Brooke Statement

Forever interested in color, materials and books, I want to create objects and imagery that resemble day dreams and invoke a sense of play. My current mixed-media and printmaking work concerns itself with two interrelated sets of imagery. The insects operate as biological metaphor to address states of psychological relationships. The boxes, houses and interior references speak to home.

Alex statement

As an artist I believe it is pertinent to find and draw inspiration from your surroundings. Self generating ideas are too slow. When responding to your own environment, you can find the limitless accessibility of art and creativity. When navigating through my everyday life I am always looking for found objects and a photographic opportunity to incorporate in my art. If someone paints a shed and the paint decays from age, creating an interesting texture I could never make, I have the right to take a photo of it, manipulate it and call it my own. The majority of my art originates from random “happenings” that I come across. These happenings are unscheduled by me and typically overlooked by others. A happening may originate as a picture of a floor texture in an old farm house or a child playing by herself in an ally.

I like the idea of play, in order to better understand and cure my pessimistic natures. In all my work, I layer, re-use and recycle many images and mediums. Because it is the digital age, I have incorporated the use of the computer to further manipulate my images. The use of programs allows for quick changes and an extension to otherwise limited forms of art; however it is a necessity to work with my hands. Technology and commercialism create a disconnection between the user and the receiver. In response to that disconnection, I will always have a tangible aspect in a digital piece of art work. That is why I scan drawings or use textural photos. The presence of something real must exist for me. I am drawn to things with a history or antiquity. To me, digital art is the exact opposite of that.

Lindsay

My art is humorous and witty dance that is framed through the lens of a video camera. A distinct play on perspective and scale is often used, as the dancers appear larger or smaller than they really are. There is movement in the human body, camera and editing all creating an experience for the viewer.

Michelle

Art is a useful gift that I intend to incorporate in a lifestyle that inhabits personal joys. I believe that technology, design and artistic ambition are strong qualities in any project that I plan on making. I have a passion for the wedding and event planning industry but instead of incorporating typical aspects of event design I use personal planning as a canvas for an artistic work. In my future I would like to live by my own artistic expectations and open my own business. In the meantime, I use these life experiences to build a portfolio for what I would like to do down the road.

Kevin

I am an artist not by choice but as a result of being a technician. My art is the systems I create to display others works of art. To me, the artistic beauty is the inside of a rack, an organized wiring hookup, a well designed wiring schematic. My paintbrush is cable and my canvas is equipment. My satisfaction comes from people not noticing my work, but rather it being so natural that it just blends with the existing environment. Creating content to me is more of a byproduct of being a designer rather than the main focus.

James

As a dancer I find myself championing for the terms "art" and "artist" to be part of the every day parlance in my world. I speak of myself as a "movement artist" and talk about my choreography as "art," often at a time when I want to, consciously or not, validate or uplift my field. The ephemeral or non-tangible form of dance is difficult to grasp as art. People will group Theatre, Dance, Music, etc. into a performing arts category, but to say "I'm an artist" connotes something that rarely involves plies, tendus, and spinal articulation.


While labeling myself as an artist I see my approach to life as being central to this self-categorization. I can easily create movement, an installation, or a video, but the true worth to this endeavor lies in the attention I give to my aesthetic. Why do I feel more like an artist when I am hiking, listening to opera, or cooing a baby to sleep?--somehow these things feel like my aesthetic. The ending product often feels less important to me (i.e. what the motion project looks like) than the journey towards the product. I do not mean I sit with the camp of "process over product;" no, I appreciate and love having a deadline and producing/performing work. The "journey" I speak of relates to the attitude I have while approaching the work. What is important to me as a living breathing human is to be able to relate these experiences to other people in meaningful and hopefully life changing ways. As an artist this is paramount.

Brittany

I want my videos to express what has happened during my day, as well as how I felt when taping them. I prefer taping everyday activities because they are easy to relate to, but still interesting when the right twist is added. One goal I have of my work is put the viewer in a place of comfort or understanding. I mostly take video for documenting purposes. I like to look back on what I’ve done or what has happened around me (I have a bad memory).

Laura

I am an artist because I am uncertain, or perhaps I am uncertain because I am an artist. The uncertainty I have leads me to explore both traditional, but also new, modern mediums. While I may latch onto what was and is, I strive to understand what might be ahead. As a beginner, I should remember that I should not create a strict outline, by should attempt to define myself on a broader level. My art should not be exclusive, but should expand and engage society. Nevertheless, I want my art to reflect simplicity, because it is simplicity that often provides the most answers or provokes the most thoughtful reactions. Everyone connects and relates to the most simple parts of life because it is those moments which most long for. It is of this that I am certain.

