KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY
ART DEPARTMENT SENIOR
EXHIBITION
APRIL 23 - May 1, 2022
ART DEPARTMENT SENIOR
EXHIBITION
Juried by Mark Stockton
APRIL 23 - MAY 1, 2022
The Marlin and Regina Miller Gallery
KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY
2022 Senior Exhibition for Studio Art Majors: Juror : MARK STOCKTON Mark Stockton is a Philadelphia-based artist. His drawings have been shown both nationally and internationally with exhibitions in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York, London, and Beijing. Originally from the West Coast, he received his BFA from Oregon State University in 1996 and his MFA in Painting and Drawing from Syracuse University in 2000. Since 2009, Mark has worked with the independent arts organization Vox Populi as both a contributing artist and as a board member. His work is in many private and public collections, including the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the West Collection. He currently teaches design and drawing at Drexel University. His most recent works and projects can be found at www.mtstockton.com/
“This is an extraordinary time full of vital, transformative movements that could not be foreseen. It’s also a nightmarish time. Full engagement requires the ability to perceive both.”
Juror's Statement
-Rebecca Solnit It is fair to say these last four years have been tumultuous for us all. Looking at the senior work put before me, I am encouraged to see engaged, vital art with a willingness for transformation. As an outside observer, I cannot know the exact paths these young artists traversed, but I can see that they were encouraged to find their own way through experimentation and introspection.
and searching for mushrooms – provided similar solace for me. I find a parallel, material pleasure in admiring Shani Trebatoski’s delicate ceramic work and getting lost in Katie Skokan’s dense abstraction. Nicholas Roberts’ methodical and laborious paintings require time on the part of the viewer, a break from the non-stop torrent of image and information.
Some themes in the exhibition parallel my own experience of pandemic life, especially in the renewed interest in the natural world. Whether in Victoria Mastroianni’s idyllic landscapes devoid of figures or in Victoria Foster’s woodland fashion, there is escape in the outdoors, a visual and psychological reprieve. Shoshi Rosenstein and Mary Beth Weidman merge the figure with the landscape, in photographic camouflage and ritual, while Katie Raudenbush also explores the sacred, natural space through light and lens.
There is a sense of freedom in James Menio’s and MarieLyse Neyhart’s nocturnal drives, albeit tinged with death and uncertainty. Isolation and disconnect are seen throughout the figurative work – whether photographic or painted – and resonate with our recently distanced realities. We feel the psychic tension in Ruben Dominguez’s lone figure, Angelina Nguyen’s suffocating portrait, Caroline Bakay’s compartmentalized women, and Max Whitbeck’s uncanny prints. There is death here and the added anxiety of unmasked mouths, seen in Abbygale Chua’s gnashing teeth and in Cece Cohen’s Sweet Suffocation.
Holly Johnson’s intricate textile work speaks to the joy of careful observation, the slowing of time, the catching of breath that deep-looking provides. The combination of a laborious process and time outdoors – in my case drawing
Art school during COVID-19 must have been unlike anything I could have imagined as a student. Despite the chasms of time and circumstance, the work in this exhibition also speaks to the perennial, creative struggles that transcend
generations. Even in this unprecedented time, art school is a place to locate one’s self in all its glorious specificity, finding a distinct voice while honing craft. Reese Seigfried explores compulsion in his repetitive and obsessive sculptures. Tony Williams investigates self in relation to race in his compelling assemblages, mining an inclusive American vernacular. Angelina Kimmins challenges sexual power structures in her graphite illustrations. At times in this exhibition, we are witness to raw pain and trauma, as in the paintings Alicia Salemno and Micah Beebe, and in the sculptural work of Marie-Lyse Neyhart. We see artists grappling with complex ideas of gendered identity; in Becca Leigh’s Probe Me series, bodies are trapped and manipulated. Sisi Essaf’s tactile sculptures are candy-colored and visually seductive, but they speak of abuse and physical pain. Adrian Eckenrod and Delaney Marshall break down the binary altogether – in radically different ways – signaling an even wider spectrum of experience. There is playfulness and joy here too–in Liz Williams’ pop culture celebrations of queerness, in Kira Kirschenmann’s lushly pastel paintings. As a juror, I could have chosen one or two of these divergent themes, narrowed the exhibition down to align with a thesis of my own. That approach may have made for a more cohesive experience, but it would not have reflected the whole ... the whole of this experience … This intentionally
discordant exhibition instead aims to carve space for each of these young artists without exception, as they embark on the next – equally transformative – phase of their creative life.
