The Last Crusade

Author/Artist Name

Macy KendallFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Fall 11-15-2024

Artist Statement

Since I was little, I was always drawing and it has always fascinated me. Drawing was something that allowed me to let my overactive imagination roam as a child and it also allowed me to bond with people. I remember being in Elementary School and I would have inside jokes with friends about some art project we came up with together. Growing up, in high school I was still the ‘quiet kid’ that people like my current partner thought didn’t even speak, until they saw me in the art room. Truth was, the art room was a release for me and I felt safe there. I felt free. I became infatuated with realism and how astonishing of a talent it was for someone to create, by hand, all of the intricate details that can be seen in the real world, even down to a microscopic level like the individual skin cells on large drawings of the human face. From what started out originally as a hobby, art soon became my life and I found myself striving to create realism. To be honest, I always knew I wanted to be an artist, but financially, I knew it would be a struggle to only create art. Therefore, going into college, I decided to pursue Graphic Design, hoping to continue to draw.

Looking at the illustrations I have created, my drawing style can still be seen peeking through. Somewhere along the way of developing said style, while I was originally wanting to do cartoons, I was taken back by realism. Eventually, my style began to be more and more detailed. When it comes to drawing, I think of compositions in my head about what I could create. While the subject comes to me relatively fast, I very roughly gesturally sketch my idea onto paper, then I make notes to the side if it’s necessary to establish anything I’m specifically thinking about, any ideas I have in the moment, or maybe colors that come to mind. Afterwards I typically get a few reference photos and then start to create the artwork itself.

There is one goal that I have as an artist, I take inspiration from others, but I refuse to take inspiration from the subject matter of their work. With this being said, I’m inspired by Renaissance artists like Leonardo da Vinci, not by his famous painting Mona Lisa, but how he studied the world around him in drawings like Vitruvian Man. In fact, I’ve always taken inspiration from the Renaissance for my own artwork which has influenced me to create realism as well. Moreover, I’m inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe and her array of beautifully painted flowers, not to mention, her determination to continue painting even when her eyesight began to fail, which inspires me, someone with terrible eyesight, who will never have 20/20 vision, to continue to do something like realism. Even if I have doubts in my capabilities or the quality of my work, O’Keeffe helps me remember that it doesn’t affect my abilities as an artist and she motivates me to keep creating what makes me happy. I also take inspiration from David Carson, a graphic designer that creates work with the intention of breaking the rules, yet he creates something successful and cohesive, reminding me I don’t always have to follow the rules to be a successful designer. I’m not sure where my next work will take me, but I am excited for the journey that is yet to come.

Advisor/Mentor

Jim Bryant; T. Michael Martin

Description

In the 2024 BA/ BS group exhibition, The Last Crusade, I included food illustrations, created using Adobe Photoshop, in a line across the wall. From left to right, there is a delicious looking lava cake with a purple background, savory spaghetti on a light green background, and a sweet fruit cup on a light blue background. Each work, I wanted to reference my original art style, which is realism, into a digital media like illustration which is what i hoped to achieve. The following is the works that were included in the exhibition:

Illustration, 12" x 18", 2023 (Lava Cake Illustration)

Illustration, 18" x 24", 2023 (Spaghetti Illustration)

Illustration, 12" x 18", 2023 (Fruit Cup Illustration)

Photo Credit

Macy Kendall

Creative Commons License

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

Recommended Citation

Kendall, Macy, "The Last Crusade" (2024). B.A./B.S. Practicum Group Exhibit (ART 499). 75.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art499/75