Design: Artist Statement

The act of design engages my desire to solve problems in the most aesthetically way possible. My goals and aspirations are simple; to utilize my creativity to communicate ideas, my own or my client's, and to feel like my work inspires others to appreciate their surrounding world.

Everything in our world has been designed.  I strive to create designs that give the viewer a sense of "ah-ha!" upon examining my work closely. The aesthetic of my work is to be clean, fluid, and subtle. Most of my work is black and white pieces. I am drawn to the dynamic quality of the contrast between black and white. I also try to add a level of subtlety to my work. I want to draw my audience into each piece to examine each component.

My current work consists of a developing style largely composed of clean lines and shape juxtaposed with fluid type and image. I use subtle pops of color in thin lines and shapes to create clean designs that appears effortless. I am drawn to lines because of their versatility. Lines can create a sense of movement, lead an eye to a focal point, or bring in color in an understated manner. Another important aspect of my work is an emphasis on typography. Typography within each piece is carefully selected and manipulated in a way that creates the sense of effortlessness in my work.

Photography: Artist Statement

Through photography I am able to explore my persona. My work focuses on self-exploration and documentation of the day-to-day. In pursuing self-exploration, I focus on the themes of nostalgia and timelessness, creating personas, and memories. I visit places from my childhood, recreate dreams, and alter my appearance to convey these themes. My work involving self-explortion consists of images I compose from ideas. I pay careful attention to objects within the frame, angle, and lighting. These images are staged to create, or recreate, memories.

In documenting the mundane, I combine candid imagery with carefully composed scenes. I am drawn to documenting the persona of my pets, favorite objects in my household, bedrooms, and interactions with loved ones. I may place an object on my bed to see how my dog interacts with it, or I may capture my favorite mug from a unique vantage point. Often my documentation of my surroundings will overlap with my desire for insight into who I am. Each selection of the subject matter shows what I see as important in the moment I snap the shot.

As I explore further, I continue to shape my being. Photography is a unique medium that allows the creation of memories to be captured realistically in order to mold old memories into new ones.

Seniors: Katelyn Atkins • Sonja Avena • Rachael Hall • Haley Hargett • Jennifer Leiner • Kelley Loconte • Amber McClure • Abby Overman • Alecia Overton • Jennifer Watson • Krista Way