Reid's Artist Stament

Reid Christian Barraza 
14 May 2018
                                                             Artist’s Statement

     I use my visual art as a journal where I can pull images out of thoughts and questions in
my mind that are cloudy and need sorting. I do not create art that depicts themes or statements I know to be true, I create art to discover new things about myself or contemplate my opinions on external issues. I never put pressure on my art to result in answers or develop a distinct or legible visual.
     To encourage my art to be explorative, I think a lot about the elements of fire and water - fluid, ever-changing elements. The duality and variety of these elements inspires me. Water and fire are keys to life and are simultaneously capable of creating death. The severity of these elements pulls me to create bodies of art which often share a bold presences of heavy black and a variety of energetic, imperfect line qualities.
     The tension in the human body also inspires me. Muscle cramps, the sexual subconscious and the passion to create change lives in my own body and is translated in my drawings. The body also influences the size of my art - I enjoying creating tall, “life- sized” pieces. Large size in combination with energetic, imperfect energy allows the process of my art creation to be very physical. My own physical body and psyche are always clear in my art. As opposed to my art on stage, where I put on the identity of other characters, in my art on the page, I unmask and think about who I am physically, socially and subconsciously.
     In my most recent series, although it strays from the usual scale of my art, I continue to think about life, death, innocent, severity and transformation in nature and the human body. I’ve recreated “shed” and “dead” bodies.

Hanouf Alharbi
May 14, 2018
Plastic Bottles Insulation

     Water issues and problems in developing countries are diverse and serious: Problems include the natural scarcity of drinking water in certain areas, floods, the siltation of river systems, as well as the contamination of rivers and large dams. These problems are more severe and widespread in the developing countries than in developed countries.
California has a water contamination problem that endangers far more people, and it has existed for decades. State officials knew for a generation that many Californians lack access to clean, safe drinking water, yet, disgracefully, they did not begin to address the issue until five years ago.
    For this project, I decided to talk about water issue and present it through my artwork, because we have this crisis here in California and in other countries as well.  I did an do Insulation work for this project which it fits more with the subject that I want to present. The Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that often are site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called public art, land art or intervention art; however, the boundaries between these terms overlap.
     I have a lot of plastic water bottles in my garage. I always collect them and delivering it every month to homeless and poor people, so they can receive goods and services. However, This month I didn’t deliver it because I need to for my project. I used 154 plastic water bottles. I cut the bottom of each bottle to put the top part of the other bottle inside it so it will look like a bottles ropes. Then I hung it on the ceiling and let it down till it reaches the floor. Also, I used 8 of plastic leaves and flowers ropes. I designed on the floor and under the plastic water bottles. I used this natural green design under the water bottles because it means that water is the most important thing of living for everything, and it is the main factor of nature. It gives life to the whole world. The artwork it somewhat looks similar to the waterfalls in nature. I like the waterfalls and nature in general because it makes me feel peaceful. And that what I wanted to present through my artwork. I was trying to create a subject based on 3 topics which are: water issue, recycling, and nature. All these topic are related to each other in real life. So if we overcome the water issues, and if we recycling the plastics, then we will have a beautiful nature that good for us, animals, and everything.
I worked for that in my studio which is in good size for me and work comfortably in my space. I chose to present my artwork in the gallery because it’s must be hanging to higher celling than our classroom. Also, there are some areas in the gallery that will make it easier for me to hang it there. Everyone sees this artwork can get an idea that relates to one of the 3 topics, but few of them will guess that it presents this three topic together.

The Wonderful World of Mr. Bunny

        In preparation for my final piece, I came across a show promo card of a gallery exhibit happening at the Corey Helford Gallery titled The Wonderful World of Dr. Deekay. I was very drawn to Camille Rose Garcia work since it was very illustrative with a combination of fairytale horror and stop-motion animation.

         Unlike my previous works, I wanted to create a body of work that was very playful and illustrative that gave a story for this bunny character that I had created in high school. This was a character I hold very near and dear to my heart since it has been with me when I first started high school, and continuing to add to this series every year. I wanted to move away from the more traditional and formal artwork and wanted to really experience line art and detailing an image.

         The Wonderful World of Mr. Bunny is an illustration and story that gives a little background to how Mr. Bunny came to be. He is sewn together by this girl who was very lonely and wanted a friend that was very similar to her. Mr. Bunny takes her to Bunnville where she sees all these colorful character. They go on many adventures together and give you a glimpse into their friendship. Looking at it now, this piece is very reflective of who I was back in high school. I was an outcast that would sit alone with my phone and would draw and it was only after 1 year did I really start making long lasting friends.

