My Artist Statement (For Now.)

I’ve always been drawn to art that mixes elements of realism with fantasy in a way that makes the viewer search for connections. Many of my past pieces use bright color and a mix of delicate and bold lines to show a contrast of emotion. I recently became interested in the idea of portraying unusual situations (or “things you don’t see everyday”) in my art. For instance, one of my most recent pieces uses a contrast of bright and dark color to juxtapose circus clowns with uptight businessman in an elevator. Clearly, this isn’t a site one would encounter everyday and I think it would be interesting to confront viewers with several situations like this that will make them think about how they would respond if they were placed in these strange situations.
In the past, I’ve found myself spending hours and hours working on thumbnails and making rough drafts. I’ve recently discovered that making each part of the page active early on makes it easier to add intensity as the process progresses. I feel that my new method of creating art will work well for my chosen concentration, since I plan on focusing on high-energy situations with contrasting moods and force.
A few years ago, I was very strongly opposed to basically any artistic medium other than pencils. Recently, I’ve grown extremely fond of drawing pens, charcoal, and oil pastel. I’m also becoming more used to using paint and ink. I hope to combine these mediums more often because I feel that some of the most successful, interesting pieces are those that use multiple materials. I’ve also become interested in photography and plan on photographing my surroundings often so I have several references and a basis for ideas.