{"id":13325,"date":"2020-04-21T16:33:37","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T20:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/museum\/?page_id=13325"},"modified":"2023-04-27T13:16:06","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T17:16:06","slug":"seniorthesis2020","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/museum\/seniorthesis2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior Thesis Online Exhibition 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/span>\"Haiyao
\n

Senior Thesis Exhibition 2020<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Haiyao Tian, My Room #01<\/em>, 2019, digital photograph, 13 x 19 inches<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Featured through June 7, 2020<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n

Since its dedication in 1986, The Bates College Museum of Art has maintained a special relationship with the college\u2019s Department of Art & Visual Culture. Part of this is a commitment to supporting the work of Bates students through our Annual Senior Thesis Exhibition. The exhibition highlights work selected from the thesis projects of graduating seniors majoring in Studio Art.<\/p>\n

Thesis projects vary from student to student, each pursuing an individual interest. The emphasis of the program is on creating a cohesive body of related works through sustained studio practice and critical inquiry. The year-long process is overseen by Art and Visual Culture faculty, and culminates in this exhibition.<\/p>\n

Student thesis work is displayed below and includes thesis statements and a gallery of images for each artist. To view the 2020 exhibition, click on individual artist\u2019s names and scroll down to read their statement and see a selection of artwork.  An illustrated exhibition brochure is downloadable by clicking here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n

+<\/span>Ariel Abonizio<\/a><\/h5>
\n
\"Ariel
Ariel Abonizio, Unicorn Dreams<\/em>, 2019, inkjet print, 29 x 36 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, things feel more present when they are gone – like a missing family member, an abandoned house, or a single sock without its mate. In my life, absences often resemble apparitions, events from my past that linger on despite not being actually there. When something is forgotten, I can still feel its contours, as something still remains. It is as if silence could be louder than words. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other times, the opposite happens: presence is unfulfilling\nand resembles absence. It is like seeing a fake smile or being in a house full\nof strangers. The moments when presence vanishes and turns to nothing are more\nhaunting than ghosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet, within this atmosphere of loss and grieving, the\nparadox of presence and absence also evokes comedy. In my artistic practice I\ntry to capture the hole in every donut. Through photographs, videos, and\ninstallations, I document what is not there. I make copies of a reality that\nnever truly existed, not even in my dreams – I make unicorns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About unicorns, Greek philosopher Pliny unironically wrote: \u201cIt is the fiercest animal, and it is impossible to capture one alive.\u201d Similarly, presence and absence cannot be directly apprehended. To see a unicorn, you first have to close your eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Ariel<\/a>
Ariel Abonizio, Unicorn Dreams #2<\/em>, 2018, digital photograph<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ariel<\/a>
Ariel Abonizio, Unicorn Dreams #3<\/em>, 2019, digital photograph<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ariel<\/a>
Ariel Abonizio, Unicorn Dreams #4<\/em>, 2019, digital photograph<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ariel<\/a>
Ariel Abonizio, Untitled #1<\/em>, 2020, tampered photograph, 8 1\/2 x 11 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ariel<\/a>
Ariel Abonizio, Untitled #2<\/em>, 2020, tampered photograph, 8 1\/2 x 11 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ariel<\/a>
Ariel Abonizio, Untitled #3<\/em>, 2020, tampered photograph, 8 1\/2 x 11 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ariel<\/a>
Ariel Abonizio, Untitled #4<\/em>, 2020, tampered photograph, 8 1\/2 x 11 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ariel<\/a>
Ariel Abonizio, Untitled #5<\/em>, 2020, tampered photograph, 8 1\/2 x 11 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ariel<\/a>
Ariel Abonizio, Fairyland Installation Detail<\/em>, 2020<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
+<\/span>Mayele Alognon<\/a><\/h5>
\n
\"Mayele
Mayele Alognon, Black skin on cardboard I<\/em> , 2019, gouache, 35 x 23 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Is there one authentic version of self or are there multiple\u2014even\ninfinite\u2014versions that are all equally authentic? My work investigates this\nquestion, on the assumption that the latter is closest to the truth. I paint to\nvalidate all of these versions, making nude self-portraits on cardboard as an\nexploration of the multiplicity of my being, as well as experimentation of how\nsurface can transform object and the inverse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I paint my body in multiple instances to consider the number of\nidentities that occupy my one being. It is not sufficient to paint only one\nversion or a singular figure to represent myself, because I am never one single\nthing; I am never just embodying one aspect of my identity, nor drawing from a\nsingle emotion or experience. I am African American. I am female. I am an\nimmigrant. I am a daughter. I am a sister. I try to paint myself in my\nentirety, keeping in mind the vulnerability, the shame and the excitement that\nare all present within the process of creating this work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the concept of wholeness is a significant component of my\npaintings, I paint my body in fragments. Parts of