method in madness

Author/Artist Name

McKenna A. BrownfieldFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Spring 12-3-2025

Artist Statement

My art allows me to show people the world from my perspective. I have autism, so many things are different for me. Through bold lines, geometric shapes, and intense contrast, she creates work that captures her unique perception. I use charcoal, and color conveys unrealistic and unnatural forms that exist to emphasize that they're in my mind rather than reality.

The art has a lot of floral aspects; it makes the connection between nature and people; without people, nature will overgrow and demolish any/everything, yet without nature, people would never survive. The deformed people are based on me; I deal with horrible body dysmorphia, the deformed/masked face is what I see, with the use of harsher colors or cuts like in the ceramic faces to show people what I am seeing. In some pieces, there is the use of symbols and items that are associated with witchcraft, like the triple goddess in the light part of my self-portrait and the candles on the table. Colors in my pieces help with the unrealistic nature, like the highlights not making sense or being overly dark. I use leading lines. I use fabrics in pieces almost as a break from the solid shapes and never-ending lines. The harsh shadows and strong lights give the viewer more fluid, soft breaks in the piece, as seen in the figure drawing, in the woman's dress. I primarily use charcoal and conte to create my pieces.

Like my favorite phrase, “There is method in his madness.” Shakespeare, Hamlet. Tim Burton’s recognizable, unnerving style inspires the exaggerated features in my pieces. John Nolan’s bold palettes relate to how I use color to exaggerate elements of the piece, like in my self-portrait. Philip Gusto’s deliberate, sharp use of line is similar to my figure drawing. When I use charcoal, it's for the flexibility it has as a medium and the mess it creates, which helps the piece become mine. I use color to separate some aspects that I want to highlight. The use of the messy medium shows the madness that I see.

Advisor/Mentor

Lu Colby, Jeanne Beaver

Description

oil on canvas, 16x20,

charcoal and pastels on paper, 18x24,

charcoal on paper, 18x24, ,

charcoal and colored pencils, 9x12,

Recommended Citation

Brownfield, McKenna A., "method in madness" (2025). Professional Practices (ART 399). 185.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art399/185