Dinner + No Show, Volume 4

Dinner

in progress

ready for more

no show

excellent

ready for more

in progress

finished

no show

finished

no show

excellent

in progress

in progress

excellent

no show

ready for more

no show

ready for more

in progress

finished

excellent

finished

ready for more

in progress

excellent

finished

ready for more

in progress

no show

ready for more

in progress

finished

in progress

excellent

no show

ready for more

finished

no show

excellent

in progress

ready for more

in progress

finished

no show

in progress

ready for more

no show

excellent

From the Editors We are proud to present the fourth issue of Dinner + No Show, which showcases the talents of artists and writers in the School of Art + Art History at the University of Florida. We strive to create a supportive, inclusive community by encouraging art history and studio art students to bridge the gap between disciplines through collaboration. The publication is divided into two portions: Dinner focuses on the final product of a student’s work, while No Show explores the creative process.

Student artists and writers have produced an abundance of creative works throughout their time, and here we have collected their innovations and research into a formal body of work. Since the university does not have a public arts program, this publication provides art and art history students with the opportunity to share their work with a larger audience.

Dinner + No Show is filled to the brim with a diverse array of outstanding artwork and writing. Every year, we are amazed at what we are able to accomplish with the help and contributions of so many talented students. With utmost sincerity, we hope you enjoy our fourth issue, like a delicious meal paired with your favorite wine.

Warmly, Dinner + No Show Team

4

5

SUGGESTED PAIRINGS

Campbell Lynn

A Turning Point

17

Contents on the Table

Janine Yves-Hall

Intentions

37

In the matter of Milo!

57

Chanel Collison

Ceramics & the Grotesque

87

Manna Robertson Stephanie Perez

Questioning the Status Quo

61

Kerry Wilson

Drawing out Memories

105

6

Sofia Isaac

How Style Sustained Makes Fast Fashion so Last Season

113

Martha Underriner

The Memory of Labor

121

7

Camila Rivera

Devin Ozmon

The Inspiration of Camila Rivera & Her Work

The Colors of Catharsis

11

25

Grace Nemanic

Window—Looking to New Perspectives

31

Natalie Danielle

77

8

41

Photographs That Reflect

49

The Joys of Comfort & Contentment

The Offering of Blackness

Vahid Valikhani

Tranquility in Tribulation

Allie Pishock

Jessica Clermont

69

Hilman Chan

Metamorphosis of Identity

95

Holly Cormack

Wearable Art

99

Selin Kilinc

An Artist of the Modern Age

127

9

ARTIST

Camila Rivera Visual Arts Studies + Senior + she/her

The Inspiration of Camila Rivera & Her Work WRITER

People think photography is effortless but there are many things people don’t take into account

Gabriella Martinez Art History + Sophomore

11

12

THE INSPIRATION OF CAMILA RIVERA & HER WORK

DINNER

C

amila Rivera is a visual art studies major whose medium of choice is photography. Her primary focus in photography is for capturing people and still scenes. Rivera used to be more intrigued by painting and drawing but, here at UF, she has discovered the beauty of photography and has fallen in love with it. In relation to creating new work, Rivera is most inspired by other artists. Looking at works by other people and talking to fellow artists inspires her process. Discussing ideas with people helps because everyone has a different interpretation of how they approach art and the world. Going to the library and searching through old photography is one way that she finds inspiration for her creations.

Rivera’s collection of Vogue magazines from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s is a great resource for her. She is drawn to the creativity of this time period and the stylistic choices photographers made back then. She also loves the community and freedom of Pinterest.

Rivera tries to take time to step back and look at her surroundings.

She believes that you can find inspiration all around you. In terms of planning, Rivera tries to plan themes in advance, but the end result always comes out completely differently. She explains that her plans aren’t super detailed because she knows she is going to improvise, which is an incredibly important skill. While working with models, she enjoys listening to their feedback. Rivera is also drawn to the spontaneity of things and coming up with ideas as they go through the photoshoots. Although she has a general idea and focuses on a theme and has plans, she’s big on improvisation.

Rivera grew up around her artist mother and witnessed her paint around the house often. Rivera would help make canvases and remembers using her mom’s paints as a child. Art supplies were always in the house—which enabled a creative mindset from a young age. The house had every art supply you can imagine and school project materials were always nearby when friends came over. Rivera took an art class in high school and did four years of painting and drawing. But, at UF, she had the ability to experiment with graphic design and photography and fell in love with this new medium.

Although Rivera had a camera in high school, she didn’t know how to use it properly. She took a photography class because it was a requirement for graphic design and she learned everything about what your camera can do, opening the door for her to this medium. People think photography is effortless but there are many things people don’t take into account, especially the post-production process. This process can include anything from basic editing to photo manipulation to truly distort the work. She is drawn to the idea of making something that doesn’t resemble reality and make it your own.

Camila Rivera, RED FANTASY SERIES, digital photography, 2019

13

THE INSPIRATION OF CAMILA RIVERA & HER WORK

14

15

DINNER

Rivera is currently brainstorming for a senior thesis while obtaining a dual degree in International Studies. She’s considering a topic that involves cultures, languages, history, other countries.

Because Rivera is from El Salvador and Identifies as Hispanic/ Latina, she is interested in exploring things about her roots, cultures in general, and the history of El Salvador. Specifically, she is intrigued by a brutal war that her parents went through.

Rivera is drawn to photography because while it resembles reality, you can play around with it and morph it to become fantastical. The photo we see here has a feeling of fantasy and otherworldly euphoria. Rivera wanted to create something different within reality. Creating these works wasn’t for class, but for her own creative endeavor. She wanted to experiment with some new ideas such as monochromatic colors (specifically focusing on red).

Her friend dyed her hair red, got a red dress, red shimmer fabric and they experimented with movement. The viewer in this work has a separated interaction from the subject. Rivera didn’t intend for the viewer to be involved. The subject has a gaze that can imply a sense of curiosity. Additionally, half of the subject’s face is hidden in one photo so it’s intriguing and somewhat mysterious. Rivera believes that photography has this way of freezing a moment in time. This work explores positions, natural light, and movement over time, but looks different because of the ability photography has to enhance life.

ARTIST

Campbell Lynn Visual Arts Studies & Wildlife Conservation + Sophomore + she/her

A Turning Point

WRITER

This print demonstrates how even a mindless form of popular art, like doodling, can be done with purpose and thus elevated to the realm of high art

Carolyn Lightsey Art History + Junior + she/her

17

A TURNING POINT

DINNER

C

ampbell Lynn Lackey has always had a love for nature and is partial to the realistic style associated with scientific illustrations. Lackey is a sophomore pursuing a BA in both art and wildlife conservation. She sees becoming an illustrator as a future career move. Her early artistic love was combining her two interests to create hyperrealistic drawings of wildlife. Lackey exaggerates the colors. These vibrant drawings are meant to promote the beauty of nature. The focus of these works is aesthetic appeal. These works take care and patience. In the drawing Wooly Cow, each and every individual hair is lovingly rendered. Lackey considers herself to be a bit of a perfectionist, which was helpful when creating these detailed portrayals of nature. But, during her time at UF, she has learned to “let go a little bit” and be more experimental with her work.

The black and white prints included in this magazine are from her printmaking class that she took last semester. Printmaking was completely new to Lackey and since she was already experimenting with a new medium, she took the chance to explore new,

previous spread Campbell Lynn Lackey, HIGH AND LOW (ART), linoleum print, 9″x12″, 2020

Campbell Lynn Lackey, TRADITIONS, linoleum print, 9″x12″, 2020

Campbell Lynn Lackey, ABSURD ANIMALS LAW II, linoleum print, 9″x12″, 2020

18

19

A TURNING POINT

Campbell Lynn Lackey, LEOPARD, colored pencil, 2019

Campbell Lynn Lackey, MONKEYS ink pen, 2019

20

more conceptual subjects as well. One of her works, High and Low (Art), explores how a flat perspective changes the appearance of an object by illustrating a notebook on a desk. Lackey plays with the definitions of high and low art in this work. Through a doodle-like aesthetic in the borders of a notebook Lackey depicts symbols she normally associates with high art: a music note, a ballerina, a cello, and classical architecture. But the means of representation—doodling—has low art associations, even nonsensical or purposeless connotations. But doodling described in a different light is a preliminary form of sketching, shifting towards what we think of as art production. In this print Lackey erases any clear distinction between the artforms. She explained that sometimes even printmaking is labeled as a craft instead of an art. This print demonstrates how even a mindless form of popular art, like doodling, can be done with purpose and thus elevated to the realm of high art.

Her work has since progressed to the more conceptual.

Lackey combines her conceptual development and preference for

21

Campbell Lynn Lackey, WOOLY COW + ELEPHANTS AND IVORY, colored pencil, 9″x12″, 2019

drawing detailed representations of nature in her series Elephants and Ivory. Through three separate panels she tells the tragic tale of the effects of the ivory trade. She portrays how the illegal poaching of elephants for their tusks creates not only environmental but emotional loss. The first panel shows a mother elephant gently comforting her child. The next panel is a pile of elephant tusks. The last frame is a close up of just the mother elephant. This series is done in pencil, and the grey and white shades emphasize the solemnity of its message. While it is clear that the drawings are about the ivory trade, the story is only implied through imagery. The violence and horror happen between the panels. This work pays the same attention to detail and realistic representation that her early high school drawings did, but carries an important message that Lackey feels needs to be shared.

Lackey is at a very transitional point in her artistic career.

While she still wants to express her love for nature and her appreciation of its beauty, she is not sure she wants to dedicate the same amount of time to her detailed hyper-realistic drawings. She is currently inspired to take a more conceptual approach to art.

She is learning to break out of her comfort zone and allow her work to be a little less “perfect” on the surface in order to become more meaningful in subject matter and purpose.

ready for more?

turn to page 57

22

23

DINNER

left page

ARTIST

Devin Ozmon Painting + Senior + she/her

The Colors of Catharsis

WRITER

She gifts us with a sense of comedic relief from the inner trappings of negative emotion and crafts a rather cathartic experience.