me are hidden, obscured or\nspliced. In some paintings, it may be difficult to tell where one figure begins\nand where another ends, because with this multifaceted process comes complexity\nand ambiguity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, I take photos of myself, then I choose three or four that\nhave similar focus either on a specific body part or indefinite emotion that I attempt\nto work through. Next, I make a line drawing on cardboard, and finally, I begin\nto paint with gouache, an opaque type of watercolor. The paintings are mostly\ngouache on cardboard, a textured and imperfect surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I use cardboard for a few reasons. I am interested in reusing materials and finding a purpose for items that are often thrown out without a second thought. I am also interested in seeing how medium and surface work off of each other. The meaning of a painting can change knowing the previous uses of the surface and its near fate as garbage. Mainly, it is my goal for the brown gouache to look as if it is emerging from the cardboard, so that the materials normalize blackness and black skin as well as the imperfections, roughness, complexity and ultimately the beauty that it inherently carries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Mayele<\/a>
Mayele Alognon, Black skin on cardboard I <\/em>, 2019, gouache, 35 x 23 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mayele<\/a>
Mayele Alognon, Black skin on cardboard II<\/em>, 2019, gouache, 23 x 35 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mayele<\/a>
Mayele Alognon, Black skin on cardboard III<\/em>, 2019, gouache, 24 5\/16 x 36 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mayele<\/a>
Mayele Alognon, Black skin on cardboard IV,<\/em> 2019, gouache, 22 1\/2 x 29 13\/16 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mayele<\/a>
Mayele Alognon, Black skin on cardboard V<\/em>, 2019-20, gouache, 23 x 35 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mayele<\/a>
Mayele Alognon, Black skin on cardboard VI,<\/em> 2019-20, gouache, 36 x 24 5\/16 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mayele<\/a>
Mayele Alognon, Black skin on cardboard VII<\/em>, 2020, gouache, 24 5\/16 x 17 12\/16 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mayele<\/a>
Mayele Alognon, Black skin on cardboard VIII<\/em>, 2020, gouache, 23 x 35 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mayele<\/a>
Mayele Alognon, Black skin on cardboard IX<\/em>, 2019-20, gouache, 23 x 35 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
+<\/span>Nick Eaton<\/a><\/h5>
\n
\"\"
Nick Eaton, Catch and Release #1<\/em>, 2019, digital photograph, 13 x 9 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Fly fishing and photography have taught me similar things;\npatience, respect, and sensitivity. Throughout my work, I use both of these\npassions to examine my relationship with nature, and the beauty that can be\nseen when an effort is made to stop and observe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process of producing photographs of a fish in its own habitat\nis challenging. In order to get these shots, I first had to catch the fish\nusing a hand-tied fly. After securing the fish, I held it gently in the water\nwith its scales visible to the camera, in order to keep its gills submerged. As\nI stood there in cold, waist-deep water with wet, salty hands trying to get the\nperfect shot, I admired the sheer magnificence and strength of this fish. As a\nfly fisherman, it is very important to me to make every effort to ensure\nlong-term health of the beautiful fish I am lucky enough to encounter, so I\nwork quickly and then release the fish back into the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catching the fish is the culminating event at the end of long\nsessions at my table creating life-like flies out of elk and deer hair, rabbit\nfur, and hen feathers. This entire process adds another personal dimension to\nmy work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My photographs of Maine-caught striped bass are intentionally\nprinted in a small format to bring the viewer in closer, to examine the\nintimate nature of a human hand caressing the fish. In addition to intimate\nphotographs, I also work on a larger-than-life scale. The macro-photographs of\nhand-tied flies unpack and reveal layers of detail that would be nearly\ninvisible to the naked-eye. Whether looking at the natural iridescent color on\nthe fish\u2019s scales, unique pattern of the human hand, or the coarse elk hair in\nthe fly, all these subjects hold unique details that help tell their story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contributing towards the appreciation of the intimate\nrelationship that is shared between fly fishers and their catch-and-release\nfishery, I aim to complicate something that is too often associated with\nhypermasculinity, killing, and disrespect for the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fly fishing is about so much more than just catching fish. It is a\npractice where everything is intertwined; from tying the flies by hand, to\nunderstanding entomology and the weather in order to know when to use a certain\ntype of fly. Those who fly fish are conservationists committed to ensuring a\nhealthy environment and ecosystem, keeping our rivers running cold, and\npreserving fish stocks for generations to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Nick<\/a>
Nick Eaton, Ephemeroptera<\/em>, 2020, digital photograph, 40 x 30 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Nick<\/a>
Nick Eaton, Ephemeroptera Naiad,<\/em> 2020, digital photograph, 40 x 30 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Nick<\/a>
Nick Eaton, Trichoptera<\/em>, 2020, digital photograph, 40 x 30 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Nick<\/a>
Nick Eaton, Catch and Release #1<\/em>, 2019, digital photograph, 13 x 9 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Nick<\/a>
Nick Eaton, Catch and Release #2<\/em>, 2019, digital photograph, 9 x 13 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Nick<\/a>
