Artist Statement: This is an exploration in abstract composition. Originally a first draft of a different work, instead of painting over I decided to take it somewhere else where it can stand on its own, separate from its original intentions. I believe it is my best work.

Artist Statement: With this entry, I gained the ability to convey busyness through mixed media, I was forced to experiment, and it better conveyed my theme of overstimulation. I was still able to make it cohesive which worked because it showed the beauty in busyness. This project served as a catalyst for producing other mixed media projects.

Artist Statement: This piece illustrates the relationship between a child’s imagination and their environment. I used graphite pencil to draw most of the background, and I used gouache paint to paint certain elements as well as the characters.

Artist Statement: I was inspired by the artist Barbara Earl Thomas, who cuts images into black paper and places the paper over designed backgrounds. I wanted to try this technique. I am drawn to a city at night with the bright lights of buildings contrasting dark shadows. I wanted to capture the feeling of a city at night, when you know there are a lot of people around, but you can’t always see them. You can just see lights. I wanted to focus on this one person in the scene with their own meaningful story in the larger city environment.

Artist Statement: I embroidered a mask or alternate face that I could hold in front of myself. I wanted to make sure that part of my actual face could be seen, to demonstrate the different layers of ourselves that we show to others.  My question is: “How do the lines between humanity and monstrosity and public and private personas blur?