My exhibition’s objective is to portray the constantly changing atmosphere of the very nature around us. With my pieces, I chose to focus on all aspects of the subject - from the big picture, such as entire seasons, to the smallest details, such as a leaf or pinecone. In order to encapsulate the constantly changing scene of our environmental surroundings, I decided that I wanted to hone in on patterns. My exhibition reflects me as a person, as I love to consume the beauty of nature first hand. By creating this exhibition, it allowed me to combine my interest for the subject to create pieces of art that bring out the best in the observable nature of the world. 

 

I arranged my work sequentially from when it was created over the two years in this art program. I did this in order to tell a story and to depict the “constantly changing atmosphere” of nature as stated before. The sequential works over the two years is representative of my personal view of nature. Obviously, this past year has been devastated with the COVID pandemic affecting all corners of life, and I made sure to incorporate how that felt in my works. From the beginning, it started with a lighthearted tone, colorful and pretty - a hopeful and optimistic view of nature, where I was very appreciative of everything I centered my work on. But as the works progress, the tone transitions from this hopeful optimism to a bleak and pessimistic view of nature, skewed by the pandemic’s restrictions. My works became less colorful and were outlined by gray and black backgrounds. The transitions of my works also included a stylistic change, where the medium of art became more realistic as the color pencils and acrylic paint style of art was replaced with photomontages. This choice to switch medium styles is indicative of the tone switch mentioned before. Connected to this lighthearted tone, I drew my depiction of nature to be playful and not taken seriously. However, as the pandemic struck, this playful tone disappeared and was replaced by a serious and realistic view of nature that I now carry today. 

In all of my pieces, I incorporated three important elements of art - patterns, colors, and movement. I felt that these three are instrumental in order to help viewers understand what I am trying to bring attention to in my art. Even with the switch in artistic design in relation to my pieces of art, these three are still present in all of my pieces - just displayed in a new form that helps viewers fully interpret my art. The use of patterns is very important when considering the exhibition I put together. It has a strong presence in every one of my pieces. Towards the start of my exhibition display, pattern is used to create a sense of repetition and generates compelling compositions. In Parts of a Whole and my Untitled work, the addition of pattern is used to create a sense of symmetry and cohesiveness to the overall design. In my later works, pattern is used differently, as in Unkempt Thoughts, the jail bars are used to enunciate the lack of freedom one is given due to the COVID lockdown. Color and pattern go hand in hand in relation to each other, as in my works, color is used to represent individuality and expression of a lighthearted tone. However, in later works, the color is each piece is diluted to showcase the change of said tone to a more bleak one. The use of movement is also essential to each piece. Not only does movement transcend past just an element of art and is used to describe the movement from each piece to show the progression of the overall story, it also serves as a main focus in interpreting my art. The movement of nature happens everywhere, and I managed to capture this feeling in my exhibition. This particularly pertains to my last three pieces of art, which is a series of three. It further tells the story of a girl who holds onto her hope while travelling around her neighborhood during the pandemic.