Nick Eaton, Catch and Release #3<\/em>, 2019, digital photograph, 9 x 13 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Nick<\/a>
Nick Eaton, Catch and Release #4<\/em>, 2019, digital photograph, 13 x 9 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Nick<\/a>
Nick Eaton, Catch and Release #5<\/em>, 2019, digital photograph, 9 x 13 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Nick<\/a>
Nick Eaton, Catch and Release #6<\/em>, 2019, digital photograph, 13 x 9 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
+<\/span>Celia Feal-Staub<\/a><\/h5>
\n
\"Celia
Celia Feal-Staub, Gut Feeling<\/em>, 2019, reduction fired stoneware, various sizes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I am motivated by an object\u2019s intrinsic ability to affect us and our experiences. My work in clay began with function: mugs, bowls, pitchers, jars, plates, and other utilitarian objects to use in one\u2019s everyday life. As I learned how to throw functional pots on the wheel, for me the practice became a form of complete and utter control. I controlled the speed of the wheel, and the pressure of my hand which pushed the clay wall out, creating a different curve each time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I have moved away from functional pottery and from this\nintense desire for perfection. I focus on allowing myself to give up such extreme control. I\nnow give myself the freedom to fully experiment\nwith form, and also with collapse. I allow my feelings of anxiety and\ndesperation and joy and compassion to seep\ninto my work, rather than barricading emotion out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I use varying levels of distortion, inflation, and deflation in a\ntactile way to explore the concept of what an object\u2019s force can be. When I work, I think\nabout breath – deep, calm, truly content breath,\nor panicked, shallow, and rapid breath. I bring this into my work in a literal\nsense, by breathing into some of my vessels\nand removing the air from others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The human-esque, emotive nature of these vessels is what compels\nme to make more. With a squeeze of the vessel\u2019s neck, or push to the belly, they\ntake on entirely new forms \u2013 perhaps forms of\npeople in love, listening deeply to each other, enveloped in hatred, rejection,\nlonging, acceptance or the lack of it, or\nempathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you see? What do you feel? I am fascinated by the way that\nmeanings and narratives are assigned to my work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think of my collection of vessels as a visual calendar and journal. Every touch, indent, or deflation I make represents a specific moment in time. As I make more and more of these vessels, I am increasingly drawn to what happens when the quantity of vessels nears hundreds, and my own time and labor are explicitly represented. One vessel on its own does not evoke as many stories or emotions, but when the vessels amass, relationship dynamics and narratives begin to emerge. The vessels collapse into each other to create not merely a collection of items, but also one large cohesive moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Celia<\/a>
Celia Feal-Staub, Gut Feeling<\/em>, 2019, reduction fired stoneware, sizes range from 4 x 3 x 4 to 4 x 4 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Celia<\/a>
Celia Feal-Staub, Gut Feeling, <\/em>2019, reduction fired stoneware, sizes range from 4 x 3 x 4 to 4 x 4 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Celia<\/a>
Celia Feal-Staub, Gut Feeling (detail)<\/em>, 2019, reduction fired stoneware, sizes range from 4 x 3 x 4 to 4 x 4 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Celia<\/a>
Celia Feal-Staub, Gut Feeling (detail)<\/em>, 2019, reduction fired stoneware, sizes range from 4 x 3 x 4 to 4 x 4 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Celia<\/a>
Celia Feal-Staub, Gut Feeling<\/em>, 2019, reduction fired stoneware, sizes range from 4 x 3 x 4 to 4 x 4 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Celia<\/a>
Celia Feal-Staub, Gut Feeling (detail)<\/em>, 2019, reduction fired stoneware, sizes range from 3 x 3 x 4 to 4 x 4 x 8 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Celia<\/a>
Celia Feal-Staub, Gut Feeling (in progress<\/em>, 2019-2020, stoneware, sizes range from 4 x 3 x 4 to 7 x 5 x 18 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Celia<\/a>
Celia Feal-Staub throwing a vessel, 2020, stoneware, photograph by Phyllis Graber Jensen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Celia<\/a>
Celia Feal-Staub throwing a vessel, 2020, stoneware, photograph by Phyllis Graber Jensen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
+<\/span>Sophie Gerry<\/a><\/h5>
\n
\"Sophie
Sophie Gerry, Local Landscape 1<\/em>, 2020, black ink wash, and black and white pen on toned paper, 12 x 7 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While working in the studio I ask questions about my relationship\nto home. How do I perceive, experience, and remember the landscapes I have\nspent my life in? How do I move through those places and why do they feel so\ncomfortable? These questions, and others like them, have guided me in\nidentifying nuances in natural landscapes and personal memory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I develop artwork that emphasizes multidimensional, expansive\nviews of the natural world based on the woods and mountains surrounding my\nhometown. These landscapes, botanical studies, and gently moving mobiles begin\nto capture the visual experience of moving through a natural setting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I cut and fold weighted, colored, and textured papers. I illustrate\nand pattern these papers using pens, pencils, ink washes, and cut-out shapes.