Annabel Severns Art History + Senior + she/her

25

26

THE COLORS OF CATHARSIS

DINNER

W

alking into Devin Ozmon’s studio, one is greeted with beautiful remnants of experimentation; mixed media pieces clad in Sweethearts candies, store receipt palimpsests, and an overall oeuvre of resplendent colors. The central wall of her studio houses her present body of work—a series of paintings which confronts the viewer with an explosion of visceral colors and paint protruding from the canvases. The figures who occupy these works appear to be strange cartoon versions of ourselves, and in spite of their eccentricity the viewer is able to relate to them with a surprising ease. Centered around raw emotions and psychological disorders, Ozmon’s art draws from conditions that plague many of us to a certain degree—depression, anxiety, OCD, apathy—then transforms them into childlike fantastical figures to provide comedic relief from the fragility of the human condition.

The palpable and unrefined aspect of Ozmon’s work stems from her improvisational painting technique which, in the artist’s words, functions to “express the impulsivity and raw feeling one goes through when experiencing intense emotion.” During this process, defined by intuition, she concocts a fleeting idea of a concept before placing her brush to the canvas and letting spontaneity guide her. The unprocessed result is beautiful and innately human; it underpins her work even though coated by cartoon fantasy figures and a comedic nature. Underneath the canvas lies vulnerable, real human emotion. Ozmon’s choice of materials compliments the meaning of her work in a rather paradoxical way. She is fascinated by the utility of mixed media art. While her pieces are created using cast offs such as dried pieces of paint, pom poms, shards of glass, paint pens, and even soaked wads of toilet paper, they are at once fantastic, ironic, and lighthearted. Such a lighthearted outlook addresses one of the goals of Ozmon’s work: to destigmatize mental health issues and to create a dialogue between the viewer and the character within the work. Even the simple fact that these cartoon characters wallow in their sadness and lamentation while taking a luxurious bubble bath can allow us to see ourselves in these characters and project our own struggles onto theirs.

In Untitled I, Ozmon’s mixed media technique creates a highly dynamic piece. The bubbles overflowing from the tub were crafted with dried superglue to give the illusion of palpability, connecting us to our concrete experience with the familiar act of bathing. The water droplets escaping from the showerhead emulate tears and the sinuous blue stripes on the curtain evoke a sense of fluidity.

The character himself seems to melt, evidenced by the subtle dripping of the white paint composing the character’s left eye.

Perhaps obviously, this aspect relates to feelings of sadness and

previous page Devin Ozmon, UNTITLED I, 2020

Devin Ozmon, UNTITLED II, 2020

27

THE COLORS OF CATHARSIS

BY POM POMS, mixed media, 2020

DEZMINART.COM @ MAZTERGOAT.ART

28

29

DINNER

Devin Ozmon, STARING AT GLASS SURROUNDED

depression; this character simultaneously refreshes itself with the act of showering and becomes trapped within his own mind. This piece, besides existing as an exploration of texture, depicts a figure grappling with feelings of melancholy in a jovial manner. Similarly, Ozmon’s Staring at Glass Surrounded by Pom Poms comments on our own universal inability to gain perspective. The figures—each a digital print designed by the artist—bite their fingers in anxiety-induced agony, experiencing only the multi-colored shards of glass in the center of the canvas and failing to encounter the inverserepresented by the playful pom poms surrounding them. Realizing this, viewers can empathize with the temptation of being consumed by negative emotions. In Untitled II, a long red arm extends from a figurative- almost monstrous- figure occupying a space emblazoned in shades of orange, ochre, and yellow. The exaggerated figure ferociously consumes an odd green liquid, spilling more than he consumes. This pulsing red figure exists as a projection of ourselves: someone that we can relate to. Visceral colors and texture, two integral elements of the artist’s work, run rampant through these pieces and connect us to the emotion and dynamism of the human experience.

Ozmon’s pieces depict depression and anxiety at the outset, but as her work progresses, she broadens her viewpoint to emotions at large, addressing the needs of a wider audience. The artist’s work engages directly with her viewers though the platform of Instagram—where she can take suggestions, share her ongoing work, and gain inspiration for her fictional characters. In this way, the viewers of Ozmon’s works become an integral part of the figures she depicts. For instance, the toothy red character ingesting an odd green liquid was inspired by one of her Instagram followers who revealed that green tea was his remedy to sadness and feelings of anxiety. Our metaphorical connections with the figurative characters have the potential, therefore, to become quite literal.

In creating her figurative cartoons, the artist prompts us to laugh and so gain perspective from our personal emotional trappings.

She gifts us with a sense of comedic relief from the inner trappings of negative emotion and crafts a rather cathartic experience. She has created a beautifully vibrant series which helps to counteract the stigma surrounding mental health disease. Through the playfulness surrounding her work, the artist strives to remind us that art truly functions as a form of escape.

ARTIST

Grace Nemanic Painting & Sustainability + she/her

Window— Looking to New Perspectives WRITER

...infusing her scene with a sense of relaxation as viewers gaze onward to the blissful breaking of day

Skyler Dunbar Art History & Political Science + Sophomore + she/her

31

32

WINDOW—LOOKING TO NEW PERSPECTIVES

previous spread Grace Nemanic, WINDOW, 2020

with a color palette that is cheerily bright and soothing. Learning the traditional methods of artistic creation through the painting program aided Nemanic in creating the depth of lighting seen in Window, the artist commenting that “the fundamentals of art translate no matter what medium you use”.

Nemanic also remarked that while she enjoys the painting program’s emphasis on traditional art, she would be interested in seeing an increase in digital art’s presence within UF’s painting major, as emphasis on digital illustration is distinctly lacking. An increased use of digital art in the teaching practices of the painting major would be of great interest to Nemanic who believes that merging digital and traditional art in the academic environment could prove extremely beneficial for her and for any other painting students looking forward to a future in animation. Window, with its traditional style of brushstroke-like blending and layered natural lighting conveyed through a digital medium, is a prime example of how introducing modern art elements into a traditional art program can create pieces that retain beauty and composure without sacrificing tradition. Nemanic offers a glimpse into the beginning of a new day in her painting while also encouraging the start of a new period of painting within the BFA program, Window being a prime example of how the fusion of modernity and tradition in artistic production can produce works ripe with emotional depth and artistic poise.

33

DINNER

S

ophomore Grace Nemanic offers a view into a fantastical dreamscape in her digital painting Window, in which she merges interior and exterior spaces in an exploration of whimsy and the emotional effects art can produce. Though her major is in painting, creating digital art through platforms like Procreate is Nemanic’s preferred method of production. She cites an interest in animation as her primary motivation to explore painting both academically and recreationally. Nemanic aspires to a career in animation production, with a focus on designing backgrounds and landscapes, and says she owes this aspiration to the cartoons of her childhood—primarily “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, “Scooby Doo”, and Studio Ghibli films. The influence of such animation styles is evident in Window, as the painting creates a softness and tranquility that effectively communicates the peacefulness one can expect from a Studio Ghibli film’s background or the scenery of an “Avatar” episode.

Window features an oval window giving viewers a glimpse into an early morning sky they seem to be at eye-level with, the sun backlighting the clouds with a pinkish-gold hue. Scattered stars begin to blend into the breaking daylight as birds fly in the distance and lush clouds merge from outside the window to within it, entering the undisclosed space from which the viewer admires the burgeoning sunrise. Clouds peer in from every corner of the canvas, emerging into the interior space, Nemanic’s brushstrokes on the clouds offer a sense of plushness and texture that fill the painting with an added sense of comfort and softness. Utilizing a pastel palette of muted cream, periwinkle, lavender, and blush, Nemanic’s painting kindles the gentle loveliness of a daydream, with the artist commenting “I was going for early morning… just quiet and calm. Like a daydream, looking at it I feel relaxed”.

Nemanic used an oval window to evoke the vague reminiscence of travelling in an airplane, merging the sky and interior in the painting without giving viewers the accompanying sense of rush and anxiety being in flight produces, but instead infusing her scene with a sense of relaxation as viewers gaze onward to the blissful breaking of day.

Commissioned in the summer of 2020 by a client asking for a painting with clouds in an interior and exterior space, Window is an exercise in Nemanic’s creativity and personal expression, as she recalls entering the painting wanting to evoke feelings similar to “lo-fi… that kind of vibe” with her work. Wishing to emulate the tranquility and whimsy of lo-fi music, Nemanic pulled from her experience in painting to create a hazy, vaguely impressionist blending of clouds that exudes relaxation and calm, coupled

Stephanie Perez, LONE oil, 24″x48″, 2021

Lydia Mayhood, SMOOTHIES AND A CHURRO, acrylic on wood, 24″x24″, 2019

34

35

ARTIST

Janine Yves-Hall Anthropology & Art History + Sophomore + she/they

Intentions

WRITER

Through finding deep comfort in the symbolic nature and instinctual behaviors exhibited by animals, Hall has been able to derive a venue to analyze their current existence in the world

Lexi Peterson Art History, Linguistics & Chinese + Senior + she/they

37

38

INTENTIONS

DINNER

T

here is a fundamental component of the human experience that involves dealing with concepts and stimuli which make us uncomfortable. The result of these situations relies solely upon the person if they wish to avoid the inevitable, or challenge the notion of what brings them discomfort in the first place. Second-year anthropology and art history major Janine Yves-Hall has chosen the latter and uses their art to open deeper conversations regarding their own internal obstacles and questions regarding identity.

Hall describes themself as a perfectionist when it comes to art-making and in life. This is related to dealing with anxiety and OCD which makes them take comfort in familiarity. Hall mentions how they tend to run away from certain situations and in times of change or transition. They reflect on this behavior as running away from one’s own responsibilities, such as a skittish animal being preyed upon. This is what I feel lies at the core of Hall’s current projects.

Hall’s works, especially their Rabbit series, heavily focus on motion and action that compensate for the ambiguity in emotional resonance. Feelings and sentiments are a constant challenge that Hall seems to combat within themself and when interacting with others. This disconnect is presented in full clarity with each work’s snapshot of the rabbit in motion or right before leaping off the canvas. There is also an obvious tension and alertness seen in the rabbit’s stances as if about to react instinctually to an outside force. The artist relates strongly to the rabbit in their own social existence when feeling anxious and helpless in social situations while looking for a way out. The artist describes this moment when one is frozen in time, similar to when one’s stomach drops, and the decision to fight or flight arises.

