Create 2023

ART EXHIBITION

2023 CREATE ART EXHIBITION is the part of 2023 CREATE conference at Eastern Connecticut State University, where students presented posters, gave talks, exhibited artwork and videos, performed music and acted in the University’s largest academic showcase of the year.

DEPARTMENT OF ART AND ART HISTORY

FINE ARTS INSTRUCTIONAL CENTER

Eastern Connecticut State University

83 Windham Street

Willimantic, Connecticut 06226

FEATURING THE WORK OF:

Grace Blanchard

Michelle Chenail

Leah Coelho

Denisse Díaz-Sánchez

Ben Giammattei

Nicole Gorski

Olivia Hermonot

Allison Keeling

Anastasia Korzhoff

Alexa Michalski

Allison Keeling

Shannon Kennedy

Anastasia Korzhoff

Cecilia LeBlanc

Melissa Liebla

Sofia Lomba

Kara Mahoney

Kevin Mendoza

Kate Moss

Jessica Ng

Xari Perez

Jillian Rappi

Maria Fernanda Reategui Davila

Mabel Saccomanno

Grace Blanchard

FacultyMentor:SoojinKim

This is the dynamic poster for an imagined tour around Asia by the artist Ten. This poster features his song, “Dream in a Dream”. The poster references the aesthetics of his music video, with a dream-like scene of flowers in blacks, pinks, and blues. Ten: Dream in a Dream Digital Media 2022

Michelle Chenail

FacultyMentor:LoraLee

During this photo study assignment, I used Clip Studio Paint to replicate the appearance of traditional oil painting, which is a medium that I do not have prior experience with. As a commuter and working student, digital drawing software is both an accessible and versatile medium that can be used for creating art.

Leah Coelho

FacultyMentor:LoraLee

At the beginning of this academic year, I was overwhelmed with feelings of betrayal, which numbed me for a while. By suppressing my anger, I would cry more than usual, to the point where I questioned who I was and who I wanted to become. After rebuilding confidence in my work ethic, friendships, and the way I carry myself, I no longer hold onto that anger. It started a fire within me, which helped inspire me to create these designs. Now, I am happier than ever, following a path I am proud of, knowing that it took strength and forgiveness of myself to get here.

The Layers of Leah Digital Print

Denisse Díaz-Sánchez

FacultyMentor:TaoChen

“The Sickness”, a typographic poster design, focuses on raising the public’s attention to the problems and negative effects of the American healthcare system. The research that I conducted was concentrated on real-life experiences of those who suffered from the negative effects of the American healthcare system. Through research, I collected countless recollections, including the disheartening case of Susan Finley who lost her job at a company for taking too many sick days. She also lost her health insurance while struggling to recover from pneumonia. Finley passed away from flu-like symptoms after avoiding a doctor’s visit she simply could not afford. Stories like these were incorporated into my design, along with dark tones and torn newspaper effects to express the impact they hold. It is critical to recognize how an unprecedented ailment can put a family into incredible disparity. Without universal health care, the US health system forces Americans to feel strongly apprehensive of even calling for an ambulance. The American healthcare system takes advantage of how helpless one can feel when they are denied help in times of need, merely because they cannot meet the price tag. The typography in the design was shaped into a medical syringe, with all the words included correlating to the theme of both America and general health topics. The colors chosen for the type are red, white, and blue, to symbolize the overarching subject of the United States. There is a large dollar sign in the negative space of the syringe overshadowing the other words, to conceptually represent a debate over who the system benefits and helps. I hope that my design can raise the public’s attention. We need to break the silent taboo shrouding this problem and push for the system to work for the people, not big pharma or private insurance companies.

The Sickness Digital Print 2022

Ben Giammattei

FacultyMentor:QiminLiu

Portraiture study using mainly vine and compressed charcoal with the addition of white chalk pencils/pastels. It is a portrait but mainly focused on the hair of subject and developing ways to showcase it. While also using elements of art to make a proportional and realistic portrait.

Ben Giammattei

FacultyMentor:SoojinKim

This poster is a design for the manga/anime “Chainsaw Man”, depicting the main character and displaying the overall themes of the show. I took the sketches I made and scanned them into Illustrator where I imaged traced them and added color and later animation in After Effects. For the animation I wanted to have an initial eye catching moment with other effects supporting it around the poster to lead the eye. The manga/anime is very intense, visceral, and energetic and I wanted to show case that in the animation to make the characters come alive.