\nPlacing cutout forms on top of and in front of each other logically leads to\nworking with paper mobiles. Layered images and moving mobiles both ask to be\nlooked at from different angles. Changing the levels and positions of these\npieces, reveals new shadows and versions of the imagery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have looked to the installation work and written statements of\nthe Danish-Islandic artist, Olafur Eliasson. Much of Eliasson\u2019s work is based\non perceptions of space. He writes about the way movement through space\nstrengthens connection and creates vivid sensory memories of specific\nlocations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My work is both irregular and controlled, detailed and simple. I\nhave studied Norwegian folk art, and modern and contemporary Finnish and\nSwedish design. The roots of this visual and material culture are embedded in\nScandinavian life: values such as practicality, simplicity, and sustainability\nlink to appreciating and utilizing local landscapes. In this context I have\nworked to distill images of complex natural features into simplified and\nwhimsical forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I carry mental images of the trail systems that surround my\nhometown. They sweep through shaded woods and open meadows, and cut across\nhillsides. I know the contours of the mountains and can map the turns of each\ntrail. Although my memory of those places is strong, the landscape shifts and\nevolves with each season. Similarly, my perceptions flicker and change over\ntime. The art I make is my act of remembering. I work to keep in close contact\nwith the places that have so positively impacted me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Unfolding Landscape (Beginning)<\/em>, 2020, black ink wash, black and white pen on toned paper, full book 46 x 4 1\/4 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Unfolding Landscape (Middle)<\/em>, 2020, black ink wash, black and white pen on toned paper, full book 46 x 4 1\/4 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Unfolding Landscape (End)<\/em>, 2020, black ink wash, black and white pen on toned paper, full book 46 x 4 1\/4 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Unfolding Landscape (Full)<\/em>, 2020, black ink wash, black and white pen on toned paper, 46 x 4 1\/4 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Unfolding Homeplace (Beginning)<\/em>, 2020, bristol paper, vellum, and toned paper, full book 46 x 4 1\/4 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Unfolding Homeplace (Middle)<\/em>, 2020, bristol paper, vellum, and toned paper, full book 46 x 4 1\/4 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Unfolding Homeplace (End)<\/em>, 2020, bristol paper, vellum, and toned paper, full book 46 x 4 1\/4 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Shifting Space<\/em>, 2020, perspective cubes, black, white and gray pen on toned paper, nails, and woodbacking, each 3 x 3 1\/4 x 1 1\/4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Shifting Space (detail)<\/em>, 2020, perspective cubes, black, white and gray pen on toned paper, nails, and woodbacking, each 3 x 3 1\/4 x 1 1\/4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Local Landscape 1<\/em>, 2020, black ink wash, and black and white pen on toned paper, 12 x 7 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Local Landscape 2<\/em>, 2020, black and white pen on toned paper and vellum, 12 x 7 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Local Landscape 3<\/em>, 2020, black ink wash, and black and white pen on toned paper and vellum, 12 x 7 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Birds in Flight,<\/em> 2020, bristol paper, vellum, and white thread, size range of 9 x 7 to 3 x 2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Birds in Flight (installation detail)<\/em>, 2020, bristol paper, vellum, and white thread, each approximately 9 x 7 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Sophie<\/a>
Sophie Gerry, Garden Tiles,<\/em> 2020, earthenware with white slip, green underglaze and clear glaze, each 4 1\/2 x 4 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
+<\/span>Emma Blair Hall<\/a><\/h5>
\n
\"Emma
Emma Blair Hall, Humpty Dumpty (detail)<\/em>, 2020, sculpture, 62 x 80 x 85 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I am a mess maker.\nWorking with my hands, I am interested in the messiness of the human\nexperience. The themes of my work center around my experiences with the\ninstability in lust, love, death, and life. Process is everything to me. I\nspend a lot of time alone, writing out thoughts and challenging the ways I was\ntaught to look at the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of the materials and\nobjects I use are unwanted, rejected, or forgotten. Sculpting, I combine any\nnumber of unwanted objects to capture an emotion or a story that otherwise may\nnot be heard. Some of my favourite materials to work with are tiny plastic toys\nor articles of clothing. I often think of my skin as cloth. My influences are\nartists who have created their personal stories, experiences, emotions into\nthese abstract non-verbal interpretations that find homes in different media:\nsuch as Jeffrey Chueng, Sandy Skoglund, Ai Wei Wei, Nil\u00fcfer Yanya, Vanessa\nGerman, Caleb Yono, and Kader Attia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my sculptures is\nan interpretation of Humpty Dumpty. The bottom half is a coordinated mess of\nrejected fabrics poorly covered in a gown-like yellow layer. It surrounds a\nwooden core with an excessively objectified pink interior. However, the\npinkness within the core is not contained. It falls onto the path in front of\nit leading to the egg cartons, broken egg shells, horses, and legs that reside\non this path too. Shoes circle around it, starting at where the path ends,\nwaiting to walk across the eggshells. Choose your pair wisely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A doll dressed as a\nladybug is directly above the wooden core. It lies ripped apart like a\ndissected bug with a jagged piece of mirror over its face. The bloody nails\nthat penetrate it from underneath form a circle around it. It is almost\nplayful, like when little girls decapitate their dolls after aggressively\nchopping off all their hair. Surrounding the doll and the bloody nails is a\nlarger cage. Dolls\u2019 limbs are tied onto this cage. I\u2019m not sure if they are\nlost, in the process of falling, or settling in. Either way, defining these as\nlost or found limbs is up to the viewer, not even the King’s horses or the\nKing\u2019s men can put you back together again. (Also if we really wanted Humpty\nDumpty to be put back together again, we should have sent literally anyone\nother than \u201call the King\u2019s men”.) There is a wired outline of a torso inside\nthis cage. A round mirror rests on the top of the cage, facing downwards,\ntowards the dissected doll\u2019s own mirrored face. At the very top: the unremarkable\ndoll head rest, almost lost in its own hairy mess. