BFA Painting Thesis

“Gender Studies”

Artist Statement

With multiple layers and scrape marks, these paintings show the search and struggle of revising and finding.  This is what makes the painting more human.  And the more human, the more real the paintings.  The complexities of our flaws and virtues are beautiful candors of mankind.  Becoming open-minded, accepting, and respecting your own identity as well as others unfolds this spectacular truth.  The truth is constantly evolving and modifying.

THeavily influenced by Expressionism, these portraits are built with numerous layers of oil and impasto; layers are added and removed with various palette knives and paint scrapers.  The process represents the constant search for finding oneself.  My work focuses on the figure, merging symbolic references of both masculinity and femininity.  The manipulated androgyny intends to address antiquated and obsolete social norms of gender roles and focuses on the concept of the third gender.  The third gender is based upon gender neutrality, denying labels as a man or woman.  Intrinsic and extrinsic details like actions, attitudes, and personal interests that are labeled as masculine and feminine blur society's definition of gender.  Therefore, the third gender makes the outer social perceptions of male and female irrelevant.  The identity and perception of oneself is the only pertinent truth behind the façades of gender roles.  Knowing and continuing to learn the truth of yourself  and embracing others' self-perceptions is a universal reality of self-identity and ultimately humanity. 

“Gender Studies”

Artist Statement

The large scale of my paintings reflects the boldness behind your self-identity.  Rich texture indicates the complexities of this pursuit.  The portrait is built with numerous layers of oil and impasto.  These layers are added and removed with various palette knives and paint scrapers.  The process represents the constant search for finding one self.