Matches
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Keywords
Art, mosaics, matches, band-aids, painting, watercolor, sculpture, culture, Abrahamic faiths, global art history
Department
Art and Art History
Major
Art; Art History
Abstract
Identical colors, portions, or patterns are not always required to make items match. Complementary ideals, even encased in quite dissimilar exteriors, can create a match. My art explores the iconography and symbolism of the Abrahamic faiths. I am not interested in origins, histories, or contemporary issues. Yet, I am fascinated by analyzing the overlapping layers within imagery. These layers at some unique points even seem to create a match. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam overlap in countless ways, but are still so distinct. My artwork is based on theories of global art history and sociology. I questioned the metaphor of a “melting pot” to critically analyze identify and cultures within both heterogeneous and homogenous societies. I am mostly working in two different mediums, watercolor paintings and “mosaics.” My watercolor works portray repeated images of symbolic animals from these faith traditions. To create these pieces I make a transparency, which is then copied and repeated to create tile and mirror effects. To compliment these watercolor paintings, I have also created a series of tile “mosaics.” These mosaics are made of small, repetitive units from the consumerist world, like bandages, pencils, and matches. By manipulating large quantities of these small items, I have created artworks with the symbolism of the Abrahamic faiths. These “mosaics” are heavily influenced by geometry. Through this body of work, I hope to celebrate the smallest of commonalities and even the rare matches that occur within these distinct faiths.
Faculty Mentor
Ty Pownall
Funding Source or Research Program
Summer Undergraduate Research Program
Presentation Session
Session D
Location
Rockwell Academic Center 175
Start Date
3-4-2015 4:15 PM
End Date
3-4-2015 4:30 PM
Matches
Rockwell Academic Center 175
Identical colors, portions, or patterns are not always required to make items match. Complementary ideals, even encased in quite dissimilar exteriors, can create a match. My art explores the iconography and symbolism of the Abrahamic faiths. I am not interested in origins, histories, or contemporary issues. Yet, I am fascinated by analyzing the overlapping layers within imagery. These layers at some unique points even seem to create a match. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam overlap in countless ways, but are still so distinct. My artwork is based on theories of global art history and sociology. I questioned the metaphor of a “melting pot” to critically analyze identify and cultures within both heterogeneous and homogenous societies. I am mostly working in two different mediums, watercolor paintings and “mosaics.” My watercolor works portray repeated images of symbolic animals from these faith traditions. To create these pieces I make a transparency, which is then copied and repeated to create tile and mirror effects. To compliment these watercolor paintings, I have also created a series of tile “mosaics.” These mosaics are made of small, repetitive units from the consumerist world, like bandages, pencils, and matches. By manipulating large quantities of these small items, I have created artworks with the symbolism of the Abrahamic faiths. These “mosaics” are heavily influenced by geometry. Through this body of work, I hope to celebrate the smallest of commonalities and even the rare matches that occur within these distinct faiths.