Senior Minor Project: "X's and O's"
My paintings investigate the importance of human connection through reflection on my experience growing up as the daughter of a public figure in football, and how that made me deeply value personal relationships. Because my proximity and connections to football made finding and maintaining genuine friendships so difficult, I grew to resent football altogether. Ironically, each of my most cherished relationships were somehow formed through football in their own unique ways. This idea is represented through the "X's and O's" of drawn-up football plays interwoven into each piece. My collection honors each of those friendships and depicts irreplaceable memories I’ve shared with each of them.
I aim to capture brief moments that evoke a sense of nostalgia, warmth, and sentimentality by focusing on the passage of time, movement, and narrative. I focus on quick, aggressive mark-making to do so. I also aimed to depict scenes that aren't too specific to my personal experience, but that are niche enough to allow this nostalgia to be felt by the viewer. Through my work, I hope to encourage my audience to appreciate the priceless, immeasurable value of their own relationships, and to treasure the fleeting moments spent with their favorite people.
Toby, Fiona, Pierce & Jack
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24 in
Colin, Jack, Matt, Ethan, Tom, Max, Sam & Charlie
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24 in
Olivia, Caitlin, Rylee & Maya
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24 in
Kelsey
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24 in
Spectators
Oil on Canvas, 30 x 40 in
I see these works as a process. At the beginning of the semester, I challenged myself to paint the figure, which is something I had never done before. I had a perfect idea of what I wanted to do in my head, but found that I was feeling so restricted, and that I wasn't enjoying the process. I tend to lean towards more realist techniques, but I tried to remind myself to take risks and stray away from what I already know. Toby, Fiona, Pierce & Jack was the first piece I completed for this collection. I am proud of how it turned out, but I knew I was holding back and working very tensely. With Kelsey, I experimented with different, faster, more aggressive mark-making to achieve the sense of nostalgia and memory that I hoped to convey in my pieces. From these came Olivia, Caitlin, Maya & Rylee, as well as Colin, Jack, Matt, Ethan, Tom, Max, Sam & Charlie. These two pieces are unlike anything I've painted in the past, but I really wanted to lean into a sketch-like depiction of these people to emphasize the raw, fleeting moments. There was a lot of layering in each of these pieces, which also conveys the passage of time. The final piece I made was Spectators, which was a breakthrough piece for me. Its large scale combined with aggressive, layered, and varied brushstrokes allowed me to combine everything I've learned from class, others, and myself into one piece. Looking back at where I started and where I ended up, I am proud of the body of work I produced. I wanted to take risks and challenge myself, which is something I feel I certainly was able to achieve.