Nicole Gorski

FacultyMentor:SoojinKim

I created the branding for Blush Skin Care for an independent study on package design. I designed a series of facial serums with a theme of all natural ingredients. I wanted the product to have a clean and unique design that one might not regularly see on shelves.

Blush Skin Care Digital Design 2023

Olivia Hermonot

FacultyMentor:SoojinKim

This infographic is based off of Adrienne Santos-Lonhurst’s article, “How to Train Yourself to Wake Up on Time in the Morning”. I took the information given in the article and made it easier for the viewer to digest by organizing information in a grid system and pairing it with fun and eyecatching illustrations.

MORNING PERSON how to be a

Mornings aren’t Easy!

The rst point to remember is that mornings aren’t easy! Everyone has a unique internal clock that can make getting up on time really hard. So don't be hard on yourself if you seem to always be running late in the morning. However, in the world we live in waking up on time is essential so here are some tips on how to make waking up early a little easier!

Why are you so Tired?

Do you feel like no matter how early you go to bed you always wake up super sleepy? Well, this might be something you can x! Drowsiness can be a sign of parasomnia, sleep apnea, depression, anxiety, or stress. There are lots of factors that can be the cause of tiredness. If drowsiness is a serious problem for you, you should talk to your doctor.

A Good Night’s Sleep is Key!

In order to wake up early and enjoy your day, getting the right amount of sleep is crucial! It is recommended that we get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Keeping a strict sleep schedule makes getting the right amount of sleep easier. That means going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even on weekends.

Bedtime Routine

Your evening and nighttime routine has a large e ect on your ability to fall asleep once you go to bed. Try relaxing activities before hitting the hay such as reading, taking a warm bath, or some relaxing yoga.

It is important to avoid certain activities before bed that could mess up your circadian rhythm. This includes drinking ca eine within 6 hours before bed, looking at screens, or napping.

Morning Routine

In the morning it helps to wake up as soon as your alarm clock goes o . As tempting as it is, hitting snooze can cause daytime grogginess. If this is hard for you, try moving your alarm away so you must get up to turn it o .

There are many activities you can do in the morning to wake you up. These include exercising, eating better, and being exposed to light in the morning. Having something to look forward to each morning, such as co ee, can also help.

Olivia Hermonot

FacultyMentor:SoojinKim

Using information from, “The Global Environmental Injustice of Fast Fashion,” by Rachel Bick, Erika Halsey, and Christine C. Ekenga I created this animated infographic educating viewers on the dangers of fast fashion.

The True Cost of Fashion Digital Media 2022

The True Cost of

Fast Fashion

is the rapid production of

inexpensive clothes to keep up with the newest trends. This has quickly become the normal business model for clothing companies. This causes large fashion companies to outsource their production to LMICs (lower income/middle income countires) for cheap labor with few regulations.

Unethical Labor

After labor laws and regulations were put in place in the

United States, rather than improving working conditions, production is now outsourced to low income countires where regulations are not enforced.

Environtmental Hazards

The production of clothing and textiles results in a number of different environtmental hazards.

One being the waste water from the dying process which is often discharged into local water systems. The disposal of clothing also poses environmental threats. Clothing not sold in second hand stores in the US are shipped to different low income countires. A lot of these clothes become solid waste in huge landfills.

Olivia Hermonot

FacultyMentor:SoojinKim

Allison Keeling

FacultyMentor:AfarinRahmanifar

This piece portrays a young woman reflecting on her past, in the setting of her old childhood home.

Remembrance Acrylic on Canvas

Allison Keeling

FacultyMentor:RobertGreene

Using only a 2x4, I created organic movement using geometric shapes (cubes) and created the iillusion that they are being suspended in air and could fall over at any time.

Topsy Turvy Wood 2022

Shannon Kennedy

FacultyMentor:SoojinKim

This piece was made for ART 213, Creating Information Graphics. I found an article about a recent find in turtle evolution, I thought it was interesting, and decided to share that information visually in a style reminiscent of a poster that might be found in a classroom or image in a textbook.