Jonathan

I am the grandson of a coal miner from a small town in Plum Borough outside of Pittsburgh. The coal mine he worked in since he was thirteen years old now lays unused and neglected. I was born in Youngstown, Ohio eight years after the close of the last steel mill and lived there nearly two decades. My family spans the rust belt of America and has directly felt the effects of the death of the coal and steel industries. I was baptized, raised and confirmed in the Catholic Church. My artwork is based on these experiences, the experiences of my family, and more over the experiences of millions of the descendants of miners, or ex-Catholics, or those who pass the abandoned industrial parks of their hometowns every day.

Accumulation is a formal element of my work that draws from my background in fiber arts. My fixation on accumulation can be tied to witnessing rituals growing up. Whether they are spiritual or commonplace routines, rituals are a part of everyday life. Ritualism in Catholicism is a mixture of absurdity, pageantry and the sacred. This includes attendance at Mass, Holy Communion and Reconciliation, practicing penitence, and the prayers of the rosary. Everyday rituals are significantly simpler: shaving, transportation, going to the same task oriented job everyday, cooking, and housework. Conceptually, these ritual influences from my life augment the ritualism in my crafting and the art making process.

Transformation is an aspect in several of my pieces that can be attributed to the act of accumulation. By slowly building up subtle materials, a scale shift occurs from small to monumental. My pieces themselves are subtle at-a-glance but expressive and intricate when examined. Across a gallery, a viewer may miss my piece because of its muted color palette and material handling; however, the discovery benefits the piece by increasing intimacy between art and the viewer. Conceptually, my work is deliberately vague because my feelings are conflicted about the topics in my work. I view much of my family heritage and religious upbringing dualistically. For that reason I present both sides in my work. This allows for the viewer to: observe both sides, step into my world and make their own decision.

Matthew

As an artist, I am obsessed with the idea of looking at the mundane in an absurd way. I am curious of the unknown and relish in the ridiculous. The more I cannot understand, the more interested I become.

Henna

Why Am I An Artist

I ask myself this question at least once a day and most of the time my answer is “I have no freaking clue.” My childhood dream when I grew up was to be an artist. As a student at OSU and a fine arts/film studies major I am making my childhood dream come true. This dream of mine has been in my heart and mind for over 15 years now and I am an artist to make this dream come alive.

When I create something, an assignment for class or something just for fun, I am in complete bliss. I get in this zone where nothing can burst my invisible bubble. The pieces that come out of this period of zen can be either art or not. Art is subjective, especially as a student, some people may think a creation is art where as someone else may say that its not, its more of a homework assignment or a hobby.

Everything I create I consider art, especially if it is a class assignment and/or it is in a medium I am not familiar with. I hope my work can just be appreciated as art. I want people to watch my videos, play with the interactive ceramic pieces, enjoy staring at the paint on stretched canvas. I want people to embrace the feeling of serenity, hilarity, or even craziness I feel when the pieces are created.

Jared

I find myself drawn to working on things that are very much so technology oriented and sometimes seem to be beyond my abilities. I often approach work currently based on prompts received in a class or through discussion with professors within the classroom. I often like to challenge myself while doing work to try things that are outside of my comfort zone, especially if it allows me to learn a new technique for creating something.

I tend to set out a plan in the beginning of a project and then use that as more of a guideline than a recipe for my works. I enjoy letting things happen spontaneously and try to let my work create its own feeling during the process of creation. I feel allowing my work to become something I had not planned on is something I do often, because I find it intriguing how even the best laid plans can result in the unexpected. Most of my work stems from frustration and urgency more than anything, largely because I often take far too long to decide what direction I want to go in, and less time working.

Currently my work is largely based in the technology side of art and predominantly within the computer itself. I have recently begun 3d modeling and am really excited about the possibilities it presents for bringing my thoughts into a visual piece.

Domenique

As art I want my work to be something that will inspired thought and hopefully new ideas in the viewer. I try to create work that is aesthetically pleasing as well as highly conceptual.

