Murray State's Digital Commons

Collection Title

ESalger_Art399_Portfolio

Author/Artist Name

Emma SalgerFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Spring 5-11-2022

Artist Statement

In artwork, there is much joy to be found in using patterns, figures, and contrast. A lot of the subject matter is related to the female body, whether that be the entire feminine form, or just parts of the female body. Presenting the feminine figure in many different ways is an inclusive way of showing young females that every body is beautiful. A lot of young girls (myself included) have to rely on their education to learn about their own body and have a hard time accepting and understanding the complexities of their body. Art may not deeply teach the science behind it, but presenting diverse visuals is a good place to start. The feminist movement and recent body positve movement have been a major influence offering women confidence in embracing topics that others find uncomfortable. Typically, pattern is a primary principle to experiment with, but it is important to push oneself to use different techniques as well. For example, using contrast and movement to grasp the audience’s attention. The contrast in the presented art is focused on bright colors and neutrals or different metals. Metalsmithing is a difficult medium to use, especially when presenting parts of the body, but beautifully crafted images can be created nonetheless.

Jeanne Beaver and Terri Sauer have become huge inspirations in pursuing metal work. Jeanne is a talented metalsmithing professor, and working with her and learning from her has been an amazing experience, not only because of her talent, but because of her ability to run a successful metalsmithing department. This makes Jeanne an amazing role model for future art teachers. Terri Sauer is a teacher from Paducah Middle School. Terri was also taught by Jeanne, and is a metalsmith herself who is easy to get along with and stresses the importance of staying connected. In my male dominated, Christan childhood, powerful and divine femininity was hard to come by, but Terri and Jeanne have quickly filled that position.

Advisor/Mentor

Rebecca Williams, Jeanne Beaver, Mike Martin

Description

The common theme of my artwork is women. I like to explore the body and make art inspired by it. I enjoy working in printmaking, painting, metals and bookbinding. Recently I am starting to realize I work better in a 3D medium because I like to build forms and put the puzzle together.

Photo Credit

Emma Salger

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Salger, Emma, "ESalger_Art399_Portfolio" (2022). Professional Practices (ART 399). 127.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art399/127