Discovered in the 1890s in South Africa, Eunotosaurus was a small lizard that dated back 260 MYA*. It had broad overlapping ribs Scientists at the time dismissed Eunotosaurus as a turtle relative because it did not have a shell like modern turtles. In [year] Tyler Lyson and collegues took another look at Eunotosaurus and

Discovered in 2015 in Germany, Pappochelys was a small reptile that dated back to 240 MYA. Like Eunotosaurus, it also had no shell, but it did have broad ribs and rib-like boney structures bridging the gaps between the skeletal ribs.

Odontocheyls was discovered in 2008 in China and dates back to about 220 MYA. Odontochelys has a plastron (Part of the shell that covers the stomach).The plastron was fromed from the bottom section of the rib bones. Odontochelys was thought to spend a lot of time in the primordial oceans and developed the plastron to protect it from predators from below.

Odontochelys

220 MYA

Proganchelys was discovered in 1887, and found in Greenland, Germany, and Thailand and dates back to 210 MYA. Proganchelys had a fully formed shell and plastron. Unlike modern turtles, proganchelys had teeth, but overall resembled the turtles we know and

Red-Eared Slider Modern Era

One example of many species of modern turtles. No teeth and a full shell. Truely an evolutionary hero in a full shell

Development of the Plastron

Broad, overlapping ribs (Fig. 1), Broad ribs with boney structures in between (Fig. 2), Partially formed plastron covering the belly and no shell on back to connect to (Fig. 3), Fully formed plastron found in modern turtles (Fig. 4)

Thoughout the years, humans have wondered how these strange reptiles gained a shell seen in no other Vertebrates . . .

Shannon Kennedy

FacultyMentor:SoojinKim

This is a mock-up of a package design for a bottled coffee brand. It was done for Art 330 as a concept for a packaging for a liquid product. I centered the design around the concept of a Luna Moth and gave the overall design a look lightly inspired by the Art Nouveau movement.

Cafe Luna Bottled Coffee Digital Design 2023

Shannon Kennedy

FacultyMentor:SoojinKim

This was a Project for Graphic Design 1. This is an album cover for a folk band called Gold Foxes, with the album itself focused on the theme of time and key moments that heavily affected the band. Done in Adobe Illustrator and After Effects.

Gold Foxes Album Dynamic Poster Digital Media 2022

Anastasia Korzhoff

FacultyMentor:LoraLee

I was walking on campus one morning and stumbled upon a bunch of blue jay feathers. It was as if a blue jay had exploded, or something happened to it. I felt bad for the bird, and the feathers were so beautiful. So, I collected them and wanted to bring the bird back to life. I painted a blue jay using acrylic paint and used the feathers I found to add to the painting.

Explosion of Feathers Mixed Media 2023

Cecilia LeBlanc

FacultyMentor:robertGreene

This piece was created through a want to explore the female anatomy but as I was making it, it become much more. This piece started as an oak log that was chain sawed down and using a subtractive process, was grinded down to the form it now is. After the countless hours of grinding away at this piece, I started to notice the large cracks and the slight unusual marks that the grinder would make; what would be seen as imperfections that actually made this piece more itself. With that I continued with the slight markings along the torso of this oak built female and, in the end, what started as an exploratory project of anatomy became an embracement of imperfectness.

Female Torso Wood 2022

Melissa Liebla

FacultyMentor:robertGreene

As an assignment for my wood sculpture class, this breaching whale tail was carved out of a block of bass wood using hand chisels, an electric sander and rotary tools. The inspiration sprung from childhood memories as a New Englander where the beach and ocean were privy parts of my younger summers. Swimming, boat rides and spotting whales along the coasts of Rhode Island and Maine are among the most memorable to me. I carved this whale tail as not only a nod to these cherished past times, but specifically as a token of appreciation to my parents for their guidance through the deep and rocky waters that is growing up. Much like a whale is the natural protector and guardian of the ocean, my parents have done the same for my brother and I with unconditional love.

