Transience

Author/Artist Name

Sarah CoxFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Spring 4-9-2021

Artist Statement

Everything is temporary, whether it is our anxieties, our joys, or anything in between. These emotions are fleeting, but it is important to focus on these moments of intense mental states. My current work highlights the micro and macro aspects of emotion and body language with various personal experiences from myself and others.

My lifesize drawings focus on the larger narrative and allow a connection between the audience and the work, whereas my screen prints highlight individual features of the human body. The imagery is developed by having conversations with those who identify as women in a specific age demographic as it personally feels the most relatable and comfortable. Sharing mine and other women’s experiences through the work provides a deeper understanding of how diverse our emotions can be. They discuss their experiences about specific body parts they sense emotions and what color may be associated with those feelings. Where do they feel elation, anger, or sadness? It is then highlighted with color to provide a visual language rather than a verbal language. Color psychology is also a factor to the work, and it allows an exploration and a gaining an understanding of how and why we associate colors with specific meanings. This also allows an exploration of how this concept can change with symbolism.

The work is a commanding size, allowing women’s emotions to be seen and given attention, regardless of the feeling’s temporariness. This provides the opportunity to discuss discrepancies between males and females and how portraying emotions have been criticized, or often, invalidated women’s feelings altogether. I am inspired by many women artists such as artist and educator Jenny Granberry who also works with the human figure, using more monochromatic themes. Jen Mazza has also been an inspiration for a long time with her intimate compositions and selective color palettes throughout her different series. My work uses a combination of body language and color to create an outward projection of our inner moods, and this has been a focus for the work.

Advisor/Mentor

Todd Herzberg; Nicole Hand-Bryant; Dr. Antje Gamble; T. Michael Martin

Description

The exhibition consisted of life size drawings creating with pastel and charcoal, a range of various sized ink and watercolor pieces, and screen prints make with halftones and a CMYK color palette. Some prints included thread. The work focused on body language and color psychology, providing insight to women's emotions by indicating how they may manifest for different individuals. The pieces show micro and macro aspects of this concept to provide intimacy between viewers and the work.

Creative Commons License

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

Recommended Citation

Cox, Sarah, "Transience" (2021). B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498). 77.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art498/77