When I was 6 years old, I told my mom
that I needed ‘real art lessons’; the lessons and crafts we created
at home were not enough to fulfill my big ambitions. I began with private lessons to build foundational drawing skills that opened
my eyes to see the world from a new point of view. I remember learning about
perspective and how I could use parallel lines and angles to effectively create
a world of depth on a flat sheet of paper. I drew nothing but cubes and
city-scapes for months. I still continued experiments in jewelry making,
fashion design, wood whittling, and clay sculpture at home - and I took
great joy in bestowing my unique creations upon family and friends at
Christmas. My sisters would take delight in describing to you the entire outfit
I once crocheted out of yarn: the halter-top, skirt, hat with tassels, and even
slippers.
However, my primary passion is drawing and painting. I took a
large leap forward when I enrolled in an art institute where I began
using sheets of paper almost larger than me. I explored the capabilities of
messy charcoal and went home after every class wearing the remnants of my work
in smudged, black marks across my face. However, the beginnings of my true
passion ignited when I opened those big cabinets at the institute filled with a
spectrum of colors in acrylic paints. Of course, my previous endeavors had led
to some contact with painting; but now I was introduced to color theory,
schemes, saturation, tone, brush marks, energy, lighting, composition, and
conceptual ideas. I filled sketchbooks with thumbnail drawings as I explored
compositions to effectively relay the message or story I was trying to tell
through my paintings. My world changed: I saw the purpose behind the placement
of objects in advertisements, I understood why the camera angle would move in
certain directions in horror movies, and I recognized repeating patterns in
both the natural and commercial world that I could incorporate into my own
creations.
Recently, I began to experiment with a variety texture by
adding different mediums to my pieces. If you were to flip through my current
sketchbook, you would find one page covered in a gritty paste next to another
page where I painstakingly placed tiny glitter sequins one by one to create an
iridescent pattern. This development in my artistic journey
has kindled a new area of intrigue as I break out beyond the two dimensional
barrier. In my most recent works, I explored the use of string, fabric, and
wire to extend my message outside the flat surface of my paintings. In
painting, the brush becomes an extension of my arm to relay energetic marks. In
using these other materials, my hands become the actual tools.
I have discovered that my hands-on creative nature affects every
area of my life. I see the world differently: I don’t just observe the events
that take place around me, I plan out how I would record, explain, or
manipulate them through lines, color, and now three dimensional forms. My
actions are similarly influenced as well. For example, when I studied the
psychological development of the brain, I sculpted an anatomical brain
with color-coded structures to aid in my understanding of the subject. When I
am required to memorize facts, I write and rewrite the information because the
physical motion in my hand aids my mental processes.
As I take the next step in my creative career, attending SUNY New Paltz with the plan to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Visual Arts degree, I hope to continually engage my artistic personality and outlook on life.
