Fine Arts Student Showcase
Veronica Cousins
Artist Statement
Committing to one thing is not as easy for me as it is for others. I also recognized that my mentality when creating art is quite scattered, but I have come to accept that it is okay. I used to try to hide these aspects of myself, but they tend to dominate my creative process. I never realized that embracing these parts of me was an option because I thought it was not the “correct” way to approach the world.
Kiki Ramos
Artist Statement
The main focus of my senior thesis project was to portray the way I have been feeling since the beginning of 2023 due to the deaths of family members, while also giving it meaning to represent each one of them. The colors I have chosen are really precise, because each has its own meaning and emotion to it. The colors are green, red, blue, and orange. The color green represents Colon Cancer, of which one of my grandmothers passed away from in January. It also means healing, which I’m in the process of doing. Red is the following color. Red is an emotive representation of either rage or love for me. This represents my uncle who passed away in February 2023. Because red was his favorite color and he frequently wore it around me, I decided to use it as his representation. Blue was chosen because it represents sadness and exhaustion which is how I have felt through the grief and healing processes. Orange is the final color I’ve utilized. Orange is the color of joy. I’ve been able to maintain my happiness and optimistic attitude despite everything. The drawing technique I used is abstract shapes because it gives the audience a feeling of broken yet still connected as if it was puzzle pieces. In the bottom of each painting there are Spanish words that represent some type of emotion that can relate to the meaning of the paintings. There would be areas that look unfinished or line works which is the point so when you step back it looks complete but when you get closer it looks unfinished.
Kate Zak
Artist Statement
This collection is built on the concept of “Soft Armor.” It is an idea that derived from a twist on the classic suit of armor. Most of this collection uses aluminon foil. It is a hard and tough exterior but when put into forms it is quite fragile. My intention for this came from a psychological viewpoint. I don’t like to let down my guard. I always feel the need to be alert to protect myself from any dangers, even when there are none. This collection plays into that thought process. There is a unified messy, chaotic, and uncomfortable feeling that is evident throughout it all.
