Description of Work

Surroundings - 2022 - Oil on Canvas - NFS

Artist's Statement

The subject matter for what I paint comes directly from the world around me. Things that most people would not even stop for a second to look at are something I want to glorify and give meaning to through painting. These spaces and interiors, although mundane, are teeming with the impact of our lives as humans.

What I have found in this that has inspired my work is that the impact that humans have on the world around them is profound, every space that we inhabit is always left with an impression that we have been there and made our mark on the environment. The current space that I am documenting this humanistic impact is the Fine Arts Center at BGSU, more specifically the painting and drawing studios. Everyone who has ever worked in these spaces has left a lasting impact, whether they know it or not. This comes in the form of the marks that have been left behind: the stains of paint, charcoal, and graphite, the trails of gesso, among other materials, have been left on the walls, the floors, tables and taborets, easels, and even the ceilings. All of these marks serve as a remembrance of the history of the space. What others would classify as messy, I see as evidence that the space has been lived in and used.

In one painting, a head-on shot of a muted blue easel is depicted. The easel is covered with marks of paint from those who have used it, from light pinks to dark rich blacks. This easel was once something completely bland, devoid of any signs showing that it had been used for its intended purpose. However, as it stands now, it is covered with the memory of those who have used it and used it as it was meant to be used. The same goes for the rest of these paintings, they are all depictions of the space being used for its intended purpose; whether those who have made these markings realize it or not, this documents the fact that they were there.

These paintings are much more to me than just a document, but rather something similar to archeology, to study the history of a site, what it has been through and how humans have shaped it to be what it is today. These paintings depict the history of the space and how every student and professor that has worked in it has left their impact.

If you wish to purchase any of these pieces, please contact the gallery director, Jacqueline Nathan (jnathan@bgsu.edu.)