To achieve the most realistic and honest depiction of their internal struggles, Hall had to incorporate elements that were not only subconscious but outside their comfort zone. They chose to leave this series messy and unfinished, where reason was expanded and the rigidity of perfection they usually maintained had to be bent. This series arose during a time of isolation and acted as a space to vent and reflect on their own identity. Hall specifically chose the medium and presentation style to represent a symbol of identity, both as a reference to a family crest and a mirror that one can look within into the artist and into oneself as the viewer.

Placed at eye level, the work can also easily be taken down and moved, just as our own identities are temporary, remaining pliable and within our own control to alter.

As the viewer finds their way to the center point, you remain looking transfixed into the blank austerity of the rabbit’s eye. You

previous spread Janine Yves-Hall, RABBIT SERIES, charcoal and conte crayons, 121/4″ x 151/8″

are sharing Hall’s own withheld emotions while also having a safe place to express any bottled-up, distraught feelings. Through finding deep comfort in the symbolic nature and instinctual behaviors exhibited by animals, Hall has been able to derive a venue to analyze their current existence in the world. It was through these intentional efforts and moments of vulnerability that Hall has shown how we are all the rabbit—because to be the rabbit is to simply be human.

ready for more?

turn to page 87

39

ARTIST

Jessica Clermont Visual Art Studies + Sophomore + she/her

The Offering of Blackness

WRITER

What does it feel like to be born in a place where you are automatically viewed as a threat?

Tiffany Sims Art History + Senior + she/her

41

42

THE OFFERING OF BLACKNESS

DINNER

T

he centrality of the Black identity and experience is most important to Jessica Clermont. Being Haitian American, Clermont strives to highlight her identity and connection to Black culture by illustrating Black beauty as a love story emphasized through abstract linework. The subjects of Clermont’s work are not just seen but experienced. Vibrant colors are embellished in a fresh means to articulate facial features. Clermont does not limit herself to the focal point of Black joy and love in her visual art but opens the door to the reality of pain and grievance within the Black Community.

The summer of 2020 unlatched a racial uprising through the murder of George Floyd. People from all different backgrounds took to the streets to protest against police brutality. Hurt and sorrow were felt immensely due to this killing. Clermont, feeling a lot of anxiety during this time, processed the meaning of being Black in America. In Dear Black Man, Clermont provides both commentary and reflection in the forms of poetry and imagery as a means to generate hope and a wish to Black people. She states “This is my offering for the last moments of someone’s life and what I would provide that person.” Adjacent to the poem is a powerful image of a Black man with an American flag as a noose.

Clermont said, “This is how I feel in response to the killing of not only George Floyd, but the killings of Black people in America at the hands of police.” Clermont’s Dear Black Man is the actuality of the heaviness of heart in the emotional reaction of recent happenings that are not new. The racial uprising of 2020 has influenced Clermont’s work as she affirmed, “I’m being more passionate within my art. What I want to say has to stand out. My art has found deeper meaning, which is more of a reason to create.”

Superhuman is a painting on canvas. There, a Black woman and a man hold each other close, their saturated skin tones and robust postures commanding attention as they peer into the viewer’s eyes. Clermont remarks having been “stunned by the beauty” of the work and regarded the individuals as being beautiful or even “Superhuman” despite the differences they illustrate. Clermont’s How do Black Men Heal also communicates exploration of Black identity in America as she ponders “what does it feel like to be born in a place where you are automatically viewed as a threat?”

The two male figures in this composition depict what Clermont perceives life as a Black man in America is like, where the male figure which looks at the viewer represents a Black man battling his daily strife, and the male figurer with a lowered head represents the suppressed and unaddressed emotions of these Black men.

previous spread Jessica Clermont, SUPERHUMAN, acrylic, 2020

Jessica Clermont, DEAR BLACK MAN, digital, 2020

43

THE OFFERING OF BLACKNESS

DINNER

The piece You and I along with Split brings attention to Clermont’s style of linework. Both pieces have a mirroring effect of duality. The subjects are directly looking at the audience.

Clermont is bringing out the personal uniqueness of the subject’s face to stress the characterization of facial features solely to that person. Clermont expressed “I use linework to section off things I see in the composition. I make an emphasis on the thickness and differentiate the meticulous nature of the line.”

We’re In This Together shows a set mixture of styles Clermont uses in her work. A Black couple is close to each other in portrait style and only their faces are shown. The male figure is rendered in blue monochromatic in the indication of his own emotions.

Clermont is showcasing Black vulnerability through this couple.

There is a juxtaposition in the contrast of the women where the only color she is rendered in is through the purple background.

She is ghost-like but seen through the white linework. Together, both figures represent the relationship between Clermont’s utilization of color and that of line to create her compositions.

Jessica Clermont proclaims “I create art that relates to my identity as an African American woman. I often use abstract linework to convey the beauty I find in African American appearances as a vehicle to generate a new way of appreciating Black culture”.

Her catered audience is everyone, but most importantly people

Jessica Clermont, SPLIT, ink, 2020

Jessica Clermont, YOU AND I, digital, 2020

44

45

THE OFFERING OF BLACKNESS

HOW DO BLACK MEN HEAL, digital, 2020

who look like her. She continues, “I am trying to remind my community and myself that we are beautiful! To those who don’t look like me, I am trying to convey the beauty that exists in our people”.

Clermont hopes the audience that receives her work gains awareness and appreciation for the people around them. She encourages individuals to engage with people from other backgrounds and obtain a sense of awareness and connectivity to help bring about justice and change!

Jessica Clermont, WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER, digital, 2020

46

47

DINNER

Jessica Clermont,

ARTIST

Natalie Danielle Drawing + Senior + she/her

Tranquility in Tribulation

WRITER

...this animation inspired ideas of creating reality beyond our perception of the physical world around us

Sarah Nix Computer Science + Sophomore + she/her

49

50

TRANQUILITY IN TRIBULATION

DINNER

N

atalie Danielle, born in Panama before moving to Virginia and later Miami, enjoyed studying math and science in high school as well as conceptual art. She came to the University of Florida hoping to double major in biomedical engineering and art to pursue a career in STEM. In her first semester taking drawing classes, Danielle realized she did not have as great a passion for engineering as she did for art. She decided to switch to major only in Drawing to pursue animation and ministry leadership. Now a senior, Danielle cites Disney Animation’s and Studio Ghibli’s work, such as Howl’s Moving Castle, as major sources of inspiration for her own art. She says this animation inspired ideas of creating reality beyond our perception of the physical world around us. Danielle was moved by the ways in which animation can leave lasting impressions on people and effect change in their lives. She hopes to pursue animation and art that puts forth a narrative for the viewers to follow, especially art that embraces vulnerability. The artist specifically is looking to express complex human emotions, such as loss, through her artwork to achieve a stronger and more real connection between the viewer and the art. With her art, Danielle explores the human experience and emotions as it relates to her own spirituality and more surreal and dreamlike introspection.

A mixed-media piece combining watercolor and vibrant colored pencil, Let’s Go to the Dentist (2019) was inspired by her own fear of going to the dentist and anxiety around teeth and jaw procedures. The piece itself has a surreal quality to it, a theme the artist has said she wants to pursue in her future animation.

The work contains an array of dreamlike colors and nightmarish objects and images. Pastel shades of yellow, pink, and blue create a softer background reminiscent of a sunset. Neon pink and blue hair frame bright purple scissors coming up through the center to catch the viewer’s attention. Arms reach in from the corners of the composition grabbing at jaws and poking at eyes with a scraper tool used for teeth extraction. One arm reaches out of the water to cut a piece of thread that connects the two figures in the piece. Danielle says this reflects a release of the anxiety she had around going to the dentist.

In her more recent works, the artist has done more animation. Part of an animated series, Broken (2020) explores conflict between “the spirit and the flesh”, as Danielle puts it. Each animation depicts a single woman shown oscillating between a face of inner peace and a face with a broken spirit, shoulders hunched and tears pouring out of her eyes. Words at the top of the piece quote scripture in fragments, showing only: “the brokenhearted

previous spread Natalie Danielle, IT’LL ONLY LAST A MOMENT, charcoal and colored pencil, 2018

Natalie Danielle, LET’S GO TO THE DENTIST, watercolor and colored pencil, 2019

51

TRANQUILITY IN TRIBULATION

DINNER

Natalie Danielle, BROKEN, animation, 2020 nataliedanielle.com/spiritual-states

52

and their wounds.” As the tears fade away and the woman smiles contentedly, the rest of the scripture appears above her: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” Psalm 147:3. This series reflects Danielle’s relationship with religion, as she found scripture helped her through recent struggles with loss, change, and the challenges she has faced in relationships with those close to her. The other four of the series show similar scenes. The same woman faces a struggle, whether it be a desire to be in control of her life, or a feeling that she is always alone. As the scripture is revealed above her head, she smiles peacefully in acceptance of a larger truth.

As Danielle has progressed through her career in the School of Art + Art History, she has taken every opportunity to share aesthetically pleasing and unsettling work with high technical quality, while also showcasing vulnerability. Danielle’s art is a window into her own emotions and struggles. Her work looks deeply at how we represent personal feelings in short animation without sacrificing the import of those themes. In the future, Danielle plans on continuing her pursuit to portray loss in narrative animation, giving a story an audience can follow and taking them on a journey with her to explore our own emotions, as well as the ways in which we reconcile with and overcome our struggles.

53

left+right Ally Larned, SNAP, CRACKLE AND POP, gouache, colored pencils on paper, 11"x15", 2021

54

55

ARTIST

Sofia Isaac Painting + Junior + she/her

In the matter of Milo!

WRITER

No matter how old they are, owners give in to the ‘puppy eyes’

Tiffany Sims Art History + Senior + she/her

57

58

IN THE MATTER OF MILO!

Sofia Isaac,

previous spread Sofia Isaac,

MILO ON THE ROOF

MILO IN THE WIG

oil on canvas, 2020

oil on paper, fabric, yarn on canvas, 2020

on domesticity through the use of fabrics. The fabrics are used to display the reality of a house in which a dog lives. She wanted to play with different textures. Isaac reveals “I wanted to talk about how we domesticate dogs, which is why I included fabric to speak on domesticity and home life”. The domestication of a dog concerning the house they live in is an exploration of genuine family connection and companionship.

