Artist Statement Final

My work comments on identity and perception, how personality is perceived in all its complexity (by self and others). My paintings of headless, minimalistic figures question whether we can really know someone if we can’t see what is going on inside their mind. All that is visible is the bare minimum, the outline of the figure – the rest is left as a mystery. My digital work incorporates both clips of figures dancing and abstract shapes. The abstract shapes are actually the same figure doing the same movements, but in those clips they look completely different. A person could appear quiet and reserved in one environment, but in another setting the same person could be outgoing and talkative. In different situations, people show different parts of their personality.

My digital work has greatly influenced the direction of my 2-D work.  Experimenting with rotoscoping to create the projected animations caused the shift in my painting style. During my digital exploration, I no longer focused on making objects realistic; instead, I became interested in minimalism. I was also inspired by various title sequences for movies and graphic designers such as Saul Bass. I like using minimalistic images to capture the curiosity of the viewer to what the greater story or meaning might be. For instance, Saul Bass uses this idea in his title sequence for Dr. No (1962).

I first became interested in digital media because of my love for telling stories.  Animation and film allow me to combine story telling with art. Overtime my digital work has transformed into portraying more of an abstract story due to my interest in motion graphics. I plan to pursue a future career in motion graphics and will be studying motion media design at Savannah College of Art and Design in the fall.

Even though I love creating digital art, a paintbrush will always be one of my favorite tools.  One of the most influential people in my life is my mom. She is an artist and because of her, art has been a huge part of who I am for as long as I can remember.