Sofia Lomba

FacultyMentor:AfarinRahmanifar

This painting was a take on Vermeer’s “Girl with the Pearl Earring”. I wanted to take his piece and tie it to my culture based in Africa

Girl with the Head Wrap Acrylic on Canvas 2023

Sofia Lomba

FacultyMentor:AfarinRahmanifar

This painting was a take on Vermeer’s “Girl with the Pearl Earring”. I wanted to take his piece and tie it to my culture based in Africa

Tree of Life Acrylic on Paper 2023

Kara Mahoney FacultyMentor:RobertGreene

A sculpture that serves as a visual autobiography about girlhood and learning how to hurt and be hurt. The purpose of a punching bag is to be hurt. It’s meant to bear the weight, to take the brunt of the pain. Pain is an integral part of Everlasting, in the process of both experiencing it and creating it. For the viewer, the collages and written phrases inspire the viewer to think of their own experiences, and if they do try to hit it and make it bear the weight for them, there are four rows of broken mirrors to stop them and reflect back their own shattered image. For the creator, spilling out my heart like this was an act of catharsis, however exhausting and difficult to deal with. The other motivation behind using a punching bag as a base is the fact that it’s a symbol of masculinity, and this work is unapologetically and undeniably about girlhood. It’s a scrapbook of collaged photos covered in rhinestones wrapped in crochet. Even the weights holding down the stand have a river of rhinestones dripping over them. Femininity crawls over this symbol of violence and strength, reclaiming and corrupting in equal measure.

Alexa Michalski

FacultyMentor:AfarinRahmanifar

For this project I wanted to make an appreciation of nature and show there is beauty in all areas of nature’s cycle. I chose elements of all nature’s aspects including the good and bad, bright and dark, airy and wet. They were collaged, put into a collaged spiral, and then painted.

Kevin Mendoza

FacultyMentor:SoojinKim

The reason for the infographic is to provide knowledge on the decreasing number of elephants and rhinos within the African region due to increase in number of poachers and other factors, the cause of the poaching and how it overall affects the environment little by little.

Everlasting Mixed Media 2023

TUSKS & HORNS

less elephants

more carbon released

62% DECLINED

Scientist concluded that there are many benefit of the many elephants that exist but the biggest one would be the amount of trees they tumble down, this creating new, young trees which hold carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. Forest elephants alone represent a carbon storage service of $43 billion. However, with the number of elehants that are perishing, less trees are being created and more carbon dioxide is being released into our atmosphere which could lead to problems in the near future

Kate Moss FacultyMentor:AfarinRahmanifar

This project was based on a collage and different mediums were used to create that affect.

Untitled Mixed Media 2023

Jessica Ng

FacultyMentor:AfarinRahmanifar

A surrealist painting that combines a bright building scene with a midnight ocean.

Brightness of the Ocean Acrylic on Paper

Jessica Ng

FacultyMentor:SoojinKim

The project explored skincare product & branding via creative design approach from product concept, brand identity, prototyping and effective communication design for the contemporary marketing environment.

Xari Perez

FacultyMentor:QiminLiu

This piece was created using the ideas of color theory with a specific focus on brush stroke. It is inspired by the spiritual belief of auras. The purpose of this piece is to demonstrate the complexity of the distribution of energy that surrounds living organisms.

Geometric Aura Acrylic on Paper

Jillian Rappi

FacultyMentor:QiminLiu

Digital portrait drawing of Native American father.

Solemnity Digital Drawing 2022

Maria Fernanda Reategui Davila

FacultyMentor:RobertGreene

The meaning of the moonscape is to see beyond the world’s future. People don’t realize how much pollution affects us and our environment, and it’s a crisis we should be worried about. My sculpture represents the world’s future; if we as citizens we are not aware of the continued wildfire, overconsumption, CO2 emissions, and more that happens in the ecosystem and significantly contribute to climate change. Is this what we want for our future? Just a simple flame in a perfect environment changed the situation and the atmosphere like my sculpture. Although the idea at the beginning was a simple landscape on a moon where it was a “perfect forest and sky,” it ended up set on fire by a flame that changed the perspective of this surreal world. It means caring more about our environment and thinking about the future and how we can make a difference.

Mabel Saccomanno

FacultyMentor:RobertGreene

Constructed from a single 2”x4”x4’ piece of lumber, this project aims to return an artificially processed piece of wood back to an organic form. The wool, covering the carved wooden form beneath, contributes a zoomorphic quality, further solidifying the lumber’s connection to its natural origins.

2”x4” Project Wood, paint, cotton

Mabel Saccomanno

FacultyMentor:AfarinRahmanifar

A scene from the end of a long day, the image captures a moment of drifting off to sleep.

A Moment of Drifting Acrylic on Canvas 2023