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I explore humanity's impact on and relationship with other animal species
through my studio work using a variety of different mediums, including plaster,
cheesecloth, oil paintings, and pastel drawings. I use different mediums to emphasize
texture and detail, letting the work become either more realistic as an animal form or
more evidently made by human hands. In doing so, the work enforces a stronger
connection to human-animal relationships.
This relationship is further described using grotesque yet fantastical depictions of
animals close to my home. These mechanized animals are metaphorical representations
of how I imagine the future; as humanity grows, the lives of other living things—like
those right outside our doors—are irreversibly altered. Death, decay, and suffering
become commonplace in the fictional yet relatable world I create. The world is relatable
through mankind's encroachment on what is natural; however, it holds fantastical
elements through the grotesque animal figures being mauled by a mechanical disease.
My honors thesis is in studio art; therefore, this written section is based off of a
series of work I created between 2019-2020 in several different media. In this paper, I
will describe the themes within my work and how my ideas are derived from events
occurring in the world at large with additional influences from historical and
contemporary artists.
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