John

The peas video project documents objects being created from the ground up and the natural benefits from doing so. Clips are taken from the documentation process of growing and eating Giant Oregon Pea Pods. The clips range from half-second to two-second durations. A musical accompaniment to the collage of videos gives a fun romp to the scenes as you go through the growing cycles. There are also naturalistic sounds heard allowing the viewer to enter the plants environment, and then help me wash, cook, and devour the pea pods. Documenting the peas growth was enjoyable and I wanted to express this in the video.

Cassandra's statement

Being an artist is my way of engaging with the world. This process of engagement is multi-faceted as it includes critical thinking, reflection, creation, and assessment of the work itself. I am an artist because it heightens my awareness as a human being. Hopefully this awareness leads to a greater understanding of what creates a meaningful existence not just for myself, but also for those who might experience my work. It is through art that intricacies of emotions and desires can be expressed in a way different than that of words.

It is difficult, yet crucial to be in a constant state critique. What does this mean? Why is this idea of interest to me? What consequences will occur I follow through with this action? These are questions that I constantly ask, and must continue to ask myself. It is not merely a way of thinking, but a way to living. Although it is not just acting in the face of art, or art as a response to life, for they do not oppose each other. Art and life must never be separated. As an artist, it is important for me that no matter how esoteric some thoughts might become, that they are never removed from actions and the physical body of life. It is here where we reside, so art should reside as well.

Michelle's statement

Not many people can say they have lived on a floating city in the middle of an ocean. Well, I have, and one of the only things that kept my mind sane was taking time out and entertaining myself with television, movies and videos. I think of video art as a morale booster; something that others can use to take their minds off the things that worry them. As an artist, I want to continue to use art as a morale booster for myself and others. I want to tell stories that entertain, inform and please others. I will do what I love and love what I do for the rest of my life.

David's statement

When I create art, whether I’m drawing, painting, or editing video I am creating something that reflects my artistic background, my ethnicity, my family, and my personal esthetics. Although, when I say ‘my own’ I do not mean to speak of myself as some kind of great modernist thinker, but as an artist that has been shaped by a post modern world. I create art that pleases myself first and foremost, but I do usually have in mind what type of emotional response that I am trying to evoke from my viewers. In fact, during my creative process I am extremely conscientious of what other people are going to think of my work, and or, what I want them to think of when they are viewing my work. The whole process is very is very psychological and utilizes a great deal of knowledge about our American culture; at least from my perspective. Specifically, for the last couple of years I have been motivated to create art that combats racial stereotypes as well as just the plan old racism that seems to linger on in this country; in our popular culture, in our political institutions, and in everyday life. Though, I will admit, this topic does seem to be something that you would think our country would have healed from by now, but never the less it remains. Growing up in Whitehall Ohio, and even when I arrived on OSU campus I have continued to encounter and see a great deal of racism, discrimination, and bigotry which has propelled me to act on this deeply embedded issue in our society and culture in general. However, I always create art that pleases myself and reflects my personal esthetics. In particular, I have always been attracted to surrealists’ artworks for their ability to bend or alter reality. As such, I want my own artwork to at times ‘alter” reality whether it’s a negative racial stigma, or just a simple story that I want to convey.

Alex statement

I do not know exactly what "art" is. I believe that "art" may simply be anything which contributes something positive to existence through its meaning. My hope is that if someone were to view something I have created, and if that person were able to experience something because of it (such as knowledge, entertainment, thoughtfulness, enjoyment, among others), then I will have created "art." But if I haven't, then maybe the definition of "art" never mattered in the first place.