- Mark Stockton
CAROLYN BAKAY I create paintings exploring the female presenting body, embracing both contemporary abstract elements and realism. With the use of smooth, blended oil paint on canvas, I render these individuals’ bodies, with an emphasis on light in dierent surroundings, including water and isolation. Lighting has always been a huge influence in my decisions regarding compositions and subjects. Light changes how people perceive everything they see and I find this very impactful. These bodies are almost always depicted partially nude with the clothing being used as a compositional tool. This isolation of the figure caused by the solid, flat background, emphasizes the body and poses questions about where this person is and what they are doing in these positions.I aim to depict women as they choose to be represented. I ask people I know closely for images they’ve already taken, for the use of exchanging between sexual partners. This gives an authentic representation of how young adults pose themselves to feel attractive and enticing, which is what I aim to depict. Perhaps having the viewer relate to taking images of themselves in the solitude of their home, with someone in mind. I find the most appealing part of working with the body for me is recreating the skin. I try to develop the paint to mimic the specific translucent, supple texture. Skin is very complex, there are rolls, shines, soft shadows, harsh shadows, ect, my aim is to capture all of these intricacies. Using paint as opposed to other mediums, makes me feel more connected and attached to the work. The process of mark making, mixing paint and blending the paint makes the work more lively in it’s process.
Water Figure, 18" x 24" , oil on canvas, 2021
CAROLYN BAKAY
Simple Intimacy, 20” x 16", Oil on canvas, 2022
CAROLYN BAKAY
Dollar Store, 20” x 16", Oil on canvas, 2022
MICAH BEEBE Anguish. Pleasure. Grief. Joy. Rage. Desire. Futility. All of these emotions are funneled into every painting I create, leaving me feeling rather vulnerable. Exposed, even- the overarching theme in my artwork is a distinct feeling of being bare to the viewer. Whether it’s through imagery of my naked body or squirm-inducing predicaments with medical devices and needles, my work always relates back to the soft underbelly of my emotions. I explore my relationship with the bodily, mental, and spiritual sensations I bear witness to in my life. My work is made with oil paints, brushed over a variety of surfaces- wood, canvas, or paper. The smearing of the pigment is a connective experience for me. I connect with my deepest self through a ritualistic practice of art making. I portray myself as I wish to be perceived in the way I am most articulate, and that is painting self portraits; though I occasionally paint others, those I love or admire for their energy. Mainly, though, the subject is my own body and the mobility aid that accompanies it. Your body holds the truth to your past, and your body remembers all. I always struggle to know how I am coming across in social situations, struggle to articulate the most primal of emotions that are boiling within me now. Self portraiture allows me to exercise exact and total control over my image, my expressions, and my tone- a concept that is foreign to me as an autistic person who struggles profoundly with interpreting my image from the outside in social interaction. Experimenting with painting just slightly more thoughtfully, dancing with my work, and lovingly rendering myself in a way that helps me feel more understood is my ultimate goal; to speak as clearly as I can without ever moving my mouth.
An Extension of Myself, 24” x 16", oil on mdf panel, 2022
ABBYGALE CHUA My identity and the feeling of cultural belonging are both major aspects of my work that I intertwine with one another: one can’t exist without the other. The immersion of energy and fluidity are ingrained in the everyday experiences that societies and cultures face. Capturing these raw emotions in an expressive way, I paint with oil on large-scale, raw, and unprimed canvas. I portray my perspective and my personal experiences with micro-aggressions that I’ve encountered as an Asian American, struggling to find place in both the Filipino and American cultures and communities. My artwork opens the possibility of connections with others that may have encountered similar emotional experiences and allows a greater discussion to develop with those who may have different perspectives. Considering the increasing racism over the last two years against specific communities, I’ve chosen to communicate the tense energy and trauma that I have experienced and witnessed from my community and the immediate surrounding communities. By working with a wide variety of colors, I’m able to convey a strong sense of urgency and unresolved tension in each piece, all relating to a larger body of work. In addition, these vibrant, contrasting colors and soft gestures convey my interest in representational imagery and interactions that go beyond what is seen, but rather felt. The large cavities in my paintings embody feelings of ease an acceptance, while the vibrant ribboning around each cavity captures tension and unease, seemingly ready to burst at any given moment given how fragile an thin each line is. This is an intuitive and fluid process that moves the viewers to the oral space of the mouth, and the fleshiness of the gums. The unstretched canvas and wool wrapped edges give into the natural feel and raw connectivity conveyed in the painting. This flexibility of the painting on the canvas involves the viewer in wanting to reach out and feel the content, the subject, and the density itself.
Gritty, 58” x 24, Oil paint, wool, yarn on raw unstretched canvas, 2022
ABBYGALE CHUA
Untitled, 24" x 37", oil paint, wool, yarn on raw unstretched canvas, 2021
CECE COHEN My work adopts perceptions of my body and identity as subject – a reliquary of endured trauma, existential dread, and bodily strain. The work is rooted in the complexities of my ambivalent feelings toward feminine domesticity, as well as a tumultuous coming of age with contention amongst the matriarchs of my family. I abstract the consequences of expected gender roles within the domestic context related to cooking, care, spirituality, and sex. I struggle with feeling the guilt of indulgence, shame of trauma, and an inability to fully accept my body. Working from my personal repertoire, I aim to highlight the particular difficulties of coping and healing as a woman living in a societal patriarchy. As an interdisciplinary artist, I use mold-making, welding, assemblage, fiber arts, and lens-based media in my practice. Driven by material accessibility and experimentation, my fascination with discovering unconventional ways to manipulate techniques illuminates parallels and connections between mediums. I use materials that are reclaimed, unrefined, and non-traditional, often juxtaposing that which is durable or permanent to what is delicate, perishable, or decomposable. Using unpreserved and fragile materials, I’m able to convey my bodily existence as ephemeral and fleeting in contrast to the cold stability of enduring materials. This approach, in conjunction with multiplicity, allows me to draw upon a progression of time and contemplation bordering obsession.
