purpose

I was trying to go back and finish my bachelors this semester, but it just wasn’t in the cards. I had convinced myself that art therapy was the only thing that made sense to do, but when you are fighting for a dream you don’t really want to come true, you run out of steam quickly. 

I did finish the half semester course that they make all the art majors take. They run through things like how to get in a gallery, what the local fine art scene is like, lectures from museum curators and studio owners, etc. One of the things we had to do was write our artist statement – a paragraph or two that describes the what and why of your work. I got a 7/10 on mine, because “There needs to be something the audience can relate to or get meaning out of. Something deeper, connected to an issue in society or humanity in general.” I wondered if they would also give Monet a 7/10 for not being deep enough. 

But anyway fuck them, this is my artist statement.

My portraiture is a celebration of the people who inspire me. The figures run the gambit from highly rendered to heavily stylized, but everything comes back to color and gesture and expression that portrays my internal experience of them.

Likeness is my primary focus, but it’s a slippery concept. When using caricature to heighten it, there are no precise measurements to guide you, no science that will guarantee that key-in-lock feeling of capturing a person’s essence. But it is precisely because of how elusive it is, that it feels like magic when I can create a likness that is instantly recognizable – while still specific to my subjective perception. I am forever grateful I am able to show those I draw all the light and beauty I see in them.