and spread.
"Flow"
Ink, 8.5 x 11 in.
This piece was created using ink and unorthodox drawing materials such as leaves, branches, bubble wrap, etc. I wanted to focus on design aspects and creating a visually pleasing composition that appears to "flow" through the viewer's mind.
"Lost for Words"
Watercolor, Pen, 15 x 16.5 in.
I painted this piece in watercolor and added pen in certain spots for definition. "Lost for Words" is about the inner chaos that occurs when struggling to respond in one-on-one conversations. Figuring out the right thing to say can internally feel like wires are disconnecting and fire is spreading. The words in the background represent things I end up saying that I don't necessarily mean when put on the spot, such as "Whatever you want" and "I don't know".
"Blind Me"
Pen, 13 x 10 in.
"Reflective Still Life"
Charcoal, 17 x 12 in.
"Kevin"
Charcoal,18 x 24 in.
A portrait from direct observation of my dad.
"Come out of Your Shell"
Colored Pencil, Acrylic, Charcoal, Beads, 17 x 21 in.
In this piece, I created an intricate and complicated shell to represent my introverted comfort zone. I am depicted being pulled out my shell and turning gray as I enter the world. The black and white version of me shows the unnatural change that occurs when I am forced to be someone I'm not. Beads coming off the shell show that the introverted, quiet part of me will always be evident, even when outside of my shell.