Sofia Isaac and Milo are inseparable even though they live many miles apart. Isaac’s technique of abstract realism provides the audience with her point of view of perspective while making Milo distinguished. Isaac’s representation of her pup Milo is direct in the commentary and likeness of his personality and status in Isaac’s family. The observation study of Milo through Isaac’s figurative paintings exposes the adorable nature of a dog in the sight of its owner. ready for more?

turn to page 57

59

DINNER

T

he relationship between a dog and its owner is an experience and love like no other. There is an unspoken language that is shared between both. Dogs become part of the family wholesale. Dogs are forever seeking love, affection, and food. No matter how old they are, owners give in to the “puppy eyes” whatever the circumstance may be. Memories are immortalized through photographs that can be traced back for many years.

Sofia Isaac has immortalized her Jack Russell/Toy Fox Terrier mix, Milo, through painting. Isaac and Milo have a unique connection that has impacted her life. Milo is a twelve-year-old dog with the contrasting personality of being both adventurous and shy. Milo can be anxious at times but loves to be outdoors. Isaac expresses that “Milo is a sad boy and cat-like. He is happy when he is outdoors and is always making interesting facial expressions”. Milo is beyond a friendly companion but more of an emotional support dog for Isaac. Milo does not live with Isaac but her parents. By painting Milo, Isaac says it feels therapeutic since they are not physically together.

Isaac seeks her definition of abstract realism in regards to her painting style of Milo. Isaac states “The abstraction is in my view of the world while the realism is the real physical appearance of Milo; he is a solid figure.” In the painting Milo On The Roof, Isaac presents this style. Milo is in the foreground and seen on the roof at an angle that is above him. He is looking at Isaac as she quickly snaps a photo of him. The roof is only seen by the pink tile and the sky is shown through the light blue background.

Before snapping the photo of Milo, Isaac was curious to see if Milo would even come out due to his fearlessness—he did. Isaac said, “He wasn’t scared but awkwardly sitting on the roof; of course, I had to take a photo”. Isaac is providing a realistic depiction of Milo where the audience can see him. From his small stature to the two black spots on his back, even more so his facial expression as he is gazing at Isaac shows the audience his personality. The representation of Milo’s surroundings is not specified; there are no details in the sky, only a monochrome plane. This is her interpretation of abstract work that makes the focal point about Milo and less specific of his set, which is Isaac’s outlook.

In the painting Milo In the Wig Isaac explores a multimedia approach in the portrayal of Milo. Milo is seen laying down on a carpet that is made of crocheted fabric. He is also wearing his leash that alludes to the fact he is someone’s pet. Behind Milo are a neon and blue background made out of fabric. Isaac is pushing the boundaries of perspective by creating the frontal frame of Milo three-dimensional. Milo In the Wig is a profound statement

ARTIST

Stephanie Perez Painting & Sustainability + Junior + She/Her

Questioning the Status Quo

WRITER

While it is easy to blame the consumer for still using plastic products, much more drastic environmental effects are caused by large companies

Carolyn Lightsey Art History + Junior + she/her

61

QUESTIONING THE STATUS QUO

DINNER

S

tephanie Perez’s work highlights the contrast between the bright colors and the dark realities of modern consumer culture. Her first site specific work Is this yours? depicts a girl holding out a plastic water bottle towards the viewer. Her shirt and shoes are composed of a collage of drink labels. Her facial expression reads as distasteful, definitively “over it” and the inferred attitude is implied by cut out text where her eyes would be that reads “Is this yours?” Perez says that this piece is meant to be confrontational—and it is. She placed this piece over a vending machine on UF’s campus. The most frequent viewer was probably someone attempting to purchase a beverage in a disposable bottle. While the viewer, due to the arm jutting out and direct questioning, may feel they are the target of the figure’s frustrations, Perez explains the details emphasize the faults of large corporations. Perez elaborated, “her clothing is collaged pieces of cardboard, emphasizing the contribution of corporations to the manufacturing of waste, and I’ve covered that with a transparent plastic that carries the idea of industrial waste, mass production,

previous spread Stephanie Perez, IS THIS YOURS? mixed media, 25″x21″, 2020

Stephanie Perez, LOOMING, oil, 11″x15″, 2020

Stephanie Perez, NORMALCY, oil, 20″x24″, 2020

62

and packaging.” The work’s emphasis is on the role of large corporations. According to Perez, “consumers are only part of a much larger issue.” While it is easy to blame the consumer for still using plastic products, much more drastic environmental effects are caused by large companies.

Perez is a third year painting major with a minor in sustainability. She combines her interests in her artwork by trying to build awareness about the causes and consequences of climate change. Her goal is to engage the viewer and make them pay attention to important issues related to climate change, over consumption, and the environment without making the problem obvious or cliché. She wants the viewer to sit with her work and think about their own everyday choices. Her painting Looming captures an everyday choice that is so tempting and convenient, arguably even fun, but has a lot of negative impacts on our environment. The work is about receiving a package, specifically from

63

QUESTIONING THE STATUS QUO

Stephanie Perez, GOLDEN HOUR CLUTTER, oil, 20″x24″, 2020

Stephanie Perez, EXTENSIVE CLUTTER THAT ONLY CONTINUES TO GROW, oil,

ready for more?

20″x24″, 2020

turn to page 113

64

DINNER

the online shopping giant Amazon. Picking up a package from the doorstep has become a commonplace action for many, especially during the current pandemic, but Perez’s painting has an air of doom surrounding the packages. She uses exaggerated shadows and an unconventional, overhead angle to create a chilling atmosphere. This piece is part of a series that highlights “the addictive nature of convenience and the addiction to instant satisfaction that consumer culture can provide.” The signature Amazon smile seems almost menacing in this setting. Perez asks the viewer to think about the domino effects of “efficient” worldwide shipping.

While sending yourself a present may be exciting and convenient, commercial shipping involves a lot of unnecessary waste because of the packaging and fossil fuels.

One of her latest series presents an individual snapshot of consumer culture. Normalcy; Golden Hour Clutter; and Extensive clutter that only continues to grow in consecutive order show the buildup of items on Perez’s desk over an extended period of time.

Normalcy is just a few scrunchies and a bottle of nail polish. In

Golden Hour Clutter a wider angle reveals that a bottle cap, glass, a book, and some lipstick have joined the fray. By the end of the day in Extensive clutter that only continues to grow a deck of cards, a soda bottle, a bag, and even more knick knacks are visible. This series depicts through a progression of bright colors, shifts in light, and distinct shadows how clutter can accumulate over time and how this is reflective of “our need to collect more and more objects based on desire rather than necessity.” The bright colors of Perez’s paintings mimic the eye-catching nature of packaging.

Advertisements and trends constantly leave us wanting more and we rarely stop to think about why we want to buy that new makeup product, or we feel like we must keep our technology updated to the latest version. Perez’s work tackles the more internal and personal questions about sustainability and consumerism. She explores how the desire to consume is driven by aesthetic. Through her paintings she asks the world to slow down a bit and think about their motivations and the consequences of even the most mundane choices.

65

Beauty lies, but none in space barren, torn by poison’s waste.

Shriveled leaves and trees dead soon— perhaps all lost to man’s typhoon.

And if, but seen by faces—bland— devoid of meaning in life’s great plan, would the earth so quickly fade, struck by our own dim crusade.

But praise the heavens—we have our gold!

The coin that makes the young turn old.

If it weren’t for glory’s name, we’d be poor. What a shame.

No, it shan’t be thought!

We never dwell on pain we’ve wrought.

For, our pride is in our rise, even with the world’s demise.

So be it that the lands are bare— never has there been value there!

Sincerely, Caroline Levine

Tess Aguilar, UNTITLED acrylic on canvas, 8"x8", 2018

66

67

ARTIST

Vahid Valikhani MFA in Photography + Third-year + he/him

Photographs That Reflect

WRITER

The arrangement of Valikhani’s compositions foreshadows a future for the landscapes they capture

Ava Bender Art History + Sophomore + she/her

69

70

PHOTOGRAPHS THAT REFLECT

previous spread Vahid Valikhani, UNTITILED 1, flatbed film, 4″x5″, 2020

Vahid Valikhani,

Vahid Valikhani,

UNTITILED 2, flatbed

UNTITILED 4, flatbed

film, 4″x5″ 2020

film, 4″x5″, 2020

keeping his formal eye toward the land, this photo series, titled The Elegies, shows what Valikhani has discovered makes Florida unique to him. Valikhani took this selection of photographs across Florida and unified them later due to their formal organizations and reflections of artificial or industrial sites. Rather than a romanticized landscape, Valikhani seeks the reality of the environments that surround him. Landscapes that have been altered by humans but have not made it to its final form yet. Valikhani is interested in these transitional spaces that most people may glance right over as common road-side views. His lived experience and background control his frames and the types of landscapes he directs his camera toward.

What may be commonplace for native Floridians attracts Valikhani’s eye, his curiosity for new places guides his attention.

When coming upon a site of interest, Valikhani sees lines.

These lines guide his composition due to their visual prominence within an otherwise complicated landscape. Valikhani observes that lines direct your view. They allow your eyes to be still and rest on them, whereas all other visual elements may keep your eye in mo-

71

DINNER

A

self-proclaimed “adventurer,” photographer Vahid Valikhani learned that the best shooting locations are ones that are found through exploration rather than planning. When Valikhani first started taking photographs, he would use satellite services like Google Maps to locate interesting sites. Yet, upon arrival, he would typically be disappointed in the view from the ground. From then on, the key to Valikhani’s success in finding fascinating landscapes was to walk. For these photographs, Valikhani stopped on the side of the highway, walked maybe twenty minutes, and found a spot that caught his curious eye.

Valikhani is a graduate student studying photography. His photography career began in Iran, where he lived before coming to the United States to attend The University of Florida. His work in Iran focused on industrial landscapes, which he criticized for its destructive impacts on today’s vulnerable environment. Since coming to the U.S., Vahid has had to grapple with his safety as an Iranian going out with a camera, especially at night. He has had to adjust to the new environment, adjusting his photographic interests as well. Always

Vahid Valikhani, UNTITILED 3 & 5 flatbed film, 4″x5″, 2020

72

tion. For example, leading lines of the street in Untitled 2 or the lines formed by tarps in Untitled 4 or lumber in Untitled 3 provide guidance for your eyes. These lines also produce compositional shapes, forming triangles or squares that divide up sections of the image.

