Collection Title
The Essence of Introspection
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Academic Level at Time of Creation
Senior
Date of Creation
Spring 4-14-2023
Artist Statement
Fantasy was a household theme during my childhood. It appeared in the form of unicorn figurines, a fairy mural on my bedroom wall, a healthy obsession with Amy Brown, a love of Sci-fi movies, and regular Dungeons and Dragons games with my parents. After experiences including sexual abuse, divorce, coming out, and my son’s autism diagnosis my art made a metamorphosis from fantasy to reality. My current work explores the positive and negative feelings associated with all of those personal events.
Uniquely raw, figurative works combine themes of love and trauma into my recent prints, paintings, and ceramics. Taking notes from Doron Langberg’s explorative and evocative use of color, my color palette is highly saturated and portrays the intense emotions of underlying narratives. Similarly to contemporary painter, fellow queer artist, and mother, Jenna Gribbon, I am using personal references incorporating LGBTQ themes and referring to my son’s struggles and triumphs. The figures in my work are to be regarded with empathy as you capture a glimpse into tender scenes of interaction and personal discovery.
Embracing representational art in all mediums, enables me to weave these universal narratives together. My prints, ceramic works, and oil paintings are executed with elements of realism to allow viewers to enter the scenes and relate to the figures as well as to my experiences. This art is the prime mode in which I express the love and grief and empowerment and anxiety of daily life.
Advisor/Mentor
Nicole Hand-Bryant, John Utgaard, Mike Martin
Description
My portion of this group exhibition included 12 works, all in high saturation of color. There are two ceramic works by myself and a small one made by my son to further the theme of single parenthood.
In completing my senior year, finding how to apply my experiences to my artwork brought on many new elements. I was learning new methods, ways of thinking, and even trying new mediums. I took all the new things I learned and applied them to my past and this body of work emerged.
Using color was new to me because prior to my time at MSU I was exclusively a 2D charcoal artist. I wanted to apply color in emotive ways and show all the elements of feelings in my work. I began working three dimensionally as well, trying my hand at making figurative sculpture. What all the newness has in common though is that it is all narrative. This body of work is a chronicle of my growth and experiences all while experimenting with drypoint and ceramics to tell my stories.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Curtis, Rebecca, "The Essence of Introspection" (2023). B.A./B.S. Practicum Group Exhibit (ART 499). 60.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art499/60