Connectivity.

Throughout these pieces, I have been investigating connections, between oneself and others. This body of work consists of some ceramic sculptures as well as various intaglio prints, all with a heavy focus on experimentation with the process of both of these mediums. For example, I have been testing the process of taking figural charcoal drawings and translating them into plexiglass plates to print with, or decals to add to my abstract ceramic forms. Through this group of pieces, I’ve been exploring my personal relationship with emotions, trauma, physical touch, and intimacy. These were made to be a reflection of my own struggles and successes in learning about my feelings and relationships.

Emotional

Illiteracy

April 9th, 2023

22 in x 30 in

Etching with laser cut plexiglass plate, tape, and tissue paper,

This diptych is a pair of prints with which I want to open a discussion about experiencing struggles with being comfortable with our own emotions and accepting them to pursue mental wellness. I come from a background where everyone around me growing up actively rejected processing most everything, and I have been growing into independence by learning how to support myself and my emotions no matter how turbulent they can be.

Through this project, I pushed to explore the potential of the process I was working with. Since I was working with plexiglass I knew I wanted to laser cut a traditional drawing onto the plate. I transferred a charcoal drawing I made and then turned it into a bitmap on Photoshop to be able to laser cut the illustration and cut out the shape of the plates. I made variations with combinations of paper color, ink color, surface roll, and added plants as well as tears to create an interesting contrast between the prints.

project 4 emotional illiteracy, no cut.jpg

That Feeling

February 14th, 2023

20 in x 25 in

Etching with laser-cut plexiglass plate, tapioca starch, and tissue paper

This piece, That Feeling, is a representation of the feeling of intimate touch between two people. There are two iterations of this print, one red and yellow a la poupee and a deep brown surface roll, and the other ink with a deep brown and a star-shaped paper applied with chine colle. Through the use of a la poupee and a surface roll, a feeling of heat and radiance is communicated through the part where the hands intersect with each other. The other piece using china colle has a very different feeling being communicated, it almost seems as though there is a divine implication with the colors used as well as the bleeding caused by the excess starch used for the china colle.