Untitled 2 is divided by the crossing of different textures of land and sky intersecting at the center. The arrangement of Valikhani’s compositions foreshadows a future for the landscapes they capture. In Valikhani’s Untitled 1, there are elements of construction such as tarps and mounds of dirt. Untitled 3 includes lumber resting on artificial grass with neat piles of soil in the background. Due to the in-between status of Valikhani’s landscapes there still survives many natural features like grass, trees, and shrubs as seen in Untitled 4, or the trees that stand in shadow beside the artificial grass in Untitled 3. By showing natural elements juxtaposed to the human-constructed, Valikhani sees the future where the natural land will eventually be wiped out and more construction will be finished. Yet, Valikhani knows construction is inevitable; he states, “After all, what would happen without construction?” With these photographs from America, Valikhani is not at a point where he feels he can criticize American industrialism. For now, Valikhani wishes only to capture and find these sites, and perhaps later give them more meaning.

The objectively commonplace settings that Valikhani has captured in these photographs shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Valikhani points out that these sites are still full of information and intention. For this reason, Valikhani has chosen to use a 4x5 flatbed camera. The camera captures with great quality and gives him a large depth of field to work with. Valikhani can capture everything in focus, from the sky in the background to the leaves in the foreground, with detail. Another reason Valikhani chose this camera is because it takes time to use. The more involved process of capturing an image with a large format camera forces him to be more careful. He spends more time examining the places he finds. Even when developing the film, Valikhani must take time to clear dust from the negatives. Thus, more time to enjoy looking at the images.

Through these photographs, Valikhani wishes to be direct to the places he captures. Yet, photography is not such an objective medium. The camera, frame choice, time of day, use of flash, etc. all has an impact on what is captured, making it distinct from what anyone else could see or depict themselves. Photographs reflect the one moment the photographer chooses to press the button, capturing one of many possible frames. To Valikhani, this makes photography a perpetually subjective medium. Ultimately, Valikhani looks through the camera to engage with and reflect upon his interests in the environment, bringing him peace.

73

DINNER

left page

leaving

Dinner

entering

No show

ARTIST

Allie Pishock Art Education + Junior + she/her

The Joys of Comfort & Contentment WRITER

A cartoonish alien, with three breasts and lipstick, is a playon-words that reflects the “alienization” of the female body

Adriana Rivas Art History + Freshmen + she/her

77

78

THE JOYS OF COMFORT & CONTENTMENT

NO SHOW

A

llie Pishock is a junior pursuing her BA in Art with a focus on the Art Education certificate at the University of Florida—but she had an alternative path to getting there.

She describes herself as a “late bloomer” when it comes to art, having little artistic experience despite her long-time interest in the subject. After graduating from high school, Pishock started at the University of Central Florida’s Art Education program. However, her inexperience with art when compared to that of her peers caused her to doubt her ability to teach such a topic. Despite various shifts in her career path, from dropping out of UCF’s program to getting her cosmetology license, Pishock always came back to teaching art. After such a unique journey, one that she describes as spending so much time figuring out what to do while comparing herself to others, she is now focused on the style she enjoys most and emphasizes lighthearted and playful themes.

As an art education student, Pishock does not need to declare a medium, which grants her the flexibility to explore all sorts of materials. Not only has she become well-rounded in various mediums for the sake of her future students, but it allows her to indulge in the lighthearted and candid approach she enjoys the most when it comes to her art. “I like whatever idea I have to be able to change and morph as I am making something,” Pishock admitted. “[Planning on paper] doesn’t necessarily make my work any better.”

Rather, she plans in her head as she works. Through this approach, Pishock finds inspiration in her everyday surroundings and incorporates that into her art through fun and experimental processes. Painting was one of the first mediums that Pishock explored through this experimental lens, as is notable in Bamboo x2. The bright acrylic and spray-painted colors, cut-up canvas, and weaving wires represent a direct subject matter: Pishock’s houseplants grow and interact with one another in the same way that the artist’s ideas grow as she creates. Bamboo x2 demonstrates Pishock’s ability to transform a direct, personal subject matter into a bright, colorful, and abstract work.

Although Pishock had initially wanted to pursue painting, she became enamored with ceramics, which allowed her to create a three-dimensional figure out of nothing. “It makes a lot more sense in my mind to turn an idea in my head into a physical, 3D form.”

In the ceramic work Funky Couch, Pishock continues to draw inspiration from her surroundings that bring her joy. This colorful blue-striped couch, with bright pillows and a pink polka-dotted blanket draped over it, is topped with a rendition of Pishock’s little

previous spread Allie Pishock, FUNKY COUCH, ceramic, 5.5”x3.5”, 2019

Allie Pishock, BAMBOO X2, acrylic on canvas, spray paint, metal wire, 24”x36”, 2019

79

THE JOYS OF COMFORT & CONTENTMENT Allie Pishock, EYES UP HERE! ceramic, premanufactured items, 15”x36”, 2019

Allie Pishock, YOU TRIED YOUR WORST, plaster, wood, pre-manufactured objects, 8”x6”, 2020

80

81

NO SHOW

grey cat. This piece is emblematic of her desire to make art that brings her comfort and joy. Though this is a rendition of Pishock’s couch, the piece expresses the relatable feeling of comfort from getting home and unwinding with one’s pet. She does not focus on having an intricate meaning for her works and rather provides the viewer an opportunity for open interpretation, as is the story behind Phallus, a formless nude-colored ceramic with colorful protrusions. Pishock describes this as her most experimental and abstract piece simply because that was the assignment prompt: to create an abstract piece that pushes her artistic limits. Though she did not intend much meaning in the piece, her peers noted through a class critique many of the phallic and sexual ideas in the piece’s nude coloring and suggestive shapes. By the end of her peers’ analyses, Pishock agreed that this interpretation made a lot of sense and named the piece accordingly.

The relatability of Pishock’s work extends from the wholesome experiences of the individual to greater societal problems, yet they continue to stem from her unique encounters with the

THE JOYS OF COMFORT & CONTENTMENT

NO SHOW

world. The gold-sprayed painting Death of the Dollar, a commentary on the obsession with money and what it can do for oneself, draws from Pishock’s experiences as a former waitress. “People got greedy with it—stealing your tables to make more money, making it a competition almost,” she explained. Another ceramic piece called Eyes Up Here! demonstrates Pishock’s, and many other women’s, experiences in a patriarchal society. A cartoonish alien, with three breasts and lipstick, is a play-on-words that reflects the “alienization” of the female body and the resulting objectification women experience. One of Pishock’s most recent works focuses on perhaps the most notable event of 2020: the coronavirus pandemic. You tried your worst is a bold sculptural trophy that criticizes Florida’s controversial government response to COVID-19. A gold hand, wearing a glove with an all-too-familiar surgical mask on the wrist, resembles a trophy as it ironically displays a middle finger.

The trophy’s plaque reflects the same distaste, reading “FLORIDA: 50th BEST U.S. STATE.” As time went on after the completion of the piece, its meaning evolved. “When I was making it, [You tried

Allie Pishock, DEATH OF THE DOLLAR, acrylic on canvas, spray paint, 16”x20”, 2019

your worst] was more in response to the government’s lack of action,” Pishock described. After experiencing people’s disregard for the pandemic, however, the piece became a symbol of that negligence. “It is offensive to me that here I am protecting you by wearing my mask, but you cannot do the same for me,” she said.

Allie Pishock takes a refreshingly simple approach to her art— one that focuses on the joys and intricacies of life rather than intense meaning. From individual to universal experiences, Pishock transforms the seemingly mundane into exciting, colorful, and wholesome works of art. Though her works vary in medium, subject, and form, they all convey a sense of relatability, freedom, and a message to create for enjoyment and self-fulfillment.

Allie Pishock, PHALLUS, ceramic, acrylic paint, 7”x16”, 2020

82

83

left+right Whitney Speck, OBLIVION current ceramic, 32" x 18", 2020

84

85

ARTIST

Chanel Collison Art History & Ceramics + Junior + she/her

Ceramics & the Grotesque

WRITER

Veering from aesthetic beauty and embracing the grotesque, her works stand out for their expressiveness and ability to bring complex emotions to life

Janine Hall Anthropology & Art History + Sophomore + they/them

87

88

CERAMICS & THE GROTESQUE

NO SHOW

R

ebelling against the idea that art has to be beautiful and aesthetically appealing, Chanel Collison creates ceramic pieces that embrace the shocking and grotesque.

Having started working in ceramics in her junior year of high school, Collison is now in her third year at UF double majoring in Ceramics and Art History. Over the years she has tried to experiment with her artistic style, starting in the realm of realism and later settling in a more surreal space where she captures emotion through the use of exaggerated facial expressions, body horror, and bright garish colors. While many of her pieces are personal and relate to her own experiences and emotions, Collison also wants the viewer to react and relate to her work. Collison tries to engage the viewer by invoking a visceral or physical response through her expressive and surreal visuals. Much of her work is done intuitively, because to Collison the meaning and message of a certain piece can sometimes reveal itself only after the piece is done. However, as a Ceramics student working within deadlines, Collison does outline the importance of planning certain aspects of her process, where time management between stages of drying, painting and firing is integral to her finishing a piece.

In Collison’s self-portrait piece titled Shell she explores feelings of social anxiety and inadequacy, and the struggle to show her true self to those around her. As a self-described “introverted extrovert”, she wanted to use ceramics as a way to process her anxieties and assert their validity to herself and others. Collison depicts her likeness in bright neon pink and green, with the gold fingers of her inner self trying to claw its way out from behind her eyes. She acknowledges the inherent uncomfortableness of these feelings by embracing the grotesque and exaggerating the distortion of her facial expression. This piece was cold-painted using acrylic and pastel paints, remaining unglazed.

In her second work, Liar, Collison was inspired by a printmaking course that she had taken and wanted to experiment with illustration and design in conjunction with sculpture. In the class, she practiced drawing and honed her illustrations until she found a style she liked, which she used to draw the Pop Art-esque design on the back of the hand. Liar expresses the narrative of being caught in a lie or breaking a promise, playing on the notion of crossing your fingers when saying something untrue to someone.