           Tram Dang was born in Santa Ana, California. Upon graduation in June 2020 from Chapman University, she will have a BFA in Studio Art with minors in Graphic Design. She has had an interest in art since she was very young, and when face with the decision whether to pursue music or art, she chose art. Her works have been exhibited at the Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University.

Artist statement and bio

I have always had a profound interest and passion for the arts. My passion for art started the moment I could hold a pencil. I have always used art to express myself or to escape from difficult times in my life. From my childhood, what I remember the most is always drawing. On elementary school spelling tests, notes and homework, every margin is filled with doodles of classmates, imagined creatures, food and anything that popped into my head at the time. My parents enrolled me in summer art classes where I learned how to paint, do print-making, and use watercolors. For Christmas and birthdays I was always given sketchbooks, new pencils and I could not be happier. For as long as I can remember, art has allowed me to escape in circumstances where I feel trapped, driven to boredom or even just alone.

            I lost my father due to cancer when I was 12. He had the most beautiful watery blue eyes. Since his passing, drawing eyes has been something I always come back to. As soon as I am given the surface of a piece of paper, I begin to draw eyes. I have done this so often that I have even tried to draw eyes with my eyes closed, and have been successful. I like to use charcoal, and graphite when I draw eyes, and recently I’ve begun to use india ink. It allows for more diversity of line and freedom.

I’d say much of my art focuses portraiture and particularly on eyes as being the window to the soul. Eyes allow you to see all kinds of emotions even when the lips betray what the eyes speak. I find them fascinating and important and try to include them in all of my work. 

Bio:

Ellen Chapman was born in Alexandria, Virginia. She is currently attending Chapman University in Orange, California working to get her BFA in Creative Writing and a minor in Studio art. Her work as an artist is influenced by the beauty of the people who surround her, and she spends much of her time practicing studies of them. She wants to create work which allows their viewer to see the vulnerability and splendor of the subject.

Artist Statement and Bio

Artist Statement

Some people’s lives are governed by God and religion. Others by horoscopes and astrology. No matter who or what you consider your “god” we all have something that keeps us grounded. I am not a religious person, nor do I believe in astrology in the slightest. Instead, I am kept grounded by the people in my lives. These people talk me down when I’m in distress and give me hope that things will be okay. They inspire me to be a better person and teach me the ways in which I can improve myself and how I treat others. When I’m stuck, I find myself asking what they would do in this situation. What would they say. How would they act. 

The night sky is a constant wherever you are in the world. There’s something comforting about knowing however far away from home I am, I’ll always be looking up at the same sky. The same stars and the same moon. Sailors use the stars to guide them when they are lost and these people are my stars. They have brought me back to reality during the countless times I have felt completely lost. I don’t consider my friends god-like heads in the sky looking down upon me at all times judging my actions, but I know that no matter where I am, they’re there for me, just like the stars.

My relationship with these people feels so organic and more real of a relationship than I could ever have with a God I could never openly speak to and share experiences with. Their personalities are illustrated by a plant –simple but surprising, selflessness and nostalgia, humorous and light. These traits of theirs bring me back to reality. They keep me grounded and bring me comfort.

Bio

Mia Andrea resides in Orange, California and attends Chapman University studying both animation and fine arts. She began her art career at the age of seven, attending fine arts classes at Art Steps and continued training there until age 17. Her work as an animator and fine artist have been shown at Chapman University throughout her college career. Her passion for traveling, meeting new people, and learning new skills drives her work forward. Mia now works as a fine arts teacher at Art Steps and is currently pursuing a career as an animator.

Artist Statement

ARTIST STATEMENT 

Intersectionality has been introduced to think critically about different, complex forms of discrimination of marginalized individuals or groups. The artist, LakeLyn Bagge, critically analyzed the stigma behind mental illnesses and the way this group is often criticized for the many aspects in daily life that are affected by this illness. The work takes on forms intended to draw the viewer as the creator but also as the witness to create this cycle of push and pull of trading spots with the artist by also going back to the relationship of the individual and their feelings.  

Bagge’s intent for the piece, “April 14, 2017. II” , was to create a series of drawings relating to a specific entry in her personal journal. Bagge drew three different feelings expressed in an abstract portrait that was framed around this specific tragic event. The choice to reference a personal journal entry was to explain the idea of the subject of mental illnesses and how they are internal details of a person are expressed in external portraits.   

The design of the piece, “April 14, 2017. II”, had an intentional layout including the close up view of the portrait to show the detail of the piece. The intent of using sculptures allows the viewers to walk up close to the pieces and see the details within each sculpture. This is an important aspect in the sense of seeing the small attention to details in the pieces to represent the small issues that relate to the illness that ultimately make up the entire piece and the entire creator.  

