Artist Statement

For my sustained investigation, I focused on exploring ideas of self expression, self image, and the adolescent experience through portraiture. All of my works are self portraits that shed light on different topics related to growing up, beauty standards, or life as a teenager. Throughout my portfolio there is a visible growth in skill and experimentation. As the year has progressed, I have worked to dig deeper into the details of portraits in order to create as much accuracy as possible. When comparing my first piece “Floral Soul” with one of my most recent pieces “Stacked”, there is a clear growth in my use of light and dark as well as facial detailing. My portfolio also includes experimentation of collage which is something that I recently picked up. I’ve tried new techniques in mixed media to pair alongside drawings. 

 

My earliest works have set the tone for the portfolio. I decided from early pieces to keep the portraits black and white and add some colorful elements to each. The biggest catalyst for my investigation was a drawing that I created during my junior year. It was a self portrait, but with a purple Marie Antoinnete hairstyle and thick sunglasses. I liked the idea of putting a modern spin on classical portraiture. From there, I have created a variety of self portraits with all sorts of expressions and themes. Exploring all of the different ways in which I see myself and how it feels to be a teenager has been the main focus of the portfolio, and I have really pushed myself to try new things and create something better each time.