During the process of making this piece, Collison thought intentionally about how it would be viewed, and she decided to make it so that it was in the round, where within a gallery it would be seen from all angles. The work is modelled after the artist’s own hand, which she created a plaster model of and used as a reference. After

previous spread Chanel Collison, SHELL, unglazed ceramic, 13″ x 8″ x 15″, 2020

Chanel Collison, LIAR ceramic, 10″ x 8″ x 15″, 2020

89

CERAMICS & THE GROTESQUE Chanel Collison, CREATURE ceramic, 9″ x 8″ x 10.5″, 2020

ready for more?

turn to page 37

90

91

NO SHOW

applying a clear glaze, Collison added details and a design with acrylic paint. Near the end of firing her work, Collison explained how a crack in the clay formed at the top part of the hand, which she ultimately decided to highlight instead of downplay. The crack, which she later outlined in stark red paint and incorporated into the final finished work, emphasized her main message in making this piece: that lies can cause rifts and cracks in friendships.

Collison’s final work, shown here, is a piece titled Creature.

Collison created this piece for a class assignment where she had to utilize different ceramic building techniques (such as soft slab, hard slab, coil, pinch) for different aspects of the work. Again delving into the grotesque, this piece is the result of Collison wondering what would have happened if animals and plants had not branched off from their shared common ancestor. She incorporates organic forms that call upon both plant and animal characteristics, which she extensively researched before going ahead with her ceramic building process. In emphasizing the split between animals and plants, Collison also brings to attention the way we as humans have differentiated ourselves from nature. She critiques the anthropocentric idea that we are separate and superior from other organisms and uses Creature to call out the importance of deconstructing this concept. The belief that non-human organisms are inferior to humans informs many instances of exploitation and destruction of the environment. In the modern Western world, nature is unappreciated and increasingly seen as something to be exploited by humanity, leading to problems such as deforestation, extinction of species, and climate change.

There is a need to turn away from this destructive way of thinking towards ecocentrism, where there is no hierarchical division between humans and nature, and the importance of other non-human organisms is acknowledged and celebrated.

Collison draws upon a variety of intricacies within life to create her pieces, from the complexity of her own mind to that of the natural world. Veering from aesthetic beauty to embracing the grotesque, her works stand out for their expressiveness and ability to bring complex emotions to life.

left+right Ally Larned, WET DON’T TOUCH, acrylic on canvas, 65"x42", 2021 & UNTITILED, digital illustration, 2021

92

93

ARTIST

Hilman Chan Art Education + Senior + she/her

Metamorphosis of Identity

WRITER

The juxtaposition of the tear in her eye and the dark shading with the antique, kitsch elements creates a powerful portrait of growth in Chan’s print

Sophia Ramirez-Peralta Art History + Sophomore + she/her

95

96

METAMORPHOSIS OF IDENTITY

previous spread

NO SHOW

At

first glance, these monochromatic prints may evoke an unshakable feeling of unease. Many people can relate to the overwhelming feeling of emptiness that can engulf us during difficult times. Often we would rather bottle up these moments, hide them away and hope to forget their power over us. Hilman Chan invites us to join her in facing her most painful memories as she examines the effect that these experiences had on developing her identity.

As a child, tea parties with stuffed animals became Chan’s go-to pastime. She spent her time with only the company of teddy bears and ceramic teapots. Pity Party combines these childhood memories with elements of kitsch to showcase her passion for antiques and all things vintage. To an unknowing eye, the teddy bear may seem like a standard toy, but it’s design was actually inspired by vintage animal costumes from the ‘50s that Chan admires. It was important for her to recreate the detailed textures on the bear that imitate the fur from the novelty stuffed animals.

This style is also present in the girl’s outfit, specifically in the bear headpiece which emphasizes the kitsch quality of the work. Pity Party is Chan’s progression from a lonely child to a strong, independent woman who is not afraid to be passionate about her hobbies. The juxtaposition of the tear in her eye and the dark shading with the antique, kitsch elements creates a powerful portrait of growth in Chan’s print.

Chan continues to use her art as a means of working through her emotions. Her series of monochromatic prints also includes Weightless, which explores the stress and insecurities brought upon by recent, hurtful relationships. The overwhelming build-up of these emotions required her to find a form of release, which is what Weightless figuratively and literally portrays. The balloons floating out of the girl’s chest symbolize the feeling of releasing painful emotions. The butterflies add to this idea due to their physical attributes of being lightweight and free and their habits of migrating to better places. The print is also a literal interpretation of Chan’s healing process as the title directly implies. Her experience in making the art was a cathartic mechanism for her to move forward.

Part of the reason that making these works was so healing was because of the complex and intensive form of printmaking that Chan chose. Solarplate printing involves transferring a design on film onto a light-sensitive gold plate, exposing it to light, scrubbing it, and then printing the image through a press. Due to the complicated nature of this process, Chan took an entire semester to finish these works and the others in her series. She

Hilman Chan ,

Hilman Chan ,

WEIGHTLESS,

PITY PARTY,

Solarplate print on

Solarplate print on

paper, 2020

paper, 2020

explained that it was difficult to get the ink in the places she intended without it smearing or rubbing off somewhere else, which resulted in her making six prints for each image. For Chan, the struggle was gratifying. The satisfaction she feels from making art that expresses her growth and new-found identity is what she aspires to do with her art. It is not about what the viewer sees, for it is up to them to explore their inner demons, but rather what Chan gained from presenting it to us.

97

ARTIST

Holly Cormack Ceramics + Post-Bac + she/her

Wearable Art

WRITER

...her process is a reflection of her work’s central theme and purpose: to love something or someone for who or what it is

Caroline Levine Linguistics & Dual Language: Russian & French + Sophomore + she/her

99

WEARABLE ART

H

ow often does one admire a work of art, but can only view it from behind a glass wall? Or, worse yet, find the work to be far out of their reasonable budget? For most people, high art translates to delicate, old portraits like The Mona Lisa or The Scream—works that are not easily accessed or interacted with by the average viewer, be it because of the high security or the steep prices of visiting. Holly Cormack works to solve this barrier between high art and the common person by creating wearable porcelain jewelry for people of all identities, backgrounds, and financial statuses.

Cormack is currently a post-baccalaureate student focusing on ceramics and uses her knowledge of clay to create colorful, wearable art. Though Cormack graduated with a degree in art history, she developed a calling to explore the physical aspect of art when taking a studio class as an undergraduate. Since then, Cormack has begun developing a signature style wherein she marbles clay to create beautiful pieces that are each unique. She has innovated the usual style of marbling clay by increasing the amount of white clay in the initial stages of the process. In doing so, the white clay has its own personality and presence, creating a signature marbled look and making it very easy to identify Cormack’s work.

Though the entire process of creating her porcelain jewelry is special to Cormack, one of the most central themes revolves

previous spread Holly Cormack, NEGATIVE SPACE STATEMENT PIECE SET porcelain, mason stain

Holly Cormack, BLACK AND BLUE TEARDROP STATEMENT PIECE SET porcelain, mason stain

Holly Cormack, RED CIRCLE PENDANT WITH BRASS ACCENT porcelain, mason stain

100

around the concept of perfection—or lack thereof. Due to the marbling process, it is impossible to plan the exact appearance of the final product, as each slab of clay has its own personality and pattern based on factors such as proportion of the colors of clay and how many times the slab is rolled or reshaped. The battle with perfection is one that Cormack has struggled with because, as an artist, it is difficult to leave one’s work—an extension of one’s soul, really—up to chance. But Cormack has found this as a great opportunity for growth and, ultimately, her process is a reflection of her production’s central theme and purpose: to love something or someone for who or what it is. Though Cormack would love to share her passion for ceramics with the world, she would love for those who wear her jewelry to feel more confident about themselves. Though no one needs a supplemental item to be beautiful, Cormack hopes that her jewelry will help empower those who do choose to wear her pieces.

In terms of the creative process, Cormack is regularly inspired by the process itself, often waiting to make aesthetic decisions un-

101

WEARABLE ART

Holly Cormack, YELLOW PENDANT SET WITH BRASS ACCENTS, porcelain, mason stain

Holly Cormack, LARGE BLACK, BLUE, AND YELLOW STATEMENT PIECE SET, porcelain, mason stain

someone finds the physical, hands-on nature of her jewelry to be relaxing or whether someone simply feels more confident when wearing her jewelry, Cormack’s main purpose for creating her art is to make it accessible to the general public. Because of this, she makes a variety of sizes and styles with a variety of price-tags, making her work accessible and gender-neutral. Simply put, Cormack’s works are the definition of ‘wearable art’.

If interested in purchasing any of Cormack’s jewelry, visit her page on Instagram under the handle @I_AM_JOAN_OF_ART.

102

103

NO SHOW

til after the clay has marbled. This is especially true depending on the color, as blue tends to draw more natural, curvilinear shapes to mind such as teardrops and circles, while yellow tends to draw more angular shapes with pointed edges. Ultimately, Cormack lets each slab of clay inspire her, giving it a voice of its own. In this way, Cormack exemplifies the concept of letting the art shape itself. She understands the unpredictability of the creative process and, instead of fighting it, uses it to her advantage. In doing so, Cormack creates unique pieces that—though generally connected by her signature marbling style—are unreplicable. Though this does sometimes pose problems for ‘matching’ pairs of earrings, Cormack realizes uniformness is not necessarily more beautiful.

Instead, she values the individuality of every single piece of jewelry.

Overall, Cormack wishes for her audiences and prospective buyers to truly interact and connect with her works. Because of the physical nature of jewelry, one can touch, feel, and wear each one of her pieces, which creates a deep connection between the audience and the work—and, indirectly, the artist. Whether

ARTIST

Kerry Wilson Drawing + Senior + she/her

Drawing out Memories

WRITER

Through her personal exploration of memory, Wilson invites the viewer to ponder the fluctuation of memory and to share in the tenderness of her remembered childhood home

Sarah Bass Art History & Visual Art Studies + Senior + she/her

105

DRAWING OUT MEMORIES

H

omes are places of comfortable spaces, loved ones, and warm memories. Senior drawing major Kerry Wilson’s childhood home embodied these characteristics. In the winter of 2019, Wilson’s family made the drastic move from Florida to Colorado, selling their beloved home to a new family.

Feeling a whirl of emotions as the place she once identified as home now only belongs to her in memory, Wilson began to process her emotions, reflect on her memories, and document the images in her mind with the aid of colored pencils and watercolor paints. With her family miles away and a pandemic enhancing emotions of distance and loneliness, Wilson developed Home, a collection of works which includes a series of tunnel books and a series of woven works, made to cathartically release bittersweet emotions as well as carefully preserve tender memories.

