Senior Exhibits 2020

I am a Graphic Designer, photographer and illustrator. I have a passion for the imperfect odds and ends that society often dismisses and discards. Finding beauty within imperfections is what really scratches my itch. My primary subject matter are people and objects that society often looks down on. As a person bored with the mundane of the natural world, I often change colors to vibrant hues. This combined with my favorite drawing technique, hatching, is my style. My series titled Every Body consists of 18 men and women illustrated using this style. I aim to make a statement that all bodies no matter how big or small are beautiful works of art.
These 18 faceless illustrations ooze confidence with their various statures, colors and lines. Keeping these figures anonymous takes away a personal identity, only leaving a decorated body and its expression. This also helps the audience better relate to the figures by keeping their identities unknown. Some of these types have had their time to shine through various cultural ages, with their differing canons of beauty. Although, many of those same types have been labeled with negative terms today though social media. “My hope is that this reframing of beauty will create a feeling of self-acceptance in the viewer, countering the narrow vision of beauty that our social media driven-age seems to insist upon.” I want you to compare yourself to these illustrations in a positive way while embracing your own ‘imperfections.’ As a whole, this show is about how ALL people struggle equally to love their own form.
I decided to use pixels as my medium to create Every Body because this is what the media constantly uses to tell us what we should and shouldn’t look like. I’m using these images to show the beauty in all types of bodies by abstracting them with the same drawing technique and similar hues. The hatching technique is used to emphasize and embrace the curves and structures of the human forms like we should embrace ourselves. Rather than neatly hatching and cross hatching to depict a naturalistic scene like Dürer, I am breaking down the photos into line and color, while skewing those hues that we normally see. This style separates the viewer requiring them to take a step back to look at the figures as works of art instead of pointing out the flaws of a photo. This repetition of line and color creates shading and accentuates their shapes while amplifying the tone of boldness and self-assurance. They are all framed in varying sizes to emphasize that we all have different body types, and they all are beautiful.
With these illustrations, I have conveyed that not only should we celebrate all types of bodies, but we should also love the one we were given. Using a variation of lines and an array of bold colors, I have depicted various shapes and sizes to create adoration for the ‘imperfections’ and to encourage you to love your body a little more. With this series of illustrations there is nothing left but an anonymous technicolor figure created with lines forcing you to focus on what they really are, imperfect masterpieces. I hope that you walk away loving yourself and embracing all the shapes and colors that make you, you.

[1.5] Every Body

I am pleased to present “Bold Brew”, a colorful and engaging craft beer labels created digitally. I have crafted a series of six individual craft beer bottle labels influenced by Pop Art. The labels take you back in time with their comic-book design and imagery. They feature six different characters that are unique yet familiar troupes. The vibrant color palette will catch your eye, and the sassiness and boldness of the characters will make you want to stay and crack a cold one with them. These labels are meant to evoke a sense of nostalgia while putting a modern, relatable twist on them through the use of pattern, text and expression. 
Many artists create with the intention of a deeper meaning, but I simply make art for the joy of it. I enjoy working with all types of mediums and I am far from a professional or a perfectionist. I like to blast music, get messy and lose myself in the process. I love shapes and colors, simplification and things that make me laugh. I am not attempting to be polemic or aggressively critique our world in either a political or theological manner. And if I do cross any lines, it is merely to be humorous or to entertain.
 
When I first studied the Pop Art movement, I developed a deep appreciation and love for the style. I love the focus on making everything glamorous and how artists can capture so much emotion and drama in one scene, like an action shot. However, what is most interesting is how they create so much depth using flat colors and a flat medium. Being a graphic designer, I knew these flat shapes could really be brought to life with the use of Adobe Illustrator. The program allows me to create any kind of shape with bold outlines and layer them up to build up 3-Dimensionality. I can modify little details such as facials features so that the emotions of the characters are evident not just through the text, but through the body language as well. Creating these digitally also allows me to ensure that the same colors are being used throughout the six pieces so as to create a sense of harmony between each of the individual characters.
My labels feature three men and three women, all with their own bold personality traits. Viewers can get to know the characters better by reading their character card below their label explaining what they’re like when they have a couple Bold Brews. It is my hope that most viewers can relate to at least one character, if not through the looks then though the text. I can only hope that viewers are enjoying my designs as much as I enjoyed creating them.