Sweet Suffocation, sugar, brushed steel, 2021
CECE COHEN
My Body from the Pantry, 52" x 48" x 18", glycerin gelatin, spices, lint, steel, 2021
RUBEN DOMINGUEZ Ruben is a Photographer, Painter, and a digital artist. His process involves being more mindful of colors and finding ways to capture it while elevating subjects with it. Photographs are just pathways to the past in a way. Ruben as a photographer looks for and captures moments in time and the beauty in it for others to travel down these pathways themselves. While focusing on color, balance, and stylization as a subject matter as well as landscapes, people, and objects. Ruben offers a charcuterie board of colors to viewers and captures the way light and color can peacock and capture our eyes on any occasion. Ruben explores themes of the mundane pair with fantastical lighting to change our perspective of the subject. Ruben tends to work in digital, physical and enjoy learning from other mediums and implementing new techniques to my work. I draw inspiration from Andy Warhol, Herb Green and album covers of indie bands. His subjects tend to be landscapes, portraits and portraits of landscapes. He feels that locations and landscapes can have compelling portraits that showcase its own charm, and to show that the environment is alive in its own special way. Currently he is working on photos in a surrealist setting as well as the abstraction of form and normality by collaging images with one another. Ruben seeks to share these little moments that others themselves may have experienced in a different place, a different time.
Familiar Night, 7.5" x 11", Inkjet on paper, 2021
RUBEN DOMINGUEZ
Stark Stacked Steel, 7.5" x 11.5" , inkjet on paper, 2021
ADRIAN ECKENROD Using photography and digital drawings, I aim to explore the depths of my inner thoughts and make art out of my personal struggles in a soft and intimate way by creating self portraits. I view art as my own personal diary, a way to visualize the things I struggle putting into words and a way to cope or process my inner conflicts. I take the parts of me that I see as ugly and use color and lighting choices to make it into something delicate and pretty, a way to romanticize myself. It’s a way to take control over something that’s out of my control. The themes I take on in my art can range from body dysmorphia and gender dysphoria, mental and physical illnesses, and commentaries on my fashion choices as a nonbinary person. While the themes I tackle are very personal to me, I want my art to be for everyone, for it to be approachable. My hope is that there are people out there who can relate to my work and feel seen by it. I don’t want my art to be a product of me, but an extension of myself.
Adrian, GIF projection, 2020
SISI ESSAF Sculpture is a way to convey my strife since I recurrently find myself silenced. My work reflects my struggles with the concept of pain, emotional pain from coping with mental ailment and dysphoria, as well as physical pain lingering from past abuse and chronic illness. I manipulate tights, found objects, plaster, thread, metal, and wood to push these commentaries. My intention is to make my viewer uncomfortable by the grotesque and vulnerable imagery I use to communicate my narrative. Inspiration for my work originates from involvement with the medical field that surrounds the chronic illnesses Endometriosis and Adenomyosis. Conditions where foreign tissue grows and sheds within the body. Gender dysphoria brought forth from identifying as non-binary, in conjunction with growing up around addiction and abuse and the warranted coping skills I have developed to help heal. Tights and wood are used in juxtaposition of each other representing femininity and masculinity, and found objects are used to articulate notions such as alcoholism, and medicinal excess. Thread is hand sewn to embody a coping skill I developed in my youth to fully fathom these immense conflicts.
Abstract 27, 12" x 24" x 1",Acrylic on Canvas, 2021
SISI ESSAF
Abstract 28, 12" x 24" x 1", Acrylic on Canvas, 2021
VICTORIA FOSTER
The impetus of my work is to combat the excessive waste that industrialization produces in our society. I do this by focusing on sourcing materials ethically and using found objects and “waste” within my work. These materials include thrifted textiles, furniture, found metal, plastic and naturally occurring materials like bones, grasses and wood. I use techniques of weaving, crochet, knitting, and sewing within my fiber creations. Within sculpture, I combine my fiber expertise with my skills of woodworking, blacksmithing, small metals, mold making, and ceramics. My pieces, especially my weavings, are created by hand in ways that connect to the history before industrialization. I create quality long-lasting pieces that involve long set up times on a floor loom and drawn out hours manipulating the threads individually to create a weaving. I make big and small textural wall hangings, rugs with intense color and feel, and wearables. The weavings I sew into wearables are full of vibrant colors, plaids, stripes and other intense patterns, that are a modern take on vintage designs. My rugs and wall hangings are mostly inspired by the color pallets and organic forms of nature. My sculptural work is where my freedom lies as I combine all materials and techniques at my disposal, to create pieces like my knitting needle chandelier and my hanging basket chair, made out of rebar. I am constantly inspired by my environment and let my thoughts, feelings, ideas and actions create an interconnected web of inspiration, that then dictate my next project. I contemplate my emotions and experiences with life and then decide on the patterns and colors I will use within my next piece. I use colors and textures that are nostalgic and connect to the feelings I have over my identity and childhood. I use soft and fluffy textures for the feminine and hard, rough textures for the masculine. The bright colors speak to my inner child and the dull to my current adult self. My art is where I explore the deeper parts of myself through the color and texture within my weavings and the freedom within my sculptures.