Adrian statement

The idea that one’s state of being is simply a product of the human mind excites me – to say the least. The actuality that our ideas of self are just manifestations of how we have processed and wired information, over time, encourages me to question the idea of “self-assurance”. I want to be able to go through all of the phases of unraveling the wiring of the human mind’s identity. This comes from the notion of realization and mortality. This is when we stop living in the dreams that our minds have created for us, on a daily point of departure, and start to question our surroundings. When you start to question yourself, others and the state of humanity, it’s creations and the greater authority of control. I use the idea of control as not just some form of shallow barbaric restraint (as in government/law - even though these aspects of life are included in my definition). I want to use the idea of control as this metaphysical lump of ideas – a consensus amongst the majority of other human minds, the greater mind. It is the true governing state that doesn’t allow you to question the flow of life. It tells you what to wear, how to speak to others, how to create, with whom to mate, how to spend your time and what to disown (from those ideas we must also start to weave the burdening and ultimate constraint – money). It doesn’t allow you to question the distribution of your life. It narrows your life and possibilities to a very structured path – fooling you into the idea of being immortal & obsessive over the shallow aspects of youth. We fight, kill, work and fuck to be closer to these ideas. What I want to convey through my work barely touches on the cornerstone of this hypothesis (hopefully one day). However, I want to at least touch on the beginning aspect of the change. To explain further, the change is the ultimate realization. When mortality consistently reminds you that your youth is fleeting & life is not promised. Nor are any other aspects of life, including marriage, love, wealth, stability, friendship, reciprocation, health, beauty and contentment. All of these concepts that seemed to be promised as long as you give up your free will to control. This, to me, is when the human mind stops listening to the greater mind, the control, and starts to rewire information. Unfortunately, however, not in all cases, one may have to start over. This is what I want to discover and also, I want to be able to convey these thoughts through my work. I want to show the process of deconstructing one’s idea of self and the reconstructive methodologies. There is also the following idea that there is a resistance to the control, but it is nearly impossible to escape the greater mind’s authority. The power of the greater mind is everlasting and so embedded that the concept of resistance becomes just another big idea that is quickly forgotten as it is conjured. It is fathomed to be too visceral, epic, fearful or frankly, too much of a hassle. It becomes an unrealistic dream leaving more room for the power of the greater mind to take over. It is very important to also keep in mind that one is not better than the other just because of this realization, especially since the way that each of us handles this information is different, even if we ever get to that point. The point is to treat others with a respect that we may give each other mental nourishment to build upon the ideas of full potential, self-governance and critical thinking that facilitate a sharing of information so that we may be free to be self-sufficient at any point in time, space and life. Life can be so meaningless, especially when you realize our relative size and impact, in conjunction, with the universe, as we know it. This, for now, is the best I think we can do…

Think of it as having a chest of belongings. Whether the chest was full or not is not important. The items are not of importance either; they may even be borrowed from others. However, one day you feel the need to re-examine these items and you start to notice their structure, cleanliness, color, size/volume and representation. These items become less divine and soon you must start to clean out your chest, cleanse it and carefully redistribute new items into their respective places, with some form of meaning. For a while, we must walk around extremely humble and open to new ideas because our chest is completely empty.

Daniel's statement

I am sitting here thinking of a way to begin my statement. A real opener that would grab the reader’s attention, or rather, something that can pull you in and take you on a literal journey; which I often find rare in modern novels now-a-days. To no avail, I can only think of how amusing my personal history will be for you, because I think gypsies, 18 years of parental separation, and being very fat as a baby to the point where I won an award, is rather uncommon in other people’s history.

Let us start from the beginning involving gypsies. My older brother was born a very sickly child and a constant concern at that. As a tradition for my family, the newborns are taken to a “gypsy” or some form of soothsayer to have their future looked into. To no surprise, my brother’s future looked dim if he stayed in Taiwan, my birth country. Although it is just tradition and a silly superstitious ritual, my mother did not like the outcome. When I was born, I was healthier than any other baby, the most obese to be more specific. Being the largest and happiest kid, I was awarded the Top Ten Healthiest Baby Competition in all of Taipei, and along with the inscribed plaque, months and months of free milk. My brother’s future still bothered my mother even after I was born. Coincidentally, my aunt came back from The United States to tell her family and relatives that she will be starting a new life in the great U.S.A. The solution for my brother’s superstitious doom was at hand. Decisions were made and a year later, my brother and I were on a new adventure to America. My parents stayed behind to run their company. Being only three years old I never really questioned the absence of my parents, I lived each day as a free caring child reenacting scenes from my favorite movies at the time by drawing on the bottom of wooden chairs around the house. Perhaps, the subtle artistic influence came from a part of my mind so that any thoughts of my parents would be rejected my images of my favored movies to prevent any emotional outbursts. Whatever it is, the urge to “doodle” became stronger. In school, I would draw dragons for my friends and make things out of origami because it took my mind off of everything other than the intricate lines of each dragon or folds of each flower I made.

My interest in art was only a hobby at the time, and it was still considered a hobby through most of my grade school career. In fact, I never considered studying art until I enrolled the only university that sent me to a regional campus (I have no idea what invoked me to make that decision at the time but I am grateful for it), and took Art 205 Beginning Drawing. I find it quite humorous that this three hour studio class, which the majority of students whined and moaned about, was the very spark of influence that allowed me to decide on my major.

