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