Wool Series, Outfit 1, 60" x 22" x 12"
VICTORIA FOSTER
Wool Series, Outfit 1, Life Size Photograph luster paper, 2019 (shirt) & 2020 (pants)
VICTORIA FOSTER
Knitting Needle Chandelier, 95" x 45" x 20", casted resin knitting needles, found metal rings, cotton yarn, forged rebar, spray paint, 2022
BECCA LEIGH Through a process of replication and manipulation, my work provides me an outlet to decipher the body and grasp identity. Utilizing materials that inherently fill, cover or merge with a subject, I am able to reproduce fragments of my own person that then become specimens to examine and dissect. Metal, wood, and other structural materials become the skeleton of the inorganic versions of myself. Silicone, textiles, and photography form the external body. Further exploration of these forms through photography and digital manipulation allows me additional capacity to interrogate the figure. Through this interrogation, I aim to discover more about being trapped in my own body. I can then analyze this reality as both a universal human experience and a personal experience. Photographic and sculptural elements meld to become a new homogenous being. These beings are finished but still maintain a sense of rawness, allowing the ordeal and strain of having a body to transcend from an inorganic form. This culminates in a vulnerability through channeling my own trauma into a physical object. Through showing the material evidence of creation I create a tribute to my body that my viewer can translate into their own experiences.
Suture Me, 50" x 30" / 16" x 12" / 18" x 12" pantyhose, thread, glass, archival inkjet print, acrylic, 2022
BECCA LEIGH
Probe Me No. 2, 27" x 13" ,Archival Inkjet Print, Cotton String, Silicone, 2022
HOLLY JOHNSON Using textiles and weaving, my art represents my curiosity to explore the world, the beauty it possesses and why it is important to preserve nature. Materials such as hand-dyed cotton fabric, beads, silk, cotton yarn and thread painting allow me to transform imagery to create abstracted landscapes. With the materials that I use it allows me to create movement within the work with thread painting. Thread painting is the use of free motion embroidery to create shadow and depth. I use the interpretations from those places to guide me in choosing colors to use in each of my pieces. I am attracted most to the colors and how each color interacts with each other. By creating a block drawing based off of photos of each location I am able to see the color interactions before creating the piece. Each drawing is unique to the place I am representing and helps me decide on whether to use warm or cool color palettes. Through the process of hand dying fabric I am able to make a personal connection to experiences I have not had but dream of having.
Antelope Canyon, 45" x 60", Hand dyed fabric, cotton, and metallic thread, glass beads, 2020
HOLLY JOHNSON
Ocean, hand dyed fabric, cotton and metallic thread, glass beads, 2020
HOLLY JOHNSON
Lupin Fields, 20" x 35", hand dyed fabric, cotton and metallic thread, 2020
HOLLY JOHNSON
Beach Combers Treasure, 90" x 108", cotton fabric and cotton thread, 2018
ANGELINA KIMMINS My art depicts a vast range of forms consisting of sexual or provactive poses while also exploring the idea of strength. The depiction and use of females for me is taking back feelings of sexuality and pleasure. When a woman speaks of sexual interaction it differs from males, and woman are depicting as vulgar or whores with a label pinned on them. Men are given praise while women are made to be “defloured” and used. The idea of strength is shown in different ways ranging from warriors to just the simple idea of a woman showing her strength by flaunting her body as their own property. The reaction provoked from the viewer tends to differ on the person, age, and gender. The inclusion of characters like Lucifer, Lilith and other characters deemed as bad or immoral is another portrayal I like to follow. This is because I believe in life there is more than one side to a story. Leading to the idea of labels also a woman in power is always labeled as a bitch or other vulgar terms, while a man in power has completely different viewings even when they use the same power. The overall concept is labels being placed on people or ideas behind them are not always truth and black and white. We must rely on the gray area to reach our own ideas and beliefs on these matters. Women especially should be comfortable in their bodies and sexual encounters. .My series of works tend to be done in mediums like graphite or prints. They are done relatively big in size such as 18x24 to small around 9x11. I plan to do pieces that are companion works that will continue my narrative.