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of it sits outside a\ndumpster now, waiting to be collected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Emma<\/a>
Emma Blair Hall, Humpty<\/em> Dumpty<\/em> (detail)<\/em>, 2020, sculpture, 62 x 80 x 85 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Emma<\/a>
Emma Blair Hall, Humpty Dumpty<\/em> (in progress)<\/em>, 2020, sculpture, 62 x 80 x 85 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Emma<\/a>
Emma Blair Hall, Humpty Dumpty (detail),<\/em> 2020, sculpture, 62 x 80 x 85 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Emma<\/a>
Emma Blair Hall, Untitled<\/em> (detail)<\/em>, sculpture, 36 x 36 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Emma<\/a>
Emma Blair Hall, Untitled<\/em> (detail)<\/em>, sculpture, 36 x 36 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Emma<\/a>
Emma Blair Hall, Untitled<\/em> (detail)<\/em>, sculpture, 36 x 36 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Emma<\/a>
Emma Blair Hall, Untitled<\/em> II<\/em>, sculpture, 52 x 35 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Emma<\/a>
Emma Blair Hall, Untitled II<\/em> (detail)<\/em>, sculpture, 52 x 35 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Emma<\/a>
Emma Blair Hall, The End<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
+<\/span>Mike Hogue<\/a><\/h5>
\n
\"Michael
Michael Hogue, Untitled<\/em>, 2020, oil pastel on paper, 12 x 18 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I make portraits of brown and black faces to\nunpack the history of portraits. Throughout history, portraits of brown and\nblack faces were often described as caricatures, presenting brown and black\npeople as simple-minded and often subjugated. As a black man, I often feel\nunderrepresented throughout daily life. Because of this I strive to activate\nand challenge the audience not only to confront the art, but the subject as\nwell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My process of trying to find which materials\nto work with has been difficult. I am combining media, including pencil,\ncolored pencil, charcoal, and marker. I find that working within these\nconstrictions gives the portraits a more realistic feel. Terrance Vann and\nChristopher Clark have been huge inspirations for my work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes when I complete a piece, it feels\nlike the subject has a direct gaze with the audience. I think the most\nsuccessful portraits depict a direct gaze with the audience, and this is what I\nwant to challenge the audience with. This direct gaze inspires me because it is\nforcing the audience to confront the subject–almost as if it is a mug shot. I\nwould like to continue to explore this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope this body of work helps make people\nfeel more at ease with experiencing brown or and black faces, whether it be\nthrough art or the real world. In the same way Fredrick Douglass challenged the\nnation by posing for portraits that portray black freedom and dignity, I hope\nto challenge my audience to see brown and black people for who they are, rather\nthan what people take them for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Michael<\/a>
Michael Hogue, Untitled<\/em>, 2020, oil pastel on paper, 12 x 18 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Michael<\/a>
Michael Hogue, Studio wall, photograph by Phyllis Graber Jensen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Michael Hogue, Details from studio wall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
+<\/span>Mike Jones<\/a><\/h5>
\n
\"Mike
Mike Jones, Aftermath<\/em>, 2020, sumi ink and pencil, 9 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My work consists of creating the\ncharacters that live in the world I am inventing. Utilizing conceptual fantasy\nideas such as magical abilities, dynamic powers and destructive entities, I\nhave constructed a world from my imagination which I call Lezeallion<\/em>. I\nhave developed particular character archetypes and stylizations from\ninspirations in the realm of fantasy media. The works from my childhood that\ninfluenced me in developing imagery and capturing the viewer include the Mistborn<\/em> series of epic fantasy novels\nby Brandon Sanderson and Kuroko no Basuke<\/em>\nby Tadatoshi Fujimaki. They provide a model for my vision of characters,\nstories of action and power, and the development of my world of Lezeallion<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These interpretations are primarily developed as ink drawings. I begin by replicating and re-creating characters from the media I enjoy. This leads to creating my own original characters, backgrounds and stories using my imagination. In addition to ink I also use colored pencils, markers and white gel pens, working to evoke a personality within each character. One of the enjoyments of making my work is creating the visions that I want to see more of in fantasy media and bringing these ideas to life. This can include characters with darker skin or anthropomorphic beings interacting in a human setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focusing on story concepts and the \u201cexperience of the character, I find satisfaction in exploring the souls of my creations as real beings who face issues that can be metaphorically or literally relatable. My hope is to provide a path to my imagined world of Lezeallion<\/em>, whether it is a physical, emotional or spiritual connection, and that the viewer is able to enjoy my drawings aesthetically as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Mike<\/a>
