Jasmine Groves ART 399 Portfolio

Author/Artist Name

Jasmine GrovesFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Spring 5-8-2020

Artist Statement

For most of us, the first space we identify ourselves with is the domestic sphere. This is where the objects and people that we have chosen (or had chosen for us) live, grow, and move about. We interact with everything differently in our domestic spaces, especially in private.

Both directly and indirectly, I have thought about this in my artwork, especially in my sculptural pieces. I am attracted to furniture, clothes, and jewelry that have been used or made to look used. I like to arrange these objects in a way that seems natural, or in a way that creates a narrative about personal space. This interest stems from a strong connection I have to my heritage.

In my 2018 installation Years Have Passed, I focus on the kinds of toys that a young boy might have. As these toys make contact with the wooden shelf, they begin to lose their color, signifying an ended childhood. Located within the installation was a small music box that was to be played during viewings, emphasizing a nostalgic quality. A more recent work is a small upright jewelry case that I produced this semester, also a domestic object. For this specifically, I avoided making the container a simple box, and went with a more organic pea-pod shape. I found that the unusual shape brought attention to how the object might stand in relation to other pieces.

My inspiration comes from artists Mickalene Thomas and Nick Cave. I first saw Thomas’ work in 2017 in an exhibition titled Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities. In the main room, there were four televisions playing videos of women singing Angelitos Negros, a song about the lack of brown-skinned angels in religious paintings. Centered in front of this was a large lounge area, complete with a multicolored 70s style rug, ottomans, small houseplants, and books written by black authors. This domestic space became a curated environment for the video installation to be considered in. Nick Cave, similarly, works with found objects and fabric. He is a fan of “bells and whistles” so to speak, but many of his works refer to or utilize household objects.The art objects, while not utilitarian, reference the duality between texture and sound. He also refers to African heritage and the black struggle in America through the use of Dutch wax fabric. Using specific African fabrics and domestic objects is something I would like to experiment with in the future. As an art history nerd, I often try to integrate well-known motifs or other elements from other artists. In my Psychological Self Portrait, I borrowed a pose from Alexandre Cabanel’s 1847 painting Fallen Angel. My passion for art history influences the themes that I choose to highlight in my work.

When I graduate, I would like to go to graduate school and pursue a degree in museum or curatorial studies. The practice and diligence I have acquired through being an artist will always help me in any career I may pursue.

Advisor/Mentor

Mike Martin

Description

This is a portfolio of my best pieces of work from freshman to senior year. These works include sculpture, wood, digital, linoleum print, ink, watercolor, and oil.

Creative Commons License

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

Recommended Citation

Groves, Jasmine, "Jasmine Groves ART 399 Portfolio" (2020). Professional Practices (ART 399). 97.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art399/97