Why, I do this...

The Big View:

Art and creating art is the one thing that is continuously changing. The variables are constantly changing because you and the world around you are consistently changing. I used to work in marketing and promotions at Six Flags in Kentucky; although that was exciting as far as jobs are concerned, you eventually figure it out. Things become routine and that variable of change becomes less and less prominent. But in art, there are endless possibilities and with each directions comes a new challenge. I need to be challenged to be a happy and productive member of society.

Another thing that led me to art is that my dad is an artist and took art classes when finishing his degree when I was a kid. He is a general contractor who builds custom homes and was always working in his woodshop. I think a lot of my curiosity and need to make things came from spending time with him in his shop. There was always something that I really enjoyed about going through my dad’s old portfolio and even his building plans. He creates theses custom homes that are not only functional but very beautiful, even the design of the building plan is poetic to me.

At one point while I was in Antwerp and had been there for about three months there were a few things I was missing about home. Whiles walking down a side street I walked past a small paper mill and smelled the sawdust in the air. I just stood there taking in the smell; it immediately felt like home. It is hard to understand, even for myself, but I feel most comfortable and completely unsure when I am working and creating my work. I crave that feeling.

I think that I am a senior because success and education mean a lot to me. And its in Fine Arts at an art school because that is the most challenging. It is the one thing that I can do and not get bored with; you can never completely figure it all out. To me that is why artists don’t ever really retire.

The Immediate View:

I think that the direction that I have gone in my work really started with me finding areas of interest in my process. The point where you really figure out what interests you is the point where you stop making just a bunch of stuff and have a direction.

I began to figure out what interests me when I did a “series” of work my sophomore year and I studied four port cities in America and really researched and broke down the cities. Then I created my own cites from elements that I was drawn to. This is the first that I really recognized in my process where I started from observation and then added an element of unreal or something not actual to what I observed.

Going to a new country and being emerged into a different culture I was really able to figure out my area of interests in regards to my work. I was also able to really break down my process and understand that I like to break down my observations and put them in an order that makes since.