Mike Jones, Jyack<\/em>, 2020, color pencil, mark, ink, 9 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mike<\/a>
Mike Jones, Aftermath<\/em>, 2020, sumi ink and pencil, 9 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mike<\/a>
Mike Jones, Void of the Warrior<\/em>, 2019, ink, 9 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mike<\/a>
Mike Jones, Mars<\/em>, 2020, ink, marker, color pencil, 9 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mike<\/a>
Mike Jones, Blank World<\/em>, 2019, marker and ink, 9 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mike<\/a>
Mike Jones, Blood on our Flag<\/em>, color pencil, marker, ink, 9 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
+<\/span>Otis Klingbeil<\/a><\/h5>
\n
\"Otis
Otis Klingbeil, Vermont Barn 1<\/em>, 2020, oil paint and gesso on matte board, 15 1\/2 x 23 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a broad sense, my work explores how to\nrepresent a specific place on an emotional level. Woodstock, Vermont has been\npart of my family history for over a century now, a constant anchor in my life.\nI intend to represent the essence of this place by simplifying and abstracting\nrural barns around my town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I work with oil paintings, collage, and\nthree-dimensional paintings, deconstructing the barns to emphasize their\narchitectural and structural elements through clarified planes of color and\nstrong contrast between light and shadow. While my focus is on the abstraction\nof these familiar structures, it is important to me for them to still be\nrecognizable as buildings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I work from photos I took in Woodstock,\nbut I am not trying to replicate the images in my work exactly. Instead, my\nphotos are a tool to organize and inform my process. I maintain an emphasis on\ncolor composition, primarily using a warm palette of reds, pinks, and yellows.\nSometimes I leave my paintings in their two-dimensional form, but other times I\ncut them into shapes and glue them at differing heights, building them out. I\nleave the edges exposed so the underbelly is visible, similar to the exposed\nrafters or support beams of a barn. I change the composition to work the\nangles; from the front the image is coherent, but it is more fragmented when\nseen at an angle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, I think of my work as a series\nof repetitive studies of these barns, letting each new piece inform the next. I\nam not so concerned with imperfections in the way I apply paint or make my\ncuts, instead letting myself be motivated by creating a body of work that is\nnuanced from a variety of perspectives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Otis<\/a>
Otis Klingbeil, Vermont Barn 1<\/em>, 2020, oil paint and gesso on matte board, 15 1\/2 x 23 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Otis<\/a>
Otis Klingbeil, Vermont Barn #2,<\/em> 2020, oil paint and gesso on mat board, 16 x 16 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Otis<\/a>
Otis Klingbeil, Vermont Barn #3,<\/em> 2020, oil paint and gesso on mat board, 16 x 16 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Otis<\/a>
Otis Klingbeil, Vermont Barn #1 Collage,<\/em> 2020, colored paper on mat board, 12 1\/2 x 7 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Otis<\/a>
Otis Klingbeil, Vermont Barn #2 Collage<\/em>, 2020, colored paper and cardboard on mat board, 9 1\/2 x 9 1\/2 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Otis<\/a>
Otis Klingbeil, Vermont Barn #5<\/em>, 2020, oil paint and gesso on mat board and 3\/4 inch plywood, 35 x 24 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
+<\/span>Eden Rickolt<\/a><\/h5>
\n
\"Eden
Eden Rickolt, Feet Plant (detail)<\/em>, 2020, mixed media, 18 x 12 x 42 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Flamingos don\u2019t usually live in the\nUnited States, but plastic hot pink flamingos are everywhere. I am fascinated\nby the evolution of this lawn decoration as an American cultural icon. There is\nan inherent tension in the opposing ways that these creatures, both real and\nfake, are represented and perceived. Real flamingos are graceful, beautiful,\nand natural. They are tropical and exotic. They represent wealth and luxury and\nvacations. Plastic flamingos, on the other hand, are banal and tacky. They are\nfunny and lighthearted. They are campy. They are a prank. Today, they are\nironic. Who\/what is being made fun of? The consumerism of American culture? Or,\nis it the alleged tackiness of the lower and middle class? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any case, I find it interesting\nthat while the symbol remains the same, the meanings of it change. My work was\ninitially inspired by the curiosity of what happens when the visually\nconsistent but symbolically erratic object is physically distorted. Whereas the\nornaments are so utterly uniform and lifeless, my flamingos take on an eerie\nindividualism.                               \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With flamingos as the focal point, I\ncreate installations using quintessential elements of the American house and\nyard with the goal of creating new surreal places that are both funny and\ndisturbing. I explore what is actually lurking underneath a veneer of order and\ninnocence. I use a mix of recycled materials such as packing peanuts, bubble\nwrap, and cardboard to construct my objects. Then I apply paper mache to the\nform. I also use paint, fabric, and yarn in order to create a bright color\npalette. I like the idea of my sculptures resembling candy that is so sweet\nthat just looking at it will rot your teeth. In other words, the colors become\na parody of comfort and happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My work is influenced by the comical\nand playful furniture, sculpture, and general aesthetics of designer Katie\nStout. Her work helps guide me as I push mine into the realm of the absurd that\nis both playful and dark. The writings of James Tate influence how I think\nabout the possible stories and moments occurring in the scenes I create.