Artist's Statement

Hi everybody!  For my independent study of screen printing this summer, my teacher is encouraging me to write and try to figure out my goals as an artist.  I have a long way to go, but my first assignment was to write an artist's statement.  She gave me a list of questions to consider and I answered most of them in this, my artist's statement.  All feedback is appreciated.

As an artist, I am most influenced by music—George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Florence + the Machine and Regina Spektor are among my most influential musicians.  Songs tell a story, as the singer tells it, I see pictures in my head; the above-mentioned artists paint the most vivid images for me in my mind’s eye.  After I see the image, it becomes my mission to get it out into the world.  It seems people forget to use their imagination when they grow up, by letting my mind wander and imagine while I listen to music, I get into a childlike state of mind.  It is my hope that my art will inspire people to look up the song that inspired the piece and let their minds wander where the music takes them.

My process, from inception to creation, is quite lengthy: I start with quick sketches while listening to the song repeatedly, trying to solidify the picture in my head—colors, details, scale, etc.—then I sketch it more, over a time span of days, weeks, and months (months being the more frequent scenario).   Eventually, I start creating the actual piece, but there is a long simmering process in my mind, as long as it takes to be motivated.  My favorite medium is spray paint, gold especially, I use it anywhere I need a lot of color I spray paint; I also use watercolor, acrylics, charcoal, graphite and, now, silk screen.  Recently, I have been researching screen printers for inspiration, but before, I looked to Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas for inspiration.  Vibrant colors are my favorite, and vibrant colors are what they do best, and what I strive to create.