Euphoria by College of The Albemarle

college of the albemarle

euphoria

spring 2021 por tfolio and resume class

euphoria

spring 2021 por tfolio and resume class

eu•pho•ria \yü-for-e- \ noun a feeling of well-being or elation The past year of uncertainty has given way to so much potential for outward growth coming out of this global crisis. For many of us, our time in isolation has given us a better understanding of ourselves and what drives us, and has inspired us to take full advantage of our ability to connect with others in new and meaningful ways. In this show, we have compiled pieces to encompass our hopes for the future that we can finally anticipate. We’ve spent a lot of time dwelling on how this pandemic has torn us from our families, friends, and sense of normalcy, and now we would like to take this time to focus on the times that will follow the end of this epidemic. We have put together important works of art that represent our craft in hopes of bettering our future. We are young artists with a message to share with the world. — Ann Workman

Derrick Harvey

Lisandra Leon

Tori Bland

10 Ann Workman 12 Noah Caroll 14 Amy Bishop 16 Shara Maupin

Derrick Harvey My work explores the relationship between surrealism and reality by focusing on dreams, the unconscious mind, and the element of surprise. The human brain unconsciously processes more than we realize. In my works of art, I’m interested in capturing imagery that is almost dreamlike. These works often involve unexpected hybrid imagery and unrealistic proportions. I like to tap into my imagination by taking ordinary objects and putting them in extraordinary, often unrealistic situations or surroundings. For example, taking a human hand and placing an eye in the center of the palm. I use graphite pencil, ink and charcoal to bring my works to life. By tapping into my own unconscious mind and sharing my depicted dream world with others, I hope, in turn, that it motivates individuals to expand their minds.

Shapes in Ink; 22” x 33”, graphite on paper

Lisandra Leon I am a visual artist with a focus in painting. I create art as a form of therapy for myself. Creating allows me to better understand myself and grants me the freedom for my mind to flow unaltered. Creating is one of the simple joys in life where there are no bounds to what I can achieve. I use art as a way to reminisce on old memories, create new ones, express vulnerability, as well as a way simply to break from reality for a bit. I will continue to make art throughout my life as a means to get to know myself and challenge my own capabilities. I frequently draw inspiration from a wide variety of things, whether it be from people, vivid facial expressions, memories, or just the way the light is shining down on the grass one day. I explore the things that bring me joy or a deeper understanding of the world and my existence in it. I have challenged myself to create everyday as an attempt to try new mediums, sew more or play with different color palettes, etc; it is a way to know myself better as well as to gain skill. I started out my art career by focusing on portraiture as a way to solely gain skill, but accidentally discovered my fascination with the human face, and how a person can be captured in a new light that can only be expressed through a painting or drawing.

The means by which I express myself artistically tend to reflect my own inner child. Choosing a beautiful array of vibrant colors references the intensity and explosiveness of childhood. I believe the carefree nature of children inspires my curiosity and love for the mundane in art and in life itself. I mostly play with paints and pens. The crisp lines of the pen bring me such joy, and the vibrant colors exude happiness. As of now, my artwork is experimental, but my works display all of these elements. Since my artwork is reflective of my exploration of myself, it will grow and change direction as I grow. My hope is that through this process of experimentation and exploration, I discover newfound joys and intriguing new ways to explore my relationship with myself.

Expressive Blind Contour (Finns); 18” x 18”, acrylic on paper

Tori Bland I am a visual artist. Clearing my mind has always been difficult for me. The one thing that clears my mind is creating art. My current work is based on letting go of the past and setting myself free from it. Much of my work is based on the effects that the world has had on me, good or bad. My artwork is related not by color or style, but by meaning. My work changes by what in the world is currently affecting me.

Selfless; 8” x 5”, Acrylic on Canvas

Ann Workman As a multimedia artist, my work explores my own experiences with death and femininity. Both subjects terrify and liberate me, and I use that fear to explore both themes. I approach both death and femininity with a sort of morbid fascination. The resulting work, my art, is my safe way of exploring what both subjects mean to me. Within the patriarchy, women are expected to be walking paradoxes, always toeing the line between two extremes: not self-conscious but not conceited, not too smart but not ditzy, not a prude nor a slut. But what they don’t tell you is there is no middle ground, you’re one or the other, there’s no room to breathe. There’s so much I fear about womanhood and how I present my own femininity. Being a woman is scary, having children is scary, being expected to be unfalteringly nurturing and compassionate is scary, and I think it takes a certain amount of vulnerability, especially as a black woman, to present yourself in a feminine way. There’s something very scary about the fragility of womanhood, not that women are inherently fragile, but in the sense that there is so much aversion to it. Moving through the world as a woman means always being hyper-aware of safety and your surroundings. I try to combat this fear in my art by either addressing it or by trying to find power in embracing femininity. As for death, I don’t know anyone who isn’t afraid of death; I don’t think such a person really exists.