\nSpecifically, his poems in \u201cReturn to the City of White Donkeys\u201d inform my\nprocess of making surreal work based on distorting the seemingly ordinary.\nThrough these distortions, I hope to challenge simplistic views of the iconized\nAmerican suburbia by combining a sense of play with theatrical absurdity, and a\nthreatening underbelly that challenges simplistic views of the iconized\nAmerican suburbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Eden<\/a>
Eden Rickolt, Flamingo Body Sketch<\/em>, 2019, pencil, 8 x 7 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Eden<\/a>
Eden Rickolt, Flamingo Body Sketch<\/em>, 2019, pencil, 6 x 9 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Eden<\/a>
Eden Rickolt, Untitled<\/em>, 2019, crayon 9 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Eden<\/a>
Eden Rickolt, Untitled<\/em>, 2019, crayon, 9 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Eden<\/a>
Eden Rickolt, Untitled<\/em>, 2020, wire and foil, 5 x 4 x 6 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Eden<\/a>
Eden Rickolt, Pink Flamingo<\/em>, 2020, mixed media, 5 x 2 x 3 feet <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Eden<\/a>
Eden Rickolt, Pink Flamingo<\/em> (detail)<\/em>, 2020, mixed media, 5 x 2 x 3 feet <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Eden<\/a>
Eden Rickolt, Untitled<\/em>, 2020, cardboard and paper mache clay, 3 x 3 x 4.5 feet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Eden<\/a>
Eden Rickolt, Feet Plant<\/em>, 2020, mixed media, 1 3\/4 x 1 3\/4 x 4 feet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
+<\/span>Madeline Schapiro<\/a><\/h5>
\n
\"Madeline
Madeline Schapiro, Lemon<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 4 x 4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My work is a garden of\npermanence. Growing up, I spent every Saturday in the garden. My role was to\ncomb through the soil to remove clay and then sow seeds. As I work today, I\nfind myself in a garden made of red clay. Instead of discarding the clay, I cultivate\nit by hand, building with earthenware. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I work with earthenware\nbecause its red hue is similar to the clay I extracted from the soil. I focus\non process and tend to my pieces. I begin by hand rolling the clay, and rake it\nto remove imperfections, then methodically smooth the piece, before cutting out\neach slab. Next, I fold and drape the clay, combining walls and smoothing them,\nleaving traces of my hand in the undulations of each piece. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The surface drawings are inspired by crops I planted as a child including tomatoes, peaches, lemons, and other produce. I am also inspired by 1800\u2019s botanical drawings, Chaos Theory, and the intricate designs of William Morris\u2019s botanical patterns. For example, I use small white dots (akin to seeds) to reference Chaos Theory: the interconnectedness between the white dots represents the chaotic behavior that exists in natural climates and underlying fractal patterns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once my pieces are fired, the botanical surfaces are sealed, permanent, ready to be used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Tomato<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 4 x 4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Untitled<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 4 x 4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Onion<\/em>, 2019, earthenware ceramics, 4 x 4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Raspberry<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 4 x 4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Peach<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 4 x 4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Pea<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 4 x 4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Untitled<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 7 x 7 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Untitled<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 14 x 6 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Untitled<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 14 x 6 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Peach Set<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 10 x 10 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Carrot Set,<\/em> 2020, earthenware ceramics, 10 x 10 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Lemon Set,<\/em> 2020, earthenware ceramics, 10 x 10 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Tomato Set,<\/em> 2020, earthenware ceramics, 10 x 10 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Raspberry Set<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 10 x 10 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Carrot<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 10 x 10 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Lemon<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 10 x 10 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Tomato<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics, 10 x 10 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Madeline<\/a>
Madeline Schapiro, Untitled<\/em>, 2020, earthenware ceramics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
+<\/span>Grace Smith<\/a><\/h5>
\n
\"Grace