Heart and Soul, 24" x 18", graphite on smooth bristol board, 2022
KIRA KIRSCHENMANN I am a multidisciplinary artist working in photography and acrylic paint. A lot of my work is made purely out of curiosity and to partake in the medium. None of my works are emotionally charged or speak on personal/ worldly issues. In my photographic practice I work mainly in digital but have experience in disposable point and shoot as well as film. The subject matter that I photograph consists of everyday mundane still lifes. I frame everyday life in a romantic way making the viewer see, otherwise overlooked, things as beautiful. I don't necessarily have a rhyme or reason to my process. I usually go out on the streets and photograph anything that turns my head. I discovered this style through street photography actually, which is another subject that I shoot. I found myself enjoying capturing random moments in time of other people's lives and decided to do it to my own. As far as painting goes I have a similar process to photography but definitely more thought out. Once again my work is never emotionally charged or discussing any issues in my life or the world. When I paint I usually opt for one of the two portrait styles I created. I paint people in my life, celebrities and characters of my imagination. I also have a love for the viscosity of acrylic paint and the texture paint can create on a surface. I enjoy bold flat colors and thick brush strokes. If I am not painting people I am applying paint to the surface (usually masonite or board) in patterns and swirls to create texture and color combinations.
Untitled 1 & 2 , 12" x 6" , acrylic on panel, 2020
DELANEY MARSHALL My work is interdisciplinary; what I make changes rapidly based on what my intention is; a variety of lensbased work, sculpture, drawings, and textiles. Bodies in action, at rest, referenced for their anatomy without gender binary are my primary leading conversations about bodies as objects and as subjects. My work encapsulates gender identity and expression, through the bodies of varying identities Concepts about the body at risk speaking about my chronic reproductive illness, Endometriosis, in which uterine tissue has grown on my other reproductive and pelvic organs and the effects it has on my body, along with using my coping skills to derive the reactions from my viewers. The bodies in my work both figural and physical are commonly seen at play, at rest, or at risk; they typically lean towards nonbinary and femme, because that is my identity being explored along with the trauma attached with mentraution and Endometriosis. I use vulnerable and grotesque imagery and subjects to communicate the relationship with my body. The sexual context of mine and others exposed bodies help commincate my themes, with brash imagery to envooke a shock value and visceral reaction. The personal experiences that I base the subjectivity on are raw ordeals.
Eye of the Storm, 66" x 44" , inkjet print, 2022
DELANEY MARSHALL
Swamp Monster, 33" x 44" , inkjet on luster, 2022
VICTORIA MASTROIANNI Through creating lush otherworldly atmospheres, I seek to transport my viewer into a dreamlike headspace where imagination and wander is encouraged. With inspiration from both nature and fantasy, I create environments that highlight my favorite aspects on this planet joined with surreal features. Waterfalls and springs are common landmarks found throughout my paintings, emanating oasis like hideaways. Connecting with nature has been an integral part of my journey navigating my mental, physical, and spiritual health. It is a very grounding experience that can allow you to live in the present moment, embrace your inner child, and can be a positive coping mechanism for the struggles we face in everyday life. The earth gives us something we can enjoy, nurture, and be grateful for and I aim to show my admiration for it throughout my work. Using altered or enhanced color palettes are a way I like to express myself while painting as well as create a euphoric or calming mood within my artwork. Blues, teals, and aquamarine are predominant colors amongst my work, often accompanied by their analogous and complementary colors. I use acrylic paint with retarder to extend the drying time of my paint, allowing me to easily adjust and alter details while creating these imagined ambiguous places.
Untitled, 36” x 49”, Acrylic on Canvas, 2022
VICTORIA MASTROIANNI
Untitled, 18" X 24", Acrylic on Canvas, 2022
JAMES MENIO My work consists of acrylic paintings of wildlife and are often based on photographs I have taken of roadkill in my neighborhood or on my commutes. If the subject of my painting is living, it is to draw attention to a beautiful or gruesome attribute that the average person may be unaware of. I am inspired by taking the disgusting and abject and making it something beautiful that can be admired. I feel a spiritual relationship to the dead and painting the deceased brings me closure. My personal interaction with my subjects is unique in that I document and treat them as living individuals even after their deaths. Every individual is a unique ecosystem that constantly interacts with other ecosystems. When the heart stops beating and the brain stops sending messages, the ecosystem does not die; it simply changes states. Death exists as a liminal form of life, and I aim to capture that inherent transcendence and posit it as less of a disgusting eventuality and more of a transition teeming with life. My series Ghosts shines a direct light on roadkill. Inspired by the animals I find on my commutes, I raise questions about our relationship with the animals in our backyards. Both haunting and whimsical, the series brings a sense of closure to the reality of roadway fatalities. The series comprises three 8”x8” acrylic paintings on plywood board mounted beside each other horizontally, titled Ghosts, as well as one optional 24”x18” acrylic painting on mdf board to be mounted individually titled US-22 Charon.
