Kaitlyn Schwalber Fine Art Portfolio
The
Deep Sea exemplifies micro and macro.
The Humpback Whale consumes the krill. The H2O molecules combine to destroy. The ocean is from where everything sprang, and if you broke down the human form into percentages, we are more similar to the ocean than the land. Yet we dare not venture, traveling to far distant planets before exploring the depths of our own. I am left only to dream of the possibilities of the ancient beasts. It’s down there, looming, enticing, evolving.
I am left only to dream of Medusozoa Steel – 2015 Academic 4’ –8’
The ocean is from where everything Linotype – 2015 Academic 18” –24”
Blooms
The Architeuthis is down there, looming, enticing, evolving. Paper mache, acrylic, clay – 2014 Academic 10’ – 4’
The Great Wave of water molecules combines to destroy. Pastel – 2016 Academic 20” - 36”
Fibonacci symmetry through asymmetry Steel – 2015 Academic 4 2’
Evolution It is the root of it all. Every cell in our body is proof of its existence, yet we will never fully understand. Each mutation adds to the next, creating a beautiful mosaic. The tiniest mistakes combining to create success. Symmetry through asymmetry happens naturally, yet it seems irrational to the human mind. There is no reason behind it, just chance and circumstance. The mutation takes hold, and proliferates across the being. Sometimes it is a cancer. Sometimes it is a light bulb; or more accurately the ability to consume light, which created a new dawn. Yet the future is uncertain, a variation that is negatively selected for now is one bacterial cell away from preference.
Balaenoptera musculus consumes the krill. Wood, Acrylic, Paper – 2014 Academic 12’ –4’
Echinoidea made through chance and circumstance Monotype on paper – 2016 Academic 4 2” – 3 2’
The creation of
Variegation
The world is created with minutiae, but 1+1 does not equal 2, because when two things are added, they act as both separate entities and a new, combined whole. The power lies in the process, whether the process be through pressure or remembrance, both can amount to strength. There is necessity in the detail but the awe is found in the vast expanse. In these microcosms everything is encompassed, from creation, to continuation, to destruction.
Create with
Minutia
Bleached cotton – 2017 Academic
Combined whole Lithography monotypes on Polyester – 2016 Academic
Awe in the Vast
Expanse
Monotype on Paper – 2016 Academic 18” – 24”
In these microcosms everything is Encompassed Acrylic on Canvas – 2017 Academic 48 2”, 8 2”
Through the Scientific
Process
Multimedia causing oxidation on copper – 2017 Academic 4” by 4” each
In these microcosms everything is Encompassed Acrylic on Canvas – 2017 Academic 48 2”, 8 2”
Decomposition is explored Cyanotype – 2017 Academic 11” by 17” each
In these microcosms everything is Encompassed Soot on Mylar – 2016 Academic 30”- 48”
Substantial Memories Reality is a complex algorithm of every atom added, squared by their total. It is infinite and indefinable. I recompose the essence of my surroundings, large and small – a balance is struck between the visceral and analytical. This becomes my hazy reality, and the source of my misconception. Everything is interconnected to the point that nothing can exist on its own. We try created stark lines between dark and light, good and bad. This is a misconception. There can be no distinction, no line to be drawn. Everything exists in liminal spaces, ever flowing and moving, twisting in the wind while the day fades to night. Each processes is natural in its own right, but out of context it becomes a form beyond the known phenomena, forming into something constructed and rewritten through abstraction.
My Hazy reality Oil paint on Panel – 2017 Academic 6” – 6”
Reality is a Complex
Algorithm
Etching on Paper – 2017 Academic 4” – 6”
Misconceptions:
38°39’20.2”N 90°18’03.3”W
Oil on Canvas – 2017 Academic 24”– 44” Before I arrived at Wash U, the only thing I have ever really heard about St. Louis was about the Michael Brown shootings. The civil unrest was a daunting idea for my small town mind, and after Darren Wilson was acquitted, when I was told not to travel alone on the loop because there were going to be riots, I listened. As a senior living off campus, the Jason Stockley acquittal raised a similar fear. he demonstrators processed outside my window chanting “Out of your house and into the streets!” I stayed put. It was dark out, things could get violent, I didn’t want to be arrested, I had my friends birthday to go to, but mostly I was very privileged and it didn’t have to affect me. The next day I walked the Loop, looking at all the broken windows and
fallen glass. It looked like a war scene, and that’s how it was depicted yet again. This time I knew demonstrators though, and I found out that all of this damage was post the demonstration. I learned that the police were inflammatory to people, arresting a friend and removing his phone and wallet never to be seen again, simply for not moving and not saying anything. I learned that speaking out is infinitely more complex, convoluted, and unclear than I could have previously imagined. No interaction here is simple, not even between the sun and the shadow as the leaves blow above me, so I try to capture that reality.
Misconceptions:
38°38’52.4”N 90°18’18.3”W
Oil on Canvas – 2017 Academic 8’ – 4.5’ I applied to Wash U because its rankings for genetics were astronomical, and the brochures painted a warm, open, and accepting environment that differed from most highly competitive Ivy Leagues. A few months later I met Shayel on the steps of Brookings – a place that has been a symbol of success, intelligence, kindness, tenacity, and self discovery for me in those 4 years. So was Shayel. I knew he was one of those kids who was going to make a difference. I had recently run into him on campus. As usual he sat down and made time to talk to me, a skill I admire him for, and an embodiment of what the brochures allowed me to expect out of my peers. Our vibrant conversation circulated mostly around catching up on each other’s summers, talking about what’s next in life and quick jokes at
the expense of each other’s’ egos. What I wasn’t prepared for was less than a week later, our interactions – always vivacious and filled with laughter – were now confined only to my memory. I have cherished the support that Wash U has given me, but I have also felt the loneliness and fear that lurks beneath the surface. I suppose he was more well acquainted with the demons here than I. What pains me most is that the love I have for that boy wasn’t fully realized until after his passing. So, I came to the steps of Brookings, the place of our first meeting and his final memories, and I try to come to terms with the quietness of the shadows beneath my feet as a way to cope with the pain, turning these fleeting reflections into something beautiful and cathartic.
My Mother’s
Presence rewritten through abstraction
Lithography ink on silk, wool, essential oils – 2017 Academic 8” – 6”
Femininity One’s weaknesses can change to strengths in a moment. Thankfully nothing is perfect, as perfection would lead to instantaneous destruction. All communities are strengthened through diversity. The most important indicator of a community’s health is their genetic robustness– our differences are our strength. Then why does society pushes monotone expression? Why does society push women to display performed perfection when the reality is more exceptional? Why do we prod into the most intimate moments? Socially we should fit into boxes labeled with social norms and requirements, but the community can only survive under pressure if there are outliers. One base pair can be the basis of new life, and one voice can shift the tide.
Director’s Cut into intimate moments Charcoal on museum board – 2014 Academic 28” – 48”
Strength allows us transparency, and truth Interfacing / Mylar, Magazine – 2014 Academic
Maya Lin in conversation Paperback book – 2016 Personal 18” – 24”
As a member of Women in Architecture and Design (WIAD) I was a co-Design Lead for the Maya Lin in Conversation publication. This publication was created to record and commemorate Maya Lin’s round table event at Washington University, hosted by WIAD. I was in charge of page lay out and flow, photo insertion and editing, and creating promotional material for the publication. I was also a participant in the event and my question is recorded in the picture on the right.