Grace Smith, Reflection #4<\/em>, 2020, muslin, thread and acrylic, 18 x 36 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I am aware of intense emotions,\nanxieties, and the way people communicate through their bodies. I feel an\nurgency to convey and evoke emotion in my work, and try to better understand my\nown mental states through my artistic process. The resulting imagery depicts\nhow the pain of experienced emotions manifests in body and mind. My artistic\nprocess has helped me work through the confusion, exhaustion, and complexity\ninvolved in my life. Most of my portraits move between multiple feelings\nsimultaneously, in an effort to accurately describe how emotions are felt– all\nat once and often confused.                         <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My work with expressive portraits\nincludes traditional painting on panel, but I also make works that combine\nsewing, embroidery, and applique on muslin. My research includes looking at the\nwork of Orly Cogan, Egon Schiele, and Gustave Klimt. I consider Cogan\u2019s work\nfor her use of embroidery, and am especially fascinated by Schiele and Klimt\u2019s\nportraits, the way they are composed, and the poses of their subjects. They often\ndepict women twisted or cramped into the frame, surrounded by elaborate\npatterns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, I have become fascinated\nwith gestural contour portraits, which are made using a swift continuous line,\nnever lifting the pencil off the page or even looking at it. Blind contour\ndrawing gives me the freedom to let go and not worry about the outcome, which\nis a useful approach to life in general. I use blind contour drawing,\nespecially fluid and gestural lines, and translate them into the more time-consuming\nart of sewing. In this way, the fabric pieces echo gesture drawings but are\nmade in slow time, and hold onto feelings that are fleeting but impactful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certain fabrics featured in my work\nwere given to me by my grandmother, and each holds a story. Some are remnants\nof clothing projects my great grandmother created for my grandmother to wear as\na child. Others are upholstery fabric from furniture passed down through\ngenerations in my family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process of creating these\nportraits has been therapeutic as I work through personal pains, embrace scars,\nand consider how bodies can convey emotion without words. Our bodies are a\nrecord of our experiences, pain, battles, and torments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Grace<\/a>
Grace Smith, Reflection #10<\/em>, 2020, muslin, thread and ink, 18 1\/2 x 36 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Grace<\/a>
Grace Smith, Reflection #6,<\/em> 2020, oil on masonite, 8 x 10 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Grace<\/a>
Grace Smith, Reflection #9<\/em>, 2020, muslin, thread and ink, 18 1\/2 x 36 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Grace<\/a>
Grace Smith, Reflection #2,<\/em> 2020, fabric, thread, ink, and acrylic, 48 x36 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Grace<\/a>
Grace Smith, Reflection #1<\/em>, 2020, oil on masonite, 8 x 10 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Grace<\/a>
Grace Smith, Reflection #7<\/em>, 2020, oil on masonite, 9 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Grace<\/a>
Grace Smith, Reflection #8<\/em>, 2020, oil on masonite, 9 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Grace<\/a>
Grace Smith, Reflection #3<\/em>, 2020, muslin, thread and acrylic, 18 1\/2 x 36 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Grace<\/a>
Grace Smith, Reflection #5<\/em>, 2020, muslin, thread and acrylic, 18 1\/2 x 36 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
+<\/span>Jeffrey Spellman<\/a><\/h5>
\n
\"Jeffrey
Jeffrey Spellman, Untitled 1<\/em>, 2019, digital photography, 30 x 40 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In this body of work, I utilize both photography and video. The group of portraits are all shot with shutter speeds slower than the typical speed associated with modern portraiture. Most portraiture today is captured with a fast shutter speed in an attempt to capture the most amount of detail with the least amount of blur. In contrast, the slow shutter speeds allow motion to be captured with both my own movement with the camera as well as the subject’s movement within the frame. The motion that appears in these portraits allows me to feel a deeper sense of emotion than typical portraiture. To me the subject in every image appears uncomfortable and distressed. This sense of discomfort is an important element throughout my body of work. Although I place the subject in an environment of my choosing it is ultimately their energy and emotion that dictates the tone of the image. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When photographing the subject, I ask them to move freely\nthroughout the space. The subsequent unpredictability is what I enjoy most\nabout the results. No two shots are ever the same and all of my preconceived\nideas about what the shot will be are always incorrect. The difficulty is\nattempting to capture a noticeable amount of motion blur without completely\nobscuring the subject. It is not my goal to blur the subject beyond\nrecognition. This means that a large portion of my time is spent experimenting\nwith the length of exposure; too long the subject is unrecognizable, too short\nand the image becomes less evocative. My aim is to explore the space in between\nthe familiar and blurred. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The work also includes a video that depicts the harsh realities of\nmass shootings. It serves as a chilling, instructional video describing what to\ndo if you find yourself in a mass shooter situation. The video is purposefully\ndevoid of human life other than the robotic voice present throughout the video.\nThe video was inspired by the robotic response triggered by mass shootings in\nthis country. The camera in this video serves as a character, and because of\nthis the camera motion is perhaps the most important part of my process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n