Artist's Statement

In the last four years of education, I have begun an introspective approach to creating artwork. Prior to my self-examination, my work was mostly obtuse and directed by some sort of requirement for a specific class. I soon realized that my art meant more to me than a grade. So, I began to create my own projects to take steps toward doing art that mattered deeply to me. 

Currently, I have taken the time to focus on my childhood. It has always been my opinion that children are much closer to themselves and their emotions than adults are. Childhood innocence is a wonderful concept. However, as children grow into adolescence and adulthood, they lose that true sense of self. As we age, our emotions and thoughts begin to slip into a more even state of awareness. However, I miss the sensation of being in tune with myself.  

I am not exactly sure when I lost the freedom of childlike feeling, and when it transformed into a strange coldness of adulthood. However, I have come to the point where I have realized that the feeling is gone and that I want it back. My art lacks an element of whimsy that could possibly push my conceptual work to a new level. Therefore, my most recent creations have been an experiment into the idea of fighting to reclaim something I have lost, my childhood innocence.

Most of my introspective works are in the form of printmedia. My printmaking process started as an experiment. I was looking for a new method to create, and produce work at a rapid pace. I had previously worked with Lithographs, and had enjoyed the work I had created with photo plates. However, I wanted to learn other techniques. I then moved to Intaglio printing and found the result rewarding, but the process very complex. I recently was watching a demonstration on the technique of silkscreen printmaking, and was greatly fascinated by the speed of the process. The idea of multiples, and having a series of works was a very interesting concept. Therefore, I have begun the transition to creating most of my work through silkscreen.

 I have begun using different materials in my printmaking work to capture the youthfulness I desire. In my “Eat Me” series of images, I used different packaged cereals, that I remember eating as a child, to create patterns for silkscreen exposures. I created simple patterns using the simple cereal polygons to mimic childlike fabrics. I plan to expand to other foods, simply because of the senses attached to food; smell, taste, touch. The senses open the possibility of creating something that examines the viewer artwork relationship.

To date, I am still searching, with no exact way of retrieving anything from my past. Yet, I would like to continue this exploration. I want to utilize silkscreen processes with other media. I’d like to combine my printing with photography, creative writing, collage and digital image composition to create more quirky work that relates more to my personality.  However, I would like to study more about child psychology and relate my findings to my artwork. I want to remain focused on reclaiming youth and finding the point at which our feelings become buried within ourselves.