Ghosts, 8" x 10" each, acrylic on canvas, 2021
MARIE-LYSE NEYHART I create oil and acrylic paintings on various wood surfaces along with mixed media sculptures as a way to represent and document my mental and bodily experiences. By creating grotesque, uncomfortable or charged imagery, my works aim to explore and address themes of sexual assault, PTSD, trauma, mental illness, self-harm, pain and gender identity. I use sculpture as a means to give three dimensional form to often invisible or hidden struggles. Through the use of textures that seem sharp, dangerous or bodily, I can communicate physical sensations to the viewer. Painting allows me to quickly sketch out ideas while I work to understand my body. Through layering and reduction of paint, I use line and color to depict the aforementioned themes in my paintings. Making these works allows me to process, understand and heal myself. As a break from my emotionally heavy work, I began a series of oil paintings inspired from grainy iphone images captured on backroad night drives. These drives began as a way for my partner and I to get away from the stress of life and share our thoughts. On our adventures, I began photographing the eerie, ominous and atmospheric scenes we encountered in the night. Each painting is characterized by strong or subtle sources of light and color which give atmospheres of horror and unease. The shots are all captured from within a vehicle which helps the viewer place themselves within the context of the painting. I recreate these snapshots in order to memorialize these moments and document them for others to experience. Both my heavy and light work serves as a cathartic physical and mental release. The process of manifesting personal experiences into physical works of art helps me ground them into reality and exert my energy into something rewarding.
Just Under the Skin, 30" x 18" 24" wood and nylon, 2020
MARIE-LYSE NEYHART
Night Drives,varied dimensions, oil on masonite, 2020
ANGELINA NGUYEN Can an entire storyline be communicated without the use of text? I sought out an answer by removing them entirely. My work primarily revolves around telling a narrative while weaving in the emotions I often struggle with conveying in my everyday life with traditional mediums like ink and paint as well as digital illustration. Each has a different thought process behind them and helps me get out of a one track way of thinking during art making. Being raised in a family of refugees, but considered foreign in my own birth country, there has always been a disconnect between everyone and every place, never fully embraced into any group. As a result, I’ve become drawn to creating a neutral space within my own works, allowing people to make a connection to art without having to know the deep and elaborate lore behind it. Through incorporating an American graphic novel influence with an East Asian manga style, I believe I can find some sort of equal middle ground that can connect with a large audience. I aim to explore the relationship between the viewer and the visual narrative without the use of words, letting those who see it put together their own cohesive story. Each of my pieces can be seen as stand alone or over arching, letting each person have their own unique perspective. As an artist, I want to further my understanding of how a viewer interacts with my work.The variety of experiences in my life has become a focal point in my work, allowing me to express myself in ways that I never was able to achieve in written and verbal ways before.
ThankyouThankyouThankyou, 36" x 24",acrylic on canvas, 2021
KATIE RAUDENBUSH Through photography and painting, my work seeks to visually portray the relationship that can be formed with a sacred, natural space and the permanent influence it can have on one’s body and identity. Formulated through time and experiences, this space exists for me within the natural areas my home, depicted in my paintings. These ideas are also manifest in my photography, including digital, film, and other physical processes, as self portraiture. Often, these self portraits are in black and white or limited color to enforce the shadows, and especially how the light and shadow transforms and distorts the body. I work to understand my connection to my physical form as well as to the place that I grew up, as extensions of who I am. This work seeks to explore my relationship with light, my relationship with my body, and, in turn, their relation to each other. Both these mediums, while different in process and product, have distinctual abilities to depict the subtleties of light, shadow, and form, and thus begin to understand how each affects and changes the interpretation of the human body and the natural world. I aim to discover if a suggestion of the body, or a place of significance and familiarity, can be as much a representation of self as one’s immediately recognizable physical form.
Untitled, 67" x 48", cyanotype, 2022
NICK ROBERTS It is my personal belief that all things of visual interest are derived from the idea of contrast, or lack thereof. Contrast can be implemented in endless forms, whether in the form of highlights and shadows or through the disparities in concept. Though opposing forces may forever be in conflict, I believe they are essential to creating meaning and importance. I use various forms of contrast to reveal the human condition and explore the deeper psychological states of man. It is my belief that we as humans have a profound and innate emotional connection to the figure with or without knowing its identity. It is this innate emotional reaction that I seek to invoke in the viewer as they look upon my work. There is no light without darkness, no pleasure without sorrow, and no excitement without the mundane. My work and thoughts about the art world are heavily influenced by technique and process. Currently, my work is comprised of various printmaking techniques, such as mezzotint and lithography, as well as traditional oil painting and ceramics. The slow and tedious nature that these processes require allow me time to reflect and deeply understand the subject matter. These processes also allow me to create a classical sense of tenebrism and chiaroscuro, reminiscent of the baroque, that strongly influence the dynamic lighting and composition in the depiction of the figure. The slow and physical nature of these techniques allows for a deeper human connection to be made between the artist, process, and finished artwork.
