Elyse Sawyer

I make art to expand my reality. It allows me to walk outside of myself and see things from a different perspective. The moment a pencil is in my hands I start to dig into the different parts of my brain, parts I normally would not explore if it weren’t for the discovery of art in my life. Most of my work has to do with the many things that we as humans have to endure, such as loss. The reason why I am so attached to this style of work is because I have always been the type of person to feel so greatly. I cannot remember a single day that I was not writing or thinking about what made me upset or how I perceived someone’s opinion about something I did. I have since applied this to my work as I believe it allows me to better express myself and grow as a person and artist.

I remember one of the first paintings I saw as a young child was The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso. It was a painting of a depressed looking man; the artist chose to work with a dark monochromatic blue that filled every corner of the work. The man appeared to be alone, possibly sitting in a room, there was nothing but darkness that overwhelmed him. This painting left an emotional impact on me. It allowed me to see a side of art that I had only yet been exposed to. From this point on I really dove into what that meant for my artwork. I wanted to be able to show the parts of me that I would not normally be able to because I believed that our society frowned upon it. I learned overtime that being vulnerable really allowed me to be comfortable in my relationship with art, not only that but having other artists and viewers relate to what it is I create and go through as a human.

(L)

Cigarette Bra

Acrylic paint, cardstock, cardboard 2021

(R)

Art Bra

Cardboard, dried acrylic paint, stained glass 2021

My preferred medium to work with is cardboard. I like its undemanding behavior and never-ending possibilities. The fact that I can create possibly anything with a piece of cardboard is what I enjoy most about it. It cuts easily with a boxcutter and works great as a base or starting point for any project. My projects nearly always start the same. As stated before, I am a human being that overthinks. I feel everything very strongly, I cannot let things go. Therefore, memories play such a big part in my work. I usually start a project off by picking out different parts of my life that have made an impact on me and start thinking up of stories that someone might have, and I let my imagination run wild. This allows me to feel like a kid again and I enjoy that most of all.

I personally believe that life comes with all kinds of different obstacles, some that we do not feel strong enough for, and that is okay. I think it is important to take time to find closure with those parts of our life, and in this case is why I make art, as a means of expanding my reality.

2021

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I wanted to be able to show the parts of me that I would not normally be able to because I believed that our society frowned upon it. I learned overtime that being vulnerable really allowed me to be comfortable in my relationship with art, not only that but having other artists and viewers relate to what it is I create and go through as a human.”