Senior Thesis Exhibition
“The Third Day”
“Eyes On Me”
“Common Ground”
“Ornamentation”
My work represents a self-portrait fragmented into pieces that criticize my personal perspective on public appeal and how it justifies my growth as an individual. This work visually highlights the moments expressed in the largely hip-hop-inspired independent album, “Rise of the Introverts.” In an effort to cultivate stronger confidence in my expression, I challenged the validity of some of my insecurities through hooks and melodies of this conceptual album in coherence with each of the drawings. Facing the lack of acceptance in compliments, the lack of reassurance in longtime friends, or even the lack of forgiveness for loving family members are all judgments of my behavior that I address as if it were a mirror in front of me. These characteristics inadvertently feed into introverted personality tropes that are rejected by societal pressures and false identification of being holistically optimistic. Things like insecurities and personality quirks develop from childhood and as we get older we either grow out of them or they grow into us. This is why the narrative begins in a one-on-one meeting with a teacher and student, to show that now is an opportunity to unpack suppressed emotions based on the environment I’ve been placed in. As the story progresses, it becomes clearer that even safe spaces can sometimes prove to be inefficient at nurturing a healthy view of oneself so it ultimately relies on the individual to practice self-love and appreciation of their unique qualities. Visually as represented I can be unremarkable and stoic, while vocally I can be loud and expressive, both representations are two sides to one coin.
With this body of work, I chose to use Faber-Castell colored pencils and acrylic paint on 18x18” wooden canvases. The acrylics provide a base coat on the canvas for backgrounds while the colored pencils make up a large portion of the subject matter in each piece. High contrast, saturation, and detail are implemented to distinguish each subject from the solid-colored backgrounds. This separation describes a vast and open negative space as the potential for what could or could not be explored.