“April 14, 2017. II” , is multilayered piece including sculpture and drawing. Bagge comes off to her peers as a happy, bright, confident person. The muted color sculptures the internal emotions of the artist in which darkness and death was felt during this time. The vibrant colors of the drawings shows what the external characteristics of the artist. This was to show the viewers the internal issues of mental illnesses which are also prominent on the outside.

Three pedestals sit in front of the drawing. The three sculptures that are in reference to the drawings sit upon the pedestals. Three large scaled drawing are hung behind the sculptures at a higher measurement to create a visual movement from the sculptures, up to the drawings, then back down to the sculptures. This allows the viewers to interact visually to create the understanding of the experience of an intimate moment between the viewer and the artist. It allows the viewer to engage in the feelings the artist experienced during a specific time. 

Artist Bio: 

LakeLyn Bagge was born in Valencia, California. She is currently attending Chapman University in Orange, California working to get her BFA in Studio Arts and a minor in Graphic Design. Her work as an artist is influenced by the struggle of being diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression. She has exhibited work in the Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University. She is involved in many organizations that work around children and to end the stigma of mental illnesses.  

Artist Statement

Devoured Women

Nearly every opera concludes with a woman’s death - often gruesome, usually over love, always tragic. I began with the question: why are women in opera treated as temporary, sacrificial, and punishable? In opera, the feminine is inseparable from suffering. Some deserve their death, a sentence for their sins of pleasure and love, while others’ deaths are treated as sheer, undeserved tragedy. Even when the woman lives, it is often without happiness or comfortable resolution. To explore and communicate this phenomenon, I used the cameo, which reemerged in the 19th century alongside most of these popular operas. Hanging a cameo portrait on a wall or wearing one as jewelry evokes ideas of memory, and how we interact with memory in our daily lives. The cameo’s traditional connotations of femininity is amplified by the use of feminine florals, lace, and decorations; this combination of feminine form and materials plays off of the tradition of feminine death in opera.

I selected women from six of the most famous operas with the most infamous deaths: In Carmen (1875), the bohemian title character is dramatically stabbed and murdered by her jealous lover; the Parisian courtesan Manon in Manon (1884) dies in prison after a brief life of pleasure and passion; Floria Tosca in Tosca (1899) throws herself out a window to avoid being arrested for killing a man who pursued her; in La Bohème (1896), the poor, pure, and undeserving Mimi dies of tuberculosis; Marguerite in Faust (1859) is corrupted, impregnated, and abandoned by Faust, and dies after being jailed for killing her baby; in Madama Butterfly (1904), the young Ciocio-san marries a U.S. naval officer, who quickly leaves her and their son in Japan for an American wife - when he returns with his new wife to take their child, she slits her throat.

In preparatory research, I came across a phrase that encapsulates these concerns: “It is as if genre itself seems to devour women.” The genre of opera does indeed consume women at an alarmingly rapid pace, furthering the idea that women are consumable and sacrificial when it comes to romance, and that tragedy can only be truly expressed through feminine death. The pairing of these lost female characters with the memento format of the cameo is an attempt to reconcile the devoured women with their memory.

Bio: Manon Wogahn was born in Pasadena, California. Upon graduation in May 2018 from Chapman University, she will have a BA in Art History with minors in French and the Honors Program. With a background in fashion illustration and design, she has also studied at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena and has exhibited at the Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University.

Artist Statement

    Morgan Grimes was born in Houston, Texas. She is currently an artist studying for her BFA at Chapman University in Orange, California. She has been an artist since she was young, always creating with any medium she could get her hands on. She has displayed work at the Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University.

    I work in a world of art and science, and that is precisely where my art stands. This cross-section of two completely different disciplines is where I like to work. The more exploration I make in science the more it seems I am able to explore in my art. Every science class or subject opens up more doors and pathways to drive my art to a new place. The exploration of photosynthesis and photography are what created this body of work. As I was working on photosynthesis I began to explore light and what makes things light sensitive. As human beings we don’t need light to survive in quite the same way that a plant does. Another thing that needs light is photography. The reaction of light and silver are what make film and black and white prints in the darkroom. Another way to use light in photography is by way of photograms. A specific technique in photography that makes use of photograms is cyanotypes. This process uses Iron and Hexacyanoferrate and light energy to produce brilliant blue photograms. Using this technique and a wide array of flowers I was able to create stunning images of the outlines of the flowers I had used. The difference in the flowers made for some prints with harsh outlines and others with soft edges. I created a total of 15 prints and from those I chose 5 to recreate as drawings. For this project I explored the relationships of objects and light and chemistry. My drawings began as direct replicas of the cyanotypes, that were 8 x 10, that I had created. These images were interesting, and they relied on the composition that I had chosen to photograph the flowers in. This recreation was interesting and beautiful to me, but I needed to bring back some of the original objects into the final drawings. To do this I decided to draw in microfiber black pens the outlines of the flowers that had originally been used in the  cyanotype.

