Artist Statement

 

My senior exhibition pays tribute to my family, the people I love the most. These pieces honor those who raised me and pushed me to be the artist I am today. The places and objects in my pieces symbolize the stepping stones to who I am. I chose to do this in ballpoint pen on paper because ballpoint is more physical. The ink is unforgiving, and you have to stick with what you start - which is something I have trouble doing. It doesn’t smudge or shift, just as my family pushed me to stay true to who I am and follow the “lines” I set out for myself. These pieces are an open book, they don’t rely on interpretation or guesswork; they don’t hide what they represent or who they are. These pieces, like myself and my family, are proud and open about every inch of themselves.

My senior show has change at least three times, but one thing stayed consistent the entire time and that was the love I wanted to show my family. With the pandemic we are currently all struggling with, it is even more important to think about those you love and those you miss. My original senior show utilized printmaking techniques. Once the quarantine started, I was not able to use the art building and all the tools within. That being said I changed my show into something I had complete control over. I made the best of a terrible situation and pushed through it; my family showed me the way. This is for them.