With their ability to house information as well as endure time, Wilson chose books as the receptacle for her memories of home. The format of a tunnel book allowed her to reconstruct the interior spaces of her remembered house in three dimensions.

Like the rooms of a doll house, each tunnel book consists of a small figure, household items, and a sunny window that frames

previous spread Kerry Wilson, DO MEMORIES FADE AND RETURN 3, colored pencil, watercolor, 31″x31″, 2020

bottom + right page Kerry Wilson, TO MY MEMORY 1, 2, 3 colored pencil, paper,book cloth, binder’s board, 4.75″x5.5″, 2020–2021

106

107

TO MY YOUNGER SELF 2, colored pencil, paper,book cloth, binder’s board, 4.75″x5.5″, 2020

Kerry Wilson,

the green outdoors. In the foreground of each tunnel book stands a small figure of Wilson herself with her back facing the viewer.

Although her face is not visible, she invites the viewer to peer into the space, and therefore her memories, with her. The figures of Wilson age throughout the series, highlighting the growth that she experienced in her childhood home and the importance of different rooms to her at different ages.

Wilson began constructing her tunnel books by first cutting all the materials needed to build each book, including the binder’s board, paper, and book cloth. She chose an off-white color for the paper because of its similarity to the color of her old house, her mother’s affinity for the color, and its general feeling of family. The large, nature-filled yard of her childhood home inspired her selection of green for the color of the book cloth. To build each living space, Wilson started with a memory of a window and then envisioned the surrounding area. She then sketched the figure of herself, cut it out, and used it as a guide to sketch out the next layer, ensuring that the contents of the current layer would not block important details of the following layer. She repeated this process for the remaining layers. When all the pages were sketched and cut,

108

TO MY YOUNGER SELF 1, colored pencil, paper,book cloth, binder’s board, 4.75″x5.5″, 2020

109

NO SHOW

Kerry Wilson,

Wilson used colored pencils to add color, pattern, and texture to the space, such as the rough stone of the fireplace or the smooth plastic of kids’ toys. Through the assembly of each book within the series, Wilson rebuilt her childhood and preserved the memories she acquired of the home over the course of twenty years.

As opposed to the interior spaces depicted in her tunnel book series, Wilson’s series of three woven works titled Do Memories Fade and Return? focuses on the exterior of her former home.

Each work in the series consists of two drawings of her old house, including the surrounding yard. For the first two works, Wilson began by making similar drawings of the house, using a combination of watercolors, colored pencils, and ink. She then cut the drawings into strips and wove them together to form distorted representations of her former home. For the third work, Wilson created two abstract drawings of her house, focusing on the colors and textures of the house’s exterior. Again, she cut the drawings into strips and wove them together to form a jumbled version of the home that includes only a few recognizable pieces of the house, such as the windows and tree branches. As the strips of paper intersect and overlap, they hide parts of the drawings that

DRAWING OUT MEMORIES

Kerry Wilson, DO MEMORIES FADE AND RETURN 2, watercolor, colored pencil, 22″x25″, 2020

were once visible, highlighting the inaccuracy of memory and the inability of Wilson to uncover aspects of her house that she cannot remember. From the first work to the third, the composition becomes more chaotic, the edges become more jagged, and the image of home becomes more unrecognizable.

Equipped with colored pencils and watercolors, artist Kerry Wilson rebuilt her childhood house to explore her memories and express the emotions she feels towards the move away from her home. After facing clarity, blurriness, certainty, and doubt when trying to remember her former house, Home provides Wilson’s memories with a tangible and fixed presence. Through her personal exploration of memory, Wilson invites the viewer to ponder the fluctuation of memory and to share in the tenderness of her remembered childhood home.

Kerry Wilson, DO MEMORIES FADE AND RETURN 1, watercolor, colored pencil, 12″x21″, 2020

ready for more?

turn to page 121

110

111

ARTIST

Manna Robertson Graphic Design & Business Administration + Freshman + she/her

How Style Sustained Makes Fast Fashion so Last Season WRITER

Hala Hachem For some time, there was a stigma against thrifting and shopping second hand...

Art History & Chemistry + Sophomore + she/her

113

114

HOW STYLE SUSTAINED MAKES FAST FASHION SO LAST SEASON

previous & next spread Manna Robertson, STYLE SUSTAINED SHIRT, front & back, 2020

gradable materials, it adds to an ever-growing mountain of trash that never ceases to decrease in size, only inching higher and higher and demanding more room to contain its junk.

As part of UF College of the Arts curriculum, Robertson had to complete Workshop of Art Research and Practice, an intensive lecture and studio class that prompts students to face contemporary debates in the arts through a variety of mediums and styles.

For one of her projects, Robertson was to create a piece that centers on survival. Focusing on her own definition of survival, Robertson began her artistic process by questioning what problem people need help surviving in this day and age. She settled on the idea of fast fashion and began to create a multimedia piece aimed to educate, inspire, and warn her viewers of the insidious effects of fast fashion on our society.

Robertson’s solution to fast fashion manifested in a subscription box company she dubbed Style Sustained, where she took on the role of researcher, graphic designer, marketer, and fashion designer. Her process began by creating the brand as a mock collaboration with New York based artist Nina Chanel Abney whose artwork dealing with social issues and style of bold colors and blocky shapes is echoed in Robertson’s art. A commonality between both artists is their extensive use of symbolism—even the name of the company is symbolic. The S for “style” and “sustained” was shaped to look like a clothing hanger, a nod to the focus of the company. To hint towards the aim of the project, Robertson used alliteration for her company’s name to mimic the repetitive, cyclical nature of the problem she is aiming to solve.

The way Style Sustained attempts to cure society from the ills of fast fashion is by offering a monthly subscription that includes a thrifted item, a matching face mask, and ample material on how to find ways around succumbing to fast fashion and the reasons why it needs to be done.

The graphic design details added to the project make it come to life, showing Robertson’s prowess with her chosen artform.

While the pamphlet looks like something out of Abney’s workshop, it is all Robertson. She includes sections on her company’s mission, the urgency of the situation, and how we as consumers can do our part. Her eco-friendly theme rings clear with a green-yellow-orange color palette and sustainability symbolism.

The clothing part of the project is meant to divert purchases of new clothes to clothes that have already been made, worn, and relocated to a thrift store. Buying second-hand has been a major pillar in the environmental sustainability philosophy, whether it be clothes or home goods. After a month of research and

115

NO SHOW

No

matter the method, anyone can be an activist for a cause that stirs something deep within them and motivates them to act. Activism takes on many forms; to be an activist you can be a speaker, a protester, an artist, or take on a plethora of other roles. For decades, artists have dedicated the work they create to rally those who view it in galleries, museums, or over the internet to educate themselves and join the artist in their endeavor to help a worthy cause. From individuals like Ai Weiwei to movements like Dada, activist artists have used their skills to speak out in opposition to corrupt governments or protest against war.

Artists who proudly take up this standard are those like Banksy, who introduce the public to politically controversial topics through their specific aesthetic vision. The issues they target are influenced by the life they lived in their respective generation and location. Joining the ranks of activist artists is Manna Robertson, a first year Graphic Design major, whose target is the fast fashion industry and its detrimental effects on society.

Even if the term “fast fashion” is unfamiliar to you, those who contribute to it are not. Brands like Zara, Forever 21, and H&M can be found in most malls worldwide. These brands have been able to dominate the retail market, and the real estate in your closet, with their accelerated turnover time between spotting a new trend on the runaway and having it stocked in their stores for anyone to wear. While they are able to make what designer models sport on the catwalk available to most with their affordable prices, it comes at a steep cost for those who contribute to its production.

Most notably, those who make the clothes and the environment that provides the materials. To make clothes so cheap, workers are highly underpaid and overworked in abhorrent sweatshops. Brands are able to cut costs by outsourcing their production to countries with minimal labor laws. Their methods also affect the environment at three points in the process: collection, distribution, and elimination. The methods to procure the materials to create the clothes rely on exploiting the environment in an unsustainable manner that depletes it of its resources and displaces those who call the area home. After the clothes are created, they need to be shipped and, in an era fueled by technology, clothes are shipped to stores or homes of online shoppers. The cost of shipping is not just to one’s wallet but to the environment from cars, ships, and airplanes in the form of an ever-increasing carbon footprint. When the life of a shirt or pair of pants is at its end due to an unfixable tear or it not fitting the current trend, it is relocated to its new home at the landfill. Since most clothes are not made from biode-

TITLE TITLE TITLE

ready for more?

turn to page 61

116

117

NO SHOW

planning, Robertson scoured local thrift stores for a staple closet piece that she could use as the foundation for her project. Once she acquired a white turtleneck, she took on her role as fashion designer and began coating the shirt in paint, creating and embedding symbolism into the fabric of the piece. Taking the form of shapes, both recognizable and not, Robertson created a piece of wearable activism art.

The front of the shirt is meant to convey an emphasis on money over Mother Nature and dismantling of the recycling process by fast fashion which is aided by the internet. Painted in dark colors, the negative consequences of fast fashion are conveyed to the viewer. An abstracted story is told, one that pieces together the players in this game. The torso of the shirt sports the recycling logo that has been split into three pieces and scattered over the shirt, a computer cursor poised as if ready to make another purchase, and dollar signs meant to remind the viewer of the corporations making profit of the backs of underpaid workers. Moving toward the sleeves that sports the text “Fa$t” on one and “Fa$hiØn” on the other, where the dollar signs become a recurring image as it replaces the “S” and the “O” in fashion has a circle with a slash in its place, meant to convey the urgent need to stop buying from big brands and turn to a more sustainable source for one’s clothing needs.

If the front of the shirt is the reality we live in, the back can be viewed as the future we can look forward to. Contrary to the dark colors that stain the front of the shirt, like the plumes of smoke emitted from factories, are their lighter and brighter counterparts on the back. These colors are used to compose and back a more positive message through symbols like hearts to stand for the people behind the clothes we wear and “fast fashion” replaced by the brand name “Style Sustained” on the sleeves. If we focus on a more sustainable path to acquiring our clothes, we can create a society where workers and the environment are protected.

