Final piece!

Artist Statement

Sweaty palms, skin that feels like fire, fluttering in my chest, trouble breathing, and restlessness are what I experience at least once a day. Anxiety has managed to take over my life. It begins with a thought that links to another thought which keeps going till I get to the most feared thought and then becomes an obsession. This obsessive, day ruining thought has successfully kept me from complete happiness. It has ruined dates, classes, movies, and everyday activities, because my brain cannot get past that intruding memory or worry. All of the other thoughts are sitting patiently behind it to be acknowledged but seem to never get their fair share of attention. The thought could be anything from boyfriend trouble to money to my biggest fear, death. It has completely debilitated my ability to function normally from day to day. I can complete all of my tasks but not to the 100%. Anxiety is something everyone has, but seems to effect me to the point of never wanting to deal with any situation.

With my work, I am using a main form to represent "the thought" and other patterns and drawings to be the other thoughts the are diminished and left behind due to this obstruction. All of the other thoughts begin to become less important regardless of how important they really are. Nothing has seemed to help this problem and art seems to increase it. By sitting and drawing or line etching, my focus tends to stick with the toxic idea and being alone with the canvas only isolates me from other, more happy things.

Phase 3

Phase 3 was going to be a canvas with the same paper cut outs but probably color. THEEEEEN, it was going to be a somewhat 3D piece with cut out "orbs" with paint or drawings on it with some sort of paper web coming up from underneath it taking it over, on the floor.. Then it was going to be on the wall....now I have some orbs cut out and drawn on, but now after doing some etchings, I think I am going to do a larger canvas with my new found drawing obsession. The idea is still the same about an existing thought that will not let others connect or become prominent in my brain.

Phase 2 Final piece

Phase 2 final piece came out ok! Butttttt, it did not come out as planned. I had an ok critique but now that my work has moved in a completely different direction, my 3rd phase has changed!! Phase 2 is nice but it does make me want to work with color more and be a little more inventive with shapes, forms, lines, and color!

Lisa Yuskavage/ Artist Talks

Last Wednesday I went to the reception for Lisa Yuskavage, but she never showed....we all literally sat around ate cheese and crackers and waited for her to attend. She had a lecture that night at 6 pm but I could not make it due to previous engagements. I was really looking forward to meeting her and listening to her talk because her work is very interesting and I would like to know more about it! Her work is very sexual and curious. Sometimes you dont even know what is going on.


I have also been going to artist talks every wednesday at 315 in Kennedy...I have seen some great visiting artist talks....most are graduates from here, some from Yale etc....I cannot for the life of me remember any of their names I have seen so many but will find out who everyone was!!! Anyways these talks are good to go to for 2D artists because it shows you what other people are doing and what is being acknowledged! For example one woman was doing a lot of political work about herself as the president and how women could change the world. Another MassArt graduate did videos and paintings about cat people and it was all in Japanese. She had the same technique as William Kentridge....she would paint and paint layers and move objects within the canvas creating a film. At the end of her process she would exhibit the final painting as well as the video. This is something I wish Kentridge would do with his charcoal drawings!

WIlliam Kentridge

William Kentridge is seriously so amazing! I went to his exhibit at MassArt last week and was truly astounded at the amount of work he had! I have seen many of his videos and have been moved by them, but seeing his prints was so inspirational because of his unusual techniques. On one of the prints it was done with a soft ground which is a thinner resist for etching in which he created a man out of his own thumbprints. He made sure each mark made a shadow or created a form! His videos are all very political, usually about oppression and power. I am overwhelmed with his patience and genius! What is also interesting is Fred printed one of the prints in the show with Kentridge himself! Great show!!

Plans for Phase 2

I would like to continue with the same theme of anxiety in my work, but want to follow through with my original plan of materials! I would like to get a large canvas and draw with markers and possibly use chalk ( because I liked the effect) and then collage on a large sheet of paper in the shape of the "obstruction" shape in the others......i want this to come off the canvas and flow onto the wall....showing that it is overwhelming and taking over in a sense....I have been experimenting with drawing and collaging so I feel as though I am gaining some familiarity with other patterns and forms! I am excited for Phase 2!