    These drawings explore the relationship between objects photographs, and drawings. While they are three completely separate entities, they can act as one if used in a certain manner. The cyanotype of the flowers is a photogram, which is an exact copy of the objects outlines and transparencies. It is the print left from the object blocking the sun. The drawings that were then created were man-made replicas of an exact copy of the flowers. By bringing the original flowers images back into the drawings I have completed the circle of object, photograph, and drawings.

Artist Statement

Artist Statement 

Guns and Drugs. Two of the biggest domestic issues facing America currently. From these two topics, a variety of topics begin to come to mind; mass shootings, opioid epidemic, police brutality, harsh drug laws, school shootings, and the prison industrial complex to name a few.


 This series consists of three drawings. Materials used include paper, pastel, pencil, and charcoal.  Each piece of the series is cut into a region of the United States. The edges of the paper are torn. The left and right panel focus on a specific color. The right panel includes various shades of red. I utilized a more impressionist art style for this project. Shades of red are seen in the figures face, clothes and background. The panel to the right does the same but with blue. The center panel consists, but is not limited to both these colors. 


This series is called "This is America" inspired by Childish Gambino's song of the same name. To listen to the song is not enough. The music video is filled with symbolism, cultural references, and shocking imagery. Similar to the music video, I'm bringing attention to problems in America. The central focus is on guns and drug and is represented as such in the central panel. The right and left panels are consequences that have occurred because of them. Each could have been filled with various figures and multiple events that have occurred over the years. Eventually, I settled on depicting Emma Gonzalez, a Parkland school shooting survivor and now activist. The right panel depicts African American men in chains, representing mass incarceration in relation to harsh drug laws. I utilized bright colors throughout the three panels in order to be eye-catching.


I am often combing my major and minor together, Political Science and Studio Art. My political art in the past has covered the prison industrial complex, DREAMers, historical struggles of the Latino community, female equality, the status of Puerto Rico, and commentary on war. I view art in all its various forms, to be a powerful tool. It has the capability to motivate and alert observers to the misfortunes and injustices around the world.


I began by using a projector to project an outline of a United States map on 3 separate pieces of paper.  Using pastel can be difficult so I also drew an outline of the figures and objects first. Pastel was used in layers in order to obtain both bright and deep colors. I predominately used my fingers in order to blend pastel. A lot of extra powder is left on the paper when using pastel. I collected this powder in its various shades and used it to create a swirling pattern background for each panel. Fixative will instantly darken any leftover powder from the pastel. I used the fixative strategically to intensify colors in certain areas and left it alone in others. After each was sealed, I used an x-acto knife to cut each piece in the shape of the United States.

Bio
Vivianna Sepulveda was born in Irvine, California. She is currently seeking an undergraduate degree from Chapman University. Her major and minor are Political Science and Studio art, respectively. The most important art training she received was from her mentor, a high school teacher. They continued a close relationship until his untimely passing.  She has been exhibited in Chapman Univerisity's Student Art Show

Artist Statement

Untitled (flowers)

For my final series, I decided to challenge myself by using a media that I have not had a lot of experience with. I have always found that I enjoy working in black and white and want to develop as much detail as possible. I find that the easiest way to do this is to use graphite because it allows me to add small detail and a large range in values. I rarely have used color, so for this series, I decided to work in watercolor and allowed the pieces to not be entirely photorealistic.

There are nine pieces in this series because that number has been very significant to me in the last two years. The anniversary of when my boyfriend and I started dating is the ninth day of the ninth month. We just moved in together and our move-in date was set by the apartment complex and happened to be set at May 9^th. We recently adopted a puppy and were thinking of names for her. Because we started dating in the fall, I suggested the name “Autumn.” We later looked at names for those born on September 9^th and saw that Autumn was on the list, and so we named our new puppy Autumn.

I’ve been thinking a lot about flowers recently: what they represent and how they are used in society. Flowers can symbolize a place, a person, a memory, a celebration of life, and an offering to the dead. My series, Untitled (flowers), is a symbolic self-portrait comprised of various flower species. Golden poppies represent my home state of California and the orchids are for my mom, who has collected them since I was a child. Roses, which are my favorite flower, will likely be present in the bouquet at my wedding and will also probably be put on my grave when I die. In this case, the same type of flower can be used to represent complete opposite emotions, which is a unique occurrence in society.

 For inspiration, I looked at Kiki Smith’s Touch series. These works are printed etchings and water color on paper. I had researched her works in the past and done a pair of etchings and wanted to revisit that concept with my current series. However, I do not have access to a printing press, so I chose to outline the flowers in black pen to mimic the ink in the etchings.