Untitled, 7" x 12", mezzotint, 2021
NICK ROBERTS
Ode to VanOrden, 18" x 24" , oil on canvas, 2021
NICK ROBERTS
Bath Time, 30" x 43" , oil on gessoed paper, crayon, 2021
SHOSHI ROSENSTEIN Capturing the natural world within a photograph allows me to recontextualize and present forms of nature in unexpected ways. Searching for commonalities between nature and the body, my work attempts to bridge the space between the outside world and the human experience. I aim to photograph the natural world in a context that allows my work to represent nature as portraiture as opposed to traditional landscapes. My work utilizes black and white images along with techniques which incorporate visual and physical layers such as collages, books, and double exposures to reframe a familiar encounter. My use of individually crafted handmade books creates a more personalized experience for the viewer, allowing them to closely look at and interact with the photographs. Through the experience of handling a uniquely made object, the viewer is able to observe themself in a material object creating a sort of connection between viewer and art. This connection allows for sympathy to grow within the viewer, driving home the idea of my art which is to compare nature to the human experience.
Untitled, 16" x 20" , gelatin silver print, 2022
SHOSHI ROSENSTEIN
Shapes of Trees, 6" x 9", archival ink jet print, book cover still
SHOSHI ROSENSTEIN
Untitled, 38" x 50" , archival ink jet print, 2021
ALICIA SALEMNO Through the usage of oil paints and layering of translucent surfaces, I attempt to portray the experiences of never ending pain with no relief, and the difficulties that coincide with this state of living. This includes medical incompetence and the emotional turmoil I dealt with alone. Using unnatural color, I try to show the emotional struggles along with the physical, the ups and down I felt struggling through this pain and its treatments, and the eventual immeasurable disappointment that would follow when the pain would return. These portraits of myself demonstatrate the torture it is to live with constant paint, the mind-numbing effect it leaves, and the eventual breakdowns that follow. I wish to bring the public eye to see what others are forced to experience, to pseudo experience the invisible battles myself, and many others, are fighting. I need the public to see the constant threat of mental collapse, to see behind the walls put up to hide this pain. I want those to see how difficult simply waking up can be.
Gyno, 14" x 14", oil and acrylic on wood and plastic, 2022
REESE SEIGFRIED My artwork focuses on minimalism working hand in hand with chaos. I work in ceramic, sculpture, and installation to create large scale works that challenge how mental illness is viewed within society. I work in two contrasting modes. Using clay, plaster and metal to create heavy and simplistic pieces; using charcoal and acrylic, I create loud, messy and busy pieces. My work tends to push boundaries right to the edge of uncomfortableness and rests comfortably on the border of being shock art. Using these mediums and materials allows me to put my emotions that I have into pieces that can be overwhelming. The physical and mental labor that goes into each piece is just as important as the piece itself. Within the finished work, I make sure people see the imperfections, hand prints, nail marks and smudges. I make forms that resemble the body and abstract forms that represent memory or various mental disorders that I experience. To push the idea of repetitiveness and obsessiveness, I use a large amount of repeating forms and multiples. My body being in the work is a direct relation to my body being the vessel that holds the memories and trauma that fuels my work. Pushing my body to the limit brings me closer to the work and adds much more meaning to it. My work focuses on my struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder which is a mental disorder that people experience after going through a traumatic event. I show the traumatic memories through each of my pieces, focusing on the use of fear and anxiety to simulate how I feel when I experience a panic attack, flashback, or nightmare. My work is a way to take my traumatic experiences out of my head and into the eye of the public. Bringing it into a gallery setting and showing the pain and fear it causes is what pushes me to go bigger and harder. My primary reason for making art is out of spite and as a jab to those who have caused those traumatic memories.
Interrupted Thoughts, dimensions expandable, ceramic, 2021
REESE SEIGFRIED
Escapism, dimensions expandable, plaster, 2021
KATIE SKOKAN My creations are trippy, abstract, and full of colorful swirls and patterns. Specific colors meticulously placed throughout the work, I imagine my work as cloud gazing, watching the fluffy, wispy collections of water shapeshift and transform, coming up with different ways to describe them and what they look like as they change. Making art helps to make sense of my thoughts and the constantly changing world around us. I express these feelings through a bright color range, typically using a limited palette, intuitively filling my compositions with visually stimulating, busy marks, giving the work texture and seeing how certain colors vibe together. I use a variety of mediums, ranging from thick, layered oil paint, to markers and pens producing an inky stream of consciousness.
Flower Field, 36" x 40", oil on canvas, 2022
KATIE SKOKAN
Fruity Pebbles, 36" x 40", oil on canvas, 2022
SHANI TREBATOSKI Clink, jingle, scrape, twist, and spin. We all experience objects through touch, feel, and/or sounds. My functional and nonfunctional abstract ceramic forms narrate my relationship with the past, present, and future. Adopting abstract forms allows my sculptures space for interpretation, it encourages the viewer to interact with the work. Removing the hesitancy around touching the piece, I invite play with my use of color, sound, and clay’s inherent tactile nature. Color is integral to my work. My color palette uses certain oxides and carbonates of chosen metals that resonate with the individual piece. The coloring process allows me time to hyper focus, reflect, and immerse myself in testing color reactions, experimenting with certain percentages and combinations on forms. Influenced by the Japanese Nerikomi technique of creating patterns with colored clay, I create a landscape of color by carefully stacking layers of clay bodies together, which evoke connections to time and my layers of identity. Burying those layers of color through twisting and folding, I later resurface and reveal layers with craft knives and sandpaper. By removing the barrier of a glazed surface, I expose the colored clay body to the air. The sanded smooth surface, round edges, and satin-like finish invites touch, interaction, and surprise.