[4] Dalton

As a child interacts with the world around them, there is a sense of amazement, but as we grow older, we can lose that quality. I wanted to create a body of work that allows the audience to rediscover what it is like to look at the world around them with child-like awe and wonder. One of the places where I am especially able to see this myself is in nature. By choosing to capture the outdoors through the use of simple materials, I invite the viewer to take the opportunity to be reminded of their inner kid and see the beauty in the world as they interact with my show, Thinking Inside the Box, A Journey.
We are all on some type of journey, both literally and metaphorically. When I reflect on a hiking adventure or nature exploration, I think about how you stop to rest at the end of a day’s trip. You enjoy one another’s company around the campfire as stories are told, and you look in fascination at the creation around you. This is what I hope the audience is able to achieve from my work as well. The viewer will have the chance to stop, rest from their day, and travel back to what it was like to be a child as they can take a moment to reflect on what their own journey has been like from their youth to today.
In keeping with the theme, I chose to use materials from my childhood to show how one can push their capabilities and elevate what their resources can do. A kid can look at something and see its potential and possibilities. Thus, I selected a simple, everyday component that from the outside may not look like much but an element of surprise is awaiting on the inside. By making it a structure you can enter, the form engulfs you. Therefore, you are reminded of how your creativity and imagination surrounded you when you were young. There is also a level of interactivity with the piece as well so that the viewers can be involved in the creative process.
I have a fascination for the outdoors and a passion for the arts, and it brings me great joy that I get to combine and share my interests with the audience. I hope my work provides the viewer with a place to stop and rest for a moment and offers them an opportunity to reflect on youthful wonder and the simple joys of life. I want to invite the audience into an experience they can participate in that leaves them inspired to see art, nature, and the simplicity of childhood for its beauty and moves them to go forth and create.

[1.4] Wall 1

[1.2] Every Body

[1.3] Every Body

[1.4] Every Body

[1] Scarlett

[3] Penny

I have been interested in art since I was a child. My journey began with drawing and painting. As my studies progressed, I then transitioned to creating digital works of art during college. For this body of work I chose to combine graphic design and printmaking to create a brand. I love the idea of creating something digitally and then transforming it to a tangible object. I enjoy taking part in the entire creative process from concept sketches to the finished product. My shirt graphics depict different scenarios that young adults between the ages of 18-30 struggle with and are based on wordplay and idioms.
People tend to focus on how we are different. While this is what makes each of us unique, we all have plenty in common. I wanted to create a brand that would help people understand this. Everyone is grappling with something, whether it be depression, heartbreak, or even love. When I am going through something, I like to try to find humor in the situation. I exemplified this in my graphic “tough luck.” I combined the number 13 with a joker and a four leaf clover. I used the number 13 because it is considered to be unlucky by some. The joker represents laughter and the four leaf clover is a reminder that things will get better because it is a symbol of luck.
The shirt graphics are intended to be humorous. Each shirt design is based on a phrase. I used Photoshop, Illustrator, and pronto plates to create my brand. Photoshop enabled me to draw the shirt designs digitally, which made it easy to make adjustments. Illustrator was used for the branding aspect of my project, and to create my logo and posters. Pronto plates provided me with the ability to print my sketches onto the shirts. I have become fond of using pronto plates to transfer a digital creation into something wearable.
Creating this show I experienced a lot of anxiety about deadlines and content. I have since learned to slow down and enjoy the process of building a brand. Rattle My Bones is about being able to laugh at different situations and experiences that are typically considered to be miserable. While misery loves company, I hope that my brand helps to nurture a sense of community for anyone that may be struggling with tough luck.

Senior Exhibits 2020

Items in this collection

[1.5] Every Body

[4] Dalton

[1.4] Wall 1

[1.2] Every Body

[1.3] Every Body

[1.4] Every Body

[1] Scarlett

[3] Penny

[1] Rattle My Bones

[1.3] Entrance

.repo-1h6ne0y{background:#ffffff;text-transform:uppercase;padding-right:1.5rem;}.repo-1h6ne0y:after{content:'';position:absolute;background:#adadad;transform:translateY(-50%);top:50%;left:0;width:100%;height:0.1rem;z-index:-1;}Items in this collection

.repo-96qggn{color:inherit;text-align:left;font-weight:500;line-height:2.3rem;font-size:1.8rem;overflow-wrap:break-word;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-line-clamp:4;overflow:hidden;hyphens:auto;}.repo-96qggn:hover{color:inherit;}[1.5] Every Body

Items in this collection

[1.5] Every Body