Spontaneous Combustion (Details)

BFA Student

Major: Painting

Graduation Year: 2021

Artist Statement:

My work uses the human form intertwined with other imagery to create a visual stream of consciousness. I see my work existing through a psychedelic and street art lens. It is psychedelic in nature because of my content which includes identity, reality, inner thought processes, my use of extensive color palettes, and the imagery I choose to include. I also see it existing in the realm of street art because of my use of large/flat areas of color, graphic line-work, large scale, lettering, and my use of layering and collage.
I think of each piece as a large sketchbook page. I call my pieces the never-ending paintings because of the permission I give myself to never finish them. I can have paintings laying around for 10 years and just add on to it whenever I feel inclined to do so. This idea loosens up my grip on the outcome of a painting, and helps me to be fully intuitive in my materials and imagery. I see them as a documentation of an inner dialogue I had with myself, in a specific moment, while working on each artwork.
Another element that exists in my paintings is humor and the idea of lowbrow art. I have never taken life too seriously and this clearly reflects in my artwork. The language I choose to use and the imagery I include all work together to mirror the humor that exists in my personality. I never try to hide mistakes, but rather blatantly highlight, and even poke fun of them directly on the piece. This freedom and lightheartedness has given me the ability to have fun with painting and to let go of the rigidity I had for so long that was turning art into something stressful and toxic.