Landscape, 15" x 15" x 2" , colored porcelain, 2021
SHANI TREBATOSKI
Rattle Trio, 7" x 15" x 2", stoneware and colored porcelain, 2022
SHANI TREBATOSKI
Moving Vase, 9" x 9" x 2" , stoneware and colored porcelain, 2022
MARYBETH WEIDMAN I started out making photographs as a way to bring my inner imagination to life. 13 years old, taking self portraits in my bedroom, I’d drape sheets around to disguise the furniture, prop my camera up on books beca use I didn’t have a tripod, and set the self-timer. Today, my work is still driven by an internal urge to document and explore my surroundings and the inner world of my mind. Building props, sets, and working with models also has brought a DIY and collaborative element to my work. I love the synergy of creating with another person and pushing myself to experiment with my creative process. Employing the use of reflections, distortions and shadows created by everyday objects, I generally favor practical effects over post-processing programs and strive to make magic happen in-camera. I love how immediate and accessible digital photography is while still offering expressive potential to communicate the intangible. Preserving a child-like obsession with the fantastical and inviting others to play pretend with me when I create continues to inform my work, making curiosity and play important elements utilized in my creative process. Through photography I strive to achieve aesthetic richness using jewel tones, deep shadows, bright highlights, and dramatic scenes with lots of movement. Utilizing the color and grain of analog photography, the pull of nostalgia, the surreality of life, memories, as well as the intimacy of teen suburban culture, an emotional response is evoked in my viewer. I aim to create a moment or sensation that encapsulates the viewer and transports them into the world that I’ve created.
Untitled, 13" x 19" , inkjet print on archival paper, 2021
MARYBETH WEIDMAN
Untitled, 13" x 19" inkjet print on archival paper, 2021
MAX WHITBECK I am always searching for ways to express in art what I find to be inexpressible with words. To do this, I must fuse the real with the unreal—merging reality with the uncanny. Much of my work is about personal experiences and I use drawing, printmaking, painting and other mediums as ways to get thoughts and emotions into the physical world where they can be experienced by others. In order to achieve the desired mood, I sometimes depict reality in a way that is very slightly distorted in form or perspective. These deliberate imperfections or inaccuracies are in an effort to create an eerie feeling when observing the work. It is an imitation of our world—but upon a closer look, it is an imitation that has taken up residence in a place that is similar and yet profoundly different from our own. No matter how unpleasant the feelings behind them may be, I attempt to depict them in a way that is visually interesting and often leave the viewer to interpret it in their own way to some extent. Ultimately, I want to create things that invoke an emotional reaction from the viewer and allow them to interpret their own meanings from my work.
Growth and Decay, 11" x 14", pen on Bristol paper, 2022
MAX WHITBECK
Underwater, 12" x 16", woodcut on rosaspina paper, 2021
MAX WHITBECK
Quaratine Self Portrait, 18" x 24" , charcoal on paper, 2021
LIZ WILLIAMS Through mixed media collage and digital illustration, I explore my personal experiences with both whimsy and angst while growing up. I create my work using repetitive imagery, child-like patterns, and vivid color that bring a cluttered space to life. These visually packed spaces of journal entries, pop culture references, and dreamlands, tie my work together through a consistent underlying discussion about Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Confessional writings spill out my endless inner monologue. References to pop culture and the use of items that sparkle highlight indulgence in hyper-fixations, and countless patterns scattered in the world of butterfly- like people showcase my inattentive habit of daydreaming. Creating in a nostalgic manner, I start an introspective conversation about relationships, queerness, and my experiences with ADHD.
My Hope, 29" x 22", Inkjet print on paper, 2021
LIZ WILLIAMS
Eight, 22" x 29", inkjet print on paper, 2021
LIZ WILLIAMS
Hyperfocus, 60" x 36" x 3", mixed media on canvas, 2022
TONY WILLIAMS I am a multidisciplinary artist focused on engaging with the origins of identification of self in relation to race, sociological ideologies, and societal conditioning while holding a special affinity for the African American experience in the United States. In my work, I encourage the exploration of the untidied spaces within us that we are terrified to observe. I create a neutral space of reflection and understanding that the viewer is guided toward by their own hand, rather than by an outside influence. I am largely inspired by the stylized renditions of forms found throughout early African & Japanese sculpture and functional ceramic vessels, as well as Cubist and Caribbean approaches to the painting of forms. I paint the human figure, and personified objects as stand-ins to create subjects and objects that are recognizable, unrefined, accessible, and influence the reflection of self that I feel is imperative for the further understanding of our shared human experience.
Uncle Jeff as Aggravated Bull, 48" x 24", burlap, cotton, coffee, oil stick, graphite on paper, 2022