Fall 2023 – Graduate Art Exhibition
Chaos ensues in every attempt to create. I find the joy in attempting not to harness it but simply to show an appreciation for it in the form of art. Portfolio
Haley Baker
My works is rooted in the exploration of tethering the use of imaginative art and visual art. I use traditional materials; graphite, pastels, paints, as well as digital media. Most of my artwork is an extension of my own thoughts, feelings, and emotions drawn out for my own further development and expression. I find using art to battle mental illness is empowering while also bringing the issues of mental illnesses and stigma to light. A picture is worth a thousand words, but adding poetry makes it a thousand and one. Portfolio.
Ro’Shaun Dorsey
My purpose is to make art by capturing my life’s journey in an unforgettable and unique way. Color is a representation that speaks to my emotions, and painting is where I find happiness. I paint my inspiration from the world around me. My favorite things in life influence every piece of art I create. Whether it be animals, landscapes, food, or childhood memories. Using a mix of media of acrylic, watercolor markers, magazines, and photos emphasizes the flow of my ideas and memories. Pour painting has also become my favorite technique of letting the paint express my self-reflection. This technique allowed me to view the world as others may view with their own perspective. Not knowing how the results would be with interesting patterns is breathtaking. My primary objective is to keep enjoying and expressing the colors of my passion while encouraging others to continue doing the same. Portfolio.
Liz Eames
As an artist I like to use many different materials. I am always interested in expanding my knowledge of art materials. I enjoy using acrylic paint and charcoal and chalk pastels the most. I also enjoy fabrics, collage, crochet and natural materials. My goal as an artist would be to create things that express how I feel and to create something that makes people think and inspires them to make their own art. The most important reason that I make art is because I want to expand my knowledge and explore different art materials. Portfolio.
My personal artmaking process focuses on the expression of my emotions and experiences. Using art as my outlet allows for my creativity to flow and the art becomes a personal representation of my own life. It also releases difficult emotions that are hard to handle otherwise. In the future, I hope to explore different mediums with my future processes. Portfolio.
Angela Modzelewski
My art is a practice and a journey. Art is the way I connect with my outer and inner worlds. When I am making art, I’m immersed in the present. I notice the colors, negative space, textures, light, and contours surrounding me. I also notice my own feelings, body sensations, thoughts, and breathing. My personal artwork crystallizes the feelings, places, events, and experiences that make an impression on me. Nature, organic shapes, and explorations of color and contrast are frequent themes in my artwork. Paths, cairns, and trails often appear in my work, consciously or subconsciously. Portfolio.
Vivre au Soleil (living in the sunlight). I am fascinated with everyday shadows and reflections because they allude to the presence of sunlight which I live for. Often my work begins with a photograph taken and then develops and takes form in a surprising way while listening to music. The medium varies. Showing the presence of things unseen is a common theme. Wrestling with time, human nature, the why questions and the interconnected web of our lives are all revealed through images and words within my art. Each artwork is often inspired by studying human nature and its patterns. During my many years of teaching art I have observed the power of images to reveal the subconscious as a non verbal yet powerful form of expression. Art is a way of life. Art is a source of strength. Art is a path to healing. These truths I have found within my own work. These truths I have observed in the works of my students. Portfolio.
Anna Stafford
I use art to express myself and I have recently been through some changes in life, growing up seeing what it is to be an adult. Along the way I feel like I have lost sight of who I am. My intent is to create images combining 2D and 3D objects and layering to explore my identity. I would create the 3D objects using wood, clay and various other materials, and the 2D objects will be done with charcoal, acrylic paint or spray paint; then the combining of the objects will be done through the use of perspective, lighting and photography. Portfolio.
Aimee Walden
I believe art is healing. This is why I create. I create to slow down my life. To be mindful of my feelings and thoughts of all the experiences I may go through in my life. I create when I’m happy, sad, angry, confused or need to express outwardly what I feel on the inside. I love being able to share the emotions that happen within me. Through my art I want others to be able to feel that it is safe to express your emotions. Portfolio.
Ann Wendle
My art making process can be free flowing or by method. I often begin the movement of the art making process with an idea, allowing my creativity to unfold organically. When I step back an observe what is beginning, I think about what “belongs” with my original flow. There are layers and reflections in my process as an expression of my thoughts and feelings. It is a product of a directive, an experience, an emotion or a memory. The media I select is an evolution of how I feel when thinking about the directive or flow. Through my process, I am open to my art moving in a different direction that what I initially anticipate and use each pivot in my expression to be presented as a smaller piece within a piece. Occasionally, a work of art is produced and remains the final piece. Often my initial pieces are the template for a fuller piece to come. Portfolio.