Christine Cox Art399 Portfolio

Author/Artist Name

Christine CoxFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Junior

Date of Creation

Fall 2022

Artist Statement

I work with multiple medias to achieve the desired effect of the artwork; however, the majority of my pieces consist of charcoal, both loose and pencils. I find that my concepts are most accurately represented in muted, grayscale coloring with the occasional bold singular color to add juxtaposition. I regularly find myself pushing my scale of artwork and creating pieces that are largescale and often become 3D installations or experiences. The content of my artwork is most frequently surrealist depictions of myself or other human figures, distorted in a way that emphasizes how a mental struggle may manifest itself physically; and this often results in realistic depictions of gore or other uncomfortable concepts related to the subject matter.

Although my artistic style may vary heavily from that typically associated with the Dada period within art history, I draw a great deal of inspiration from the movement, and the idea that art limitations should be stretched. This creates an excitement to really push the boundaries of the definition of “art”. This idea has been a passion of mine since freshman year of college, and I use this philosophy to avoid placing myself in a box while continuing to challenge my own personal artists limits and depictions. I often push for ways to engage my audience in thought by pushing the scopes of my “canvas” into their space. I also am deeply moved by the works of August Friedrich Schenck, as well as some of Van Gogh’s later works and their ties to mental health. The dark, dreary environment they are able to create evokes a deeply guttural emotional response I strive to achieve in my own artwork. These artists, in this twisted way, inspired me to depict mental health struggles with very physical and gut-wrenching depictions of gruesome scenarios, while allowing the craftsmanship of my pieces render them “beautiful”, thus creating an interesting juxtaposition for the audience. I am also captivated by more modern artists such as Caroline Harrison and Tom Huck, whose influences can be more recognizable in my own work. Both artists have an immaculate attention to detail, and a style that demands it at every point on the canvas. I regularly try to replicate this level of craftsmanship as well as the amount of information presented on one artwork at a time.

I find that drawing in aspects from nature helps me to convey my vision for the piece, it is also often a more direct way to incorporate “beauty” into any one of my pieces. The human experience is what is really at the heart of all my work, I attempt to convey my personal experience in the hopes of not only relieving a deep desire within myself to express these scenarios, but also to connect myself with an audience that can tie their own thoughts and experiences to mine. As someone who dealt with a lot of traumatic periods through almost all major points in my developing life, I feel that I have always seen the world in a different way. My artwork is my own personal expression of this reality. I believe the ability to share knowledge, compassion, empathy, and understanding regarding experiencing painful circumstances and creating a shared level of consciousness is the paramount principle within the agonizingly beautiful human experience.

Advisor/Mentor

Mike Martin

Description

This is an archive of all of my work from my time here at Murray State University thus far (Fall 2020 - Fall 2022). Here you will see my prints as well as my drawing emphasis and the evidence of my artist statement in each.

Photo Credit

Christine Cox

Creative Commons License

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

Recommended Citation

Cox, Christine, "Christine Cox Art399 Portfolio" (2022). Professional Practices (ART 399). 136.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art399/136