It is important to note that Robertson’s work is meant to be worn, so the placement of symbols is important. As a society, we proudly don fast fashion clothing items whether it be a sweatshirt with a witty pun on the back from Forever 21 or accessories from Zara. This is what we project and put forward. For some time, there was a stigma against thrifting and shopping second hand, the reason why it was placed on the back of the shirt. The hope is that one day the script will be flipped, and sustainability will be a staple in our closets.

Stephanie Perez, SVENNOS ROTOS (BROKEN DREAMS) duct tape, nails, plastic wrap, glue, glass soda bottle, small bible, camera, sand, paper, 16″x20″, 2020

Stephanie Perez, SINGLE-USE, oil paint, plastic wrap, plastic gift wrapping, paper, actylic paint, 17″x21″, 2020

118

119

ARTIST

Martha Underriner MFA in Ceramics + Second-year + she/her

The Memory of Labor

WRITER

The daily actions required within the home are often overlooked, downplayed to something that simply happens rather than the manual, strenuous acts behind the visage of the home

Amanda Alvarez Art History & Chemistry + Sophomore + they/she

121

THE MEMORY OF LABOR

To

Martha Underriner, the connection between memories, labor, and the domestic space is an intimate one, especially from a woman’s perspective. The daily actions required within the home are often overlooked, downplayed to something that simply happens rather than the manual, strenuous acts behind the visage of the home. The ghosts of these acts linger around our spaces, encroaching on us as we realize more and more how tied to memory these domestic spaces are. The act of passing on these memories is slowly changing as certain traditions are forgotten, and the connection to the home slowly wavers.

Discarded Traditions was Underriner’s entry point into considering memories and labor within domestic spaces. A series made up of five works, working in cast glass, steel, and porcelain, it explores common household items, such as: a family recipe box, an oven with a pan and moka pot on top, and two dish towels hanging off of hooks. The thought process behind these works began with a conversation Underriner had with her mother. She realized that her mother had passed down family traditions, such as baking,

previous spread Martha Underriner, HOSPITALITY, Glass, Steel, 20x20x18, 2020

Martha Underriner, DISCARDED TRADITIONS (NO. 1), Cast Glass, Porcelain, 7x11x6, 2020

Martha Underriner, DISCARDED TRADITIONS (NO. 2), Cast Glass, Porcelain, 7x11x6, 2020

122

cooking, and sewing, and began to realize that these skills were being passed down less and less. The sentimentality Underriner has towards family traditions opened her eyes as to how she did not want to see them fade into the ether to never be passed on again. In Discarded Traditions (no. 1) (2020), Underriner replicated her family’s recipe box in semi-transparent cast glass. Not only that, but she replicated their recipes on delicate porcelain notecards contained within the cast glass box. The semi-transparency

123

THE MEMORY OF LABOR

Martha Underriner, DISCARDED TRADITIONS (NO. 3), Porcelain, Steel, 15x15x1, 2020

Martha Underriner, LAUNDRY DAY, Glass, Porcelain, Found object, 65x72x36, 2020

ready for more?

turn to page 105

124

walk around it rather than just look at an image. Her work fuses the idea of two-dimensional line with the presence of a three-dimensional object; she describes her final products “like a contour line drawing in sculptural form”. Discarded Traditions (no. 2) (2020) and Hospitality (2020) cross the boundary between sculpture and drawings, these common household objects reduced to their steel contours. The use of steel alludes to women that have done much of the work for their families, and the strength they need to do that. The negative space created leaves room for hazy shadows to be cast by the pieces, alluding to the idea of memories being the shadows of life’s experiences. Shadows are purposefully neutral, allowing the viewer to contemplate their connection to not only the work but the shadows it creates.

Underriner carefully combines the tangibility of sculpture with the absolute ephemera that is memory. The importance of remembering, along with the specific femininity of what is being remembered, creates a nostalgia for a past that has not yet slipped through our fingers yet, reminding the viewer to hold on a little tighter to their memory.

125

NO SHOW

blurring the viewer’s access to these notecards speaks to not only the feeling of forgetting your own traditions, but how every family has their own traditions that aren’t accessed by outsiders.

The act of passing down generational knowledge is intensely personal, and influences Underriner’s practice. This transformed into Underriner considering the origins of what she uses in her day-to-day life, and where that history comes from. While baking a cake, she tracked the movements of her labor around her home, narrowing down her ideas from the idea of these domestic labors to tangible objects that are being used within these traditions. She began to consider the memories and labor associated with these objects in the past, along with how she engages with them, leading her to consider how other people engage with these objects.

Underriner’s background is in functional ceramics, and she values objects and their utility. Her thought process is in three dimensions too, which comes from her early training. Everything people engage with is three-dimensional, and Underriner’s belief is that engaging with an object is more meaningful if you can see and

ARTIST

Selin Kilinc Advertising & Art History + Junior + she/her

An Artist of the Modern Age

WRITER

Her goal is for people to look at and enjoy her work, taking away what impacts them and leaving with a newfound sense of inspiration

Mackenzie Turnage Art History & French & Francophone Studies and History + Junior + she/her

127

128

AN ARTIST OF THE MODERN AGE

previous spread Selin Kilinc, GHOST TOWN, 2019

from her own design or from a client for commissioned work. She tends to gravitate towards colorful compositions, usually filled with pastel blues, purples, pinks and greens. She cites Pinterest as a useful resource for finding imagery or color palettes, drawing inspiration from existing color combinations or simply finding a shade she feels would fit the piece.

Selin believes art doesn’t always have to be deep or meaningful—sometimes it can be light, bright and upbeat. The artwork she’s made as gifts for friends and family are of great personal significance, but her other work tends to be for fun or for commission. She doesn’t want to push a contrived message or force a vision on her audiences. Her goal is for people to look at and enjoy her work, taking away what impacts them and leaving with a newfound sense of inspiration.

Selin Kilinc is an artist of the modern age. She takes what she loves and finds a way to streamline it, making it accessible and efficient for commercial use. Utilizing the style seen in Ghost town, Selin has created several pieces for University magazines and clients, finding success using her eye-catching art in the commercial space. Moving forward, she hopes to continue finding ways to share her art and spark joy in a larger audience.

129

NO SHOW

S

elin Kilinc is a 20-year-old illustrator pursuing an Advertising Degree with a minor in Art History. Having grown up in Turkey, Selin relied on drawing as a creative outlet when she arrived in the United States at age 9 and attributes her talent to the ample practice she had at a young age. Her work Ghost town (2019) incorporates her signature animated style, bright color palette and intricate detailing to depict a barren snapshot of a fictional city block.

Multi-media work was Selin’s first focus, but she always strived for an opaque, polished look in her pieces. After beginning coursework at the University of Florida and getting involved with advnt, a student-run College of Journalism and Communication advertising portfolio, she began working with digital art programs including Illustrator and Procreate. With line correction and the ability to achieve pure, opaque color, Selin began to achieve the sleek, clean look that she found near impossible to obtain when sketching.

After this discovery, Selin started to convert her old sketches into digital pieces and saw the potential for commercialization of her work in the form of advertising. She does not consider herself purely a digital artist, but an illustrator because she works by hand prior to digitizing her work. Her aesthetic has always centered around bright colors and intricate details, elements of which she thinks originates from her Turkish upbringing.

Selin’s Ghost town is a brightly colored view of a city intersection Selin made in her free time to challenge herself. The cartoon-style city block includes a movie theater, a hotel, a rolled ice cream store, a book shop and several intersections conjured within the artist’s mind. It is clearly a Ghost town, as the only figures in the composition are two small aliens on the nearest rooftop, a signature aspect of Selin’s work at the time. The work is extremely detailed, each storefront uniquely named. Some of Selin’s humor can be felt throughout the piece as one of the Cineplex’s posters reads “something with Sandra Bullock,” and each store’s name is a pun. The longer you look at Ghost town the more details jump out, making it feel much more personal as each viewer finds a different aspect to focus on. This piece was sketched in 2017/2018, and she focused on perspective, color scheme and detail. The sketch for this piece was around 2 feet by 4 feet when she scanned it onto her laptop to begin work in Illustrator and was completed in 2019.

Her process begins with a sketch; sometimes there are multiple iterations and sometimes she is pleased with her first attempt.

From there, Selin scans the sketch into Illustrator and goes over the lines with the trackpad on her laptop—which she affirms is an incredibly tedious process. Then she selects a color palette, either

Index artists, in order of apperance

Camila Rivera page 11

Campbell Lynn page 17

Devin Ozmon page 25

Grace Nemanic page 31

Stephanie Perez page 34, 61, 118

Lydia Mayhood page 35

Janine Yves-Hall page 37

Jessica Clermont page 41

Natalie Danielle page 49

Ally Larned page 54, 93

Sofia Isaac page 57

130

writers, in order of apperance

Tess Aguilar page 66

Caroline Levine page 67

Vahid Valikhani

Gabriella Martinez page 11

Carolyn Lightsey page 17, 61

Annabel Severns

page 69

page 25

Allie Pishock

Skyler Dunbar

page 77

Chanel Collison

page 31

Lexi Peterson

page 87

page 37

Hilman Chan

Tiffany Sims

page 95

Holly Cormack page 99

Kerry Wilson page 105

Manna Robertson page 113

Martha Underriner page 121

Selin Kilinc page 127

Caroline Levine page 99

Sarah Bass page 105

Hala Hachem page 113

Amanda Alvarez page 121

Mackenzie Turnage page 127

page 41, 57

Sarah Nix page 49

Ava Bender page 69

Adriana Rivas page 77

Janine Hall page 87

Sophia Ramirez-Peralta page 95

131

Production editorial team

Lexi Peterson Leah Harrell Carolyn Lightsey Skyler Dunbar Tiffany Sims

Acknowledgements Our deepest gratitude to everyone who contributed to the publication in any capacity, whether they submitted their own artwork and writing or assisted our editorial and design team.

A special thank you to our faculty advisor Rachel Silveri for her assistance in editing and supervising this volume. We would also like to thank our amazing graphic designer Maria Blokhina for all her help in making the magazine look beautiful.

Finally, we would like to thank the University of Florida’s Student Government for funding this publication; we greatly appreciate the support and contribution.

Amanda Alvarez design

Maria Blokhina

132

133

Dinner + No show

No show