“Irina,” represents a physical embodiment of how complex the mind is. I utilize installation as my medium to investigate what happens when a person develops a mental illness. I discovered that my approach needed to be process driven when I realized that two dimensional paintings wouldn’t execute my concept to its full potential. I started with double sided oil paintings on 18×24 inch clay boards. I then attached them to one another and used Plexiglas as stability for the paintings to stand on their own. This transformed the paintings into objects, which symbolize the mind going through transition. The objects fall slightly forward, bending the Plexiglas and creating an illusion that the yarn is pulling the objects towards the ground. The palette crates act as an anchor to keep the objects uplifted, creating tension in negative space. More importantly, the palette crates symbolize a sense of structure for the mind when struggling for sanity. I leave the damaged brushes I used for resin on the surface of the objects to indicate that someone has left work and will return. My intention is to overwhelm my viewer with obsessive yarn tying and excessive amounts of small lines that unify the large body of work. Ultimately, I create beautiful objects that flirt with repulsion.
2018