Obviously this statement is far from the allotted format but I am going to continue anyway. I think it is safe to say the question of why I am applying to this particular emphasis is rather silly. It is really just the next step to complete our collegiate degree. An artist rarely sticks with only the emphasis he/she is studying in, and I am not going to sweeten up this whole paragraph about how enthralled I am with this specific emphasis and the class they offer, because even though that is true, I am interested in all forms of art, minus photography (I do not enjoy the process photography but I do enjoy the results). If I had a choice, I would apply and study in all emphasis offered in The Ohio State University, but sadly that is not possible.

As far as my strengths and challenges go, I have no strengths. That is why I am studying fine arts; to strengthen what I lack artistically. The most painstaking challenge is the time constraint placed around my neck. I find it extremely hard to create anything worthwhile with the time given by each professor. It is not their fault, but only the fault of our quarterly school system. It chokes me every time knowing that I have to finish complete a brilliant idea in just two weeks. I can also talk about how I struggle with ideas, form, shape, color, material, etc. But there is nothing new there. Who doesn’t struggle with the basics of art?

Brent's statement

Art for me does not come particularly easy, it is a struggle, but it is a desire from within me and is something that challenges me on many levels. A question was asked to me: “Will you continue to produce art when projects are no long assigned to you in class?” This rightly challenged my thinking about how I tended to separate my art from the rest of my life. I did not even realize it, but at the time I didn’t truly see myself as an artist, but instead as a student trying to produce art for a grade. Reflecting on my years here at OSU, I have learned to look beyond the grades; art isn’t about the grade or how well I did in class compared to others. My art is an extension of me. Art is my life. And I look forward to continue producing art no matter where I go in life.

Anita's statement

Thinking back when I was young, I was fully of creativity in all forms of art. I drew cartoon characters, made a car out of a cardboard box, threw a blanket on me and acted like superman, made origami, ect. I'm sure most kids went through this phase, but as of right now I would still do all those things. I make art because it's full of limitless creativity. I don't think art can really be defined or judged. Everyone is unique, and so is their idea of art. Art is a visual expression that sometimes cannot be describes with words. That is how I feel art should be approached. I find most of my interest in video art because it really messes with reality and it has the ability to manipulate the impossible to possible. I am fascinated how experimental video art can be, and I want to continue to explore the abilities it holds. With my art, I want to achieve something memorable. I want to "wow" people and give them something completely new to look at. I'm not sure where my true passion for video resides in though, because I have interests in doing something like music videos, but on the other hand, I want to create something that sends a strong message artistically like a featured film. All I know, is that I put all my feelings and effort into any art project because it's a part of me. I want to share what I visualize with the world.

Jeanette's statement

Why art? ART has always been something intimidating but fascinating to me. Not because it is difficult, but because it has no central point of view. Every person has a differing view of what ART is. It can be difficult to look at another person’s work and think it strange or useless, and it is so intimidating because you never know whose point of view is “the right one.” It is that intimidation however that makes creating a new work so fascinating; to chance your point of view and be able to express the thoughts and ideas you possess in the way you choose, whether “right” or “wrong.” Why art? Because it is through art that I am able to step outside of the expectations of others and create a method of exposing any and every aspect of myself, from my point of view. That is why art.

David's statement

I make art because there is always an aspect of humanity that interests me. This aspect is normally a contradiction and my goal is not just expose a contradiction, but to explore and hopefully grow from the realizations that arise. It’s important to me to maintain the aspect of moving image art that creates a strong experience that is unlike any other art medium. It’s not my intention to change the world with my art, but I would like people to ask questions when viewing it and then arrive at a reasonable conclusion. After all, if I get people thinking, then my art is a success.

Brittni's statement

Art to me is not something that can be defined easily, because it is everywhere and has different meanings to everyone. But to be an individual and make art that is different from everything else we have seen, you have to be willing to take a risk. This is what I want to include in all of my art. I want it to be a topic of discussion, I want people to have good and bad things to say about it, because the more controversial something is the more someone will want to talk about it. Therefore, the more that someone talks about it the more they think about it and are able to form a better analysis of what that artist was trying to say or not say.

I also feel as if people have forgotten the small things in life, and I want to emphasis those small things to show how much fun they can be. Through the internet and television people just forget how much fun things can be without all the materials, and I feel as if it is important to remind others about simple times because it makes them value things more. This is how art can be different to me, if it emphasizes something small to make it more apparent to those who have forgotten about its importance.