This semester I have focused a lot on exploration and finding fun through painting. I started with small studies, candid images of different locations around my hometown. I wanted to tackle themes such as grief and nostalgia. Yearning for my childhood but hating the town I had these experiences in. In addition to these small paintings, I worked on two large paintings of 4ft by 5ft of my boyfriend. I chose to paint him because if it weren’t for this town I would have never met him. In addition to this, all of the locations I have painted are locations that we both grew up in, traveled through and experienced as we grew up less than 5 minutes away from each other. Along with the candid images and portraits, I have created “Sweet Tooth”. 

I painted myself surrounded by Mike and Ike’s. I have an extreme sweet tooth, to the point of repetitive cavities as a child. Now as an adult I have a little more restraint but I’m a glutton for candy like I’m a glutton for myself, as we see through my works. I repeatedly use myself for my subjects because I am creating works based on my own experiences. For this mixed media self portrait, I used one of my absolute favorite photos of myself. Like the candy, I am posed in a way that insinuates I too am available for consumption. 

I feel as though I’m very over the top and out there so I wanted to express that through my use of materials. I used many items such as glitter, gold foil and rhinestones to represent the “extra-ness” that is me.