Artist Statement
As a ten year old girl, sitting in a class room surrounded by paints and clay and crafts, and a bunch of strangers I did not know, I would have never imagined that in seven years, it would all mean as much to me as it does now. At the moment, it was simply just something to pass time, to get a grade for. But at one point, it turned into something that would make me forget about my loneliness. It turned into something that would make me forget about the lack of friends I had in my new home called Florida. At one moment, one second, it went from something to get a participation 'A' for, to my biggest passion today. Art.
For the average, art is just a pass time. Something to do only when you're really required to. For the empty, or the lonely, art becomes a form of self-expression. A way to escape your inner demons. A way to express your sadness, your happiness, your anger. Or in my case, my loneliness. My first real experience with art, was in my fifth grade art class. Our project was to create a clay bowl, however we wanted to, and decorate it, with whatever we wanted to. As a kid, you could imagine, my excitement, followed by quick frustration and the thought "How on Earth am I going to make a bowl with my hands?" I started by rolling out a bunch of little snakes (coils) and I placed them atop each other until my bowl was about three fingers high. I then rolled out more little snakes, and I curved them to form a snail. I placed five snails on the top of my three finger high bowl. And that, was just the beginning for me.
Soon after, I joined the art club. We had project after project, and with each one, I found myself caring less and less about what the strangers around me had to say about my work. I made what I wanted to make, and I made it how I wanted to make it. And no, my art did not always come out perfectly and what I imagined it to be; but that's the great thing about art. There are no rules, no boundaries for what you decide to make. You hold control of all of the reigns when it comes to creating a masterpiece. No one can tell you that you did anything wrong or incorrectly, because each artist is different. There is no right or wrong when it comes to art, and that's what makes it so enjoyable.
Most of the pieces I create, are made out of clay, or painted. Also, I take alot of pictures. And i mean, a LOT. Photographs are fun because they capture moments engraved in your brain and give you something to look at and treasuer for eternity. My projects almost always lack a theme. I am more of a "start and see what you end up with" type of person. What draws inspiration for what I create, primarily is the way I am feeling at the time. I have found that some of my best pieces have been created when I am deep in my thoughts and unconnected with the world around me. When I am in too much of a good mood, I get distracted and my art is not to it is best potential. Art to me has always been a way to escape. I have always turned to my art work, when I was looking for a way to escape the voices in my head, or in my household that is.
"Art is the only way to run away, without leaving home." ~Twyla Tharp