The art I create is for women of color. I think that our experience is such a unique and nuanced one that some of my work can’t be fully understood without the lived experience of being a woman of color. A recent sculpture I created, Contraband, focused on the concept of rebirth or returning to the Earth after a life of pain and oppression. The title is in reference to the Contraband Camps where many “freed” slaves were housed during and after the Civil War, only to starve and then be dropped into mass graves. This is a piece that is very important to me and one that I want to be seen by other black people, because I don’t think that the concept of escaping oppression and being reborn into a peaceful final destination can be fully appreciated by people lacking a lived experience of fear. The ideas for my pieces usually come to me while I’m working or on the precipice of sleep. Whenever my mind has time to wonder, I usually end up confronting death or pondering women’s issues, so it comes as no surprise to me that my work often comes from these moments of solitude. When I create a piece, I want to make people uncomfortable. I’ve spent a lot of my life feeling uncomfortable, and I want to share that awful experience with someone, if only for a moment.

Contraband; 5.5” x 11” x 3.25”, twine

Noah Caroll My artwork is like a big pot on the stove: it is full of anything that can be found in the kitchen. It is not a prescribed recipe for any kind of soup or stew, but a strange mixture of ideas and inspirations that come together to make a new kind of meal. Inspiration, just like ingredients, can be found anywhere: a cloud floating high above a field that happens to be in the shape of some strange creature, a midnight storm, a dead and rotten tree, or even a conversation between old friends or bitter enemies.

My current work falls in the line of comic book illustrations. I am exploring the same thing that the masters of comic book art such as Jack Kirby or Lee Falk explored; telling stories of heroic proportion through the visual arts. I am always challenging myself as an artist to come up with new ways to tell these stories. I strive for the weird, heroic, villainous, horrific, suspenseful, and things that would make your mind curl like lips to a zesty lemon.

I make decisions based on stories; when a new idea for a story or character pops into my head, I quickly draw an image of a character or a scene (before the concept slips away). I use charcoal or graphite on sketchbook paper for my initial work, and my technique follows that of the artists in Florence during the Renaissance. These artists would sketch out their ideas for a work before creating it, thus allowing a sort of peephole through which to see the final piece. My style is non-conformist, and plays on themes of the weird, imaginative, fictitious and otherworldly.

The Draining of Icarus; 8” x 5”, graphite on paper

Amy Bishop I am a visual artist. I work with many mediums including acrylic, watercolor, and gouache paint, as well as charcoal and ink. I make decisions based on the best way I think that I can go about “solving” a current idea. Since each idea is different and has a unique way of being solved, many of my works reflect that and do not always seem to relate to one another. I make art by just diving right in and making these decisions as I go, using my intuition.

My current work falls in the line of illustrative and cartoon-like paintings. I enjoy making art that tells a story. I prefer using bright colors because they are emotionally uplifting, which is one of my goals when I create art. When I infuse my work with joy, I hope others will receive the joy when viewing it. For my subject matter, I usually choose events that don’t typically happen in the natural world, such as a ghost with a pet or a frog with a hat. I choose these because they are intriguing to create, and I want to transport people beyond the monotony of the everyday and encourage them to find wonder in my fictional paintings.

Yardsale; 16” x 20”, acrylic paint on canvas

Shara Maupin I am a visual artist, and the mediums with which I tend to work are graphite, charcoal, and acrylic. I create art to bring about a feeling of freedom within myself. In my process, I purposely do not set limits or restrictions, and I make decisions based on my first thought. If I want to throw paint at an oddly shaped canvas, I can. Or if I want to pick up a pencil and make a very detailed piece, I can.

I add many details to my work while keeping the overall piece fairly simple. Keeping the overall work simple makes it appealing to the eyes for me and the viewer. But the added detail also makes it a more interesting piece for any viewer who examines the work more deeply.

Distortion; 9” x 12”, graphite on paper

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