Senior Art Thesis
If you take a moment to reflect on an experience or a tangible object that you encounter on a day-to-day basis, would you be able to describe the details that make up the defining features of the foremost elements? Finding specific details within everyday items and experiences while actively taking a step back to view these elements from a new perspective can positively change your mindset for future experiences. Within my artwork you will find specific details of moments in time where I noticed new qualities that gave me a greater appreciation for or a different perspective on an experience. I noticed how shadows interacted with other surfaces, I noticed the different shapes created between overlapping objects, I noticed the patterns created by natural rust spots, and I noticed so many more features that built a sense of appreciation in me for the less noticed aspects of the experiences we are faced with and items we use regularly throughout life. I created this series of drawings using graphite pencils on 14” by 17” white Bristol paper. Utilizing the cross-hatching technique, I added my own representations of the details described throughout each drawing.
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When looking at these drawings from a distance, you might mistake them for photographs due to how I employ strong contrasting values, but when you view the work up close and engage in the entirety of the artwork, you start to recognize the details are created by hand, which emphasizes the personal connection between the artwork and the viewer. Each drawing in this series serves the purpose of acting as a window into the moment in time in which those key features of experiences and objects are seen in a new perspective. Looking beyond the surface level of these moments in time heightened my awareness of the integral, yet obscure, aspects that go unnoticed. I find there is often not a time that I hear people contemplate why an object exists in the exact way it appears, why natural objects grow and decay as they do with age, or why certain lighting affects the tone of a situation. When focusing on the bigger picture, all of those details and thoughts never seem to cross anyone’s mind. The goal of my artwork is to bring attention to those more beautiful features found within mundane aspects of life that are frequently overlooked. I want viewers of my artwork to gain a new sense of appreciation for the items and encounters that they take for granted, as well as to challenge themselves to make noticing the defining qualities of experiences a purposeful and instinctive routine in their life.