WSU ART+DESIGN EXHIBITION 20 20  

GRAPHITE Series | Artist Statements

Eva Arm, “Reflective”
In my “Reflective” drawing I was exploring shading glass, its curves and its reflections. In this drawing, there is a lot of reflections from the other pieces of glass on the table as well as reflections of its own self. There is this idea that we, as people, are a product of who and what is going on around us and glass is a good representation of that. Although, as you can see in the drawing, each piece of glass is different. In a way this reminds us that everyone is different in their own way. The drawing “Reflective” was also created with a lot of shading and erasing, and by accentuating the pieces of glass by contrasting it with the background. Doing this draws your eyes to the objects in focus. The drawing was also created using similar lines, mostly straight with curves, to give a fluidity to it, and to attract the viewer’s eyes to almost dance with the drawing. This was one of my favorite drawings because I cannot stop staring at it. For more than the reasons given, I am unsure why it draws me in so much. My belief is that some art have a sense of meaning before the artist makes it have a meaning, and often times art has different meanings to different people.

Kassandra Beattle, “In-between a Place”
This work of art can be viewed from many perspectives. Upon first starting this project my goal was to precisely create the shapes of glass. Although, later into the piece I realized how important and mesmerizing the dark lines of the tablecloth could be. At first, I was just trying to accurately portray the folds of the tablecloth, but they instead turned into a piece of art on their own. Our critique in class even brought comments on how it reminded other students of the melting clock painting by Salvador Dali. This piece is meaningful because it reminds me of how life can always be changing and taking you a different path kind of like the directional lines in my piece. Additionally, the dark background continues to suck the viewer back into the piece eventually leading them back to the lines. Life is never perfect; it never is a straight line. Life is all about how you conquer the bumps and curves in the road.

Max Booker, “Corner House”
In my “Corner House” drawing, I explored two-point perspective with inspiration from the coffee shop and pet store combo that is found in the LEGO aisle or LEGO store(s). I chose it so I could draw one without needing to step outside. I was also inspired by various animated shows that would display buildings that do have a two-point perspective and Minecraft because I made many houses. The corner home is a recreation of one of my old Minecraft houses complete with a patio, balcony, and backyard, albeit more modern. We discussed a bit about solar panels the other day; I figured it would be nice to have them on the roof. Above the roof are clouds that are going in a bit of a one-point perspective. On the land, I made a fence, a tree, a sidewalk, and some utility poles. I even made a garage door to tell the viewers it is present day. The house may look simple to make; it is how modern architecture turns out. Notice there are no people around; this drawing’s setting is set in the middle of a pandemic.

Kelly Bruce, “Castle in the Mist”
For the ideal landscape project, I explored a mix between one and two-point perspective (more on that later) through my drawing of a castle from the book I’m writing. This castle is essentially the home base in my story---kings, queens, knights, dragons, and travelers from our world all call the fortress home at one point. Rachel Everdale, the protagonist, dreamed up this castle (and the entire magical world) and wrote it down when she was a carefree little girl, so it reflects her adventurous childhood innocence. The castle is my ideal place because always makes me smile when I write about the feasts, fights, and festivities that take place within it. This drawing is a strange and wonderful mix between one and two-point perspective because there are at least two vanishing points: the actual horizon in the background and the middle part of the castle where the door is because it is sunken back into the fortress. The castle I used for reference has many complex shapes and angles which I tried my best to convey using shading (and trying reeeeally hard to go darker). In all I’m pretty pleased with my drawing because the castle is so important to me, and the end result really shows how far I’ve come in this class.

Samantha Chavez, “Abandoned Railroad”
In this drawing, I chose to draw in a one-point perspective. I liked the idea of something vanishing into one point. I chose this setting because it reminded me of an old childhood movie, Bridge to Terabithia, and I like the idea of abandoned places that nobody really knows about. Places that people like to go to as their “happy place” or just clear their mind or spend time with their friend and enjoy the peacefulness. I like going on hikes to places where nobody really knows. I chose not to add too much detail or anything in the background because I wanted to show that it was abandoned and in the middle of nowhere. Yet, I did not draw the tracks as old because I didn’t want this setting to be portrayed as a “trashed” railroad, just abandoned.

Aline Cortez, “Books”
This project was one the early drawings that I really enjoyed because of the shading and fine details. Three books are stacked, the top laying page down with the pages bended over a corner. When I draw, I tend to take a closer perspective rather than drawing the entirety of my viewpoint. The smooth shading and lines were important to create depth that the viewer’s eye can travel throughout. A simpler drawing, this project helped to practice lines and put emphasis on shapes. Overall, in art I find it to be a hobby of mine in which I can pleasantly enjoy anytime. By taking this class, I was able to improve my skills as an artist while also learning new ways to draw from either real life or imaginary.

Xzavier Dixon, “Duality”    
In my drawing “Duality”, I explored single-point perspective. In this drawing I had several different places in mind, such as the creek near where I grew up, the ocean near my first duty station while I was in the military, and the first place I visited when I left the military (Glacier National Park). I also had in mind the fact that happiness is an emotion that is elicited regardless of time, but twilight (dawn and/or dusk for those who do not know) is my most peaceful time. “Duality” was an interesting piece to make technique wise due to the amount of shading, linework, and contrast required to make it balance. It was a fun piece to draw and the perspective made it interesting. The reflection on the water was the most difficult portion of the work to draw due to the sunset and light reflections.

Itzel Guerrero, “243”
243 is a one-point perspective drawing of a view that I have found to be the most familiar over the last two years. This kind of one-point perspective is one that we see very often, but never from the eyes of another. 243 is a representation of what I see and feel at the end of a long day. Driving is one of the things that I find to be relaxing and it helps keep my mind at peace. This drawing has a softer look than some of my previous drawings, and it is one of the things that I enjoy about it. The softness of 243 is mainly focused on the blending of the lines, and to create the same atmosphere that I feel while driving down WA-243. I chose to align the drawing so that the right lane was center because I wanted to connect to the feeling of driving and returning home. The main focus of 243 was not the road but the sign that always guides me home.

Kyle Kopta, “Skee Ball”
The drawing Skee Ball is an exploration in one-point perspective and texture. In thinking about my “ideal landscape” for the purposes of this assignment, my first instinct was to translate what I love to photograph into a drawing. Arcades and the culture around them hold a lot of aesthetic and nostalgic value to me, and I wanted to convey that in this drawing of a skee ball game. Because the angles in a one-point perspective are decided for you to some degree, I was excited to spend more time experimenting with texture. In order to communicate the nostalgic feeling of an arcade, capturing the gritty texture of a well-used machine was important to me. With this drawing, I hope that the viewer is able to appreciate the overlooked design and geometry of the arcade.

Adam Lutes, “Still Life”
I have learned many things by taking this class, and although this was one of my first drawings, my first “Still life” drawing was my favorite. In this drawing I gained much more experience creating shadows and learning to have different uses of value in my art. I feel that this is seen in the shadows below the ruler, behind the small crate, also on the cassette tape. Out of all the projects I have worked on this semester, I believe I had spent the most time on this one trying to perfect it. Drawing all the straight lines for the box I found difficult because I was just beginning to learn the clock angle tool. Since the box was lined up at an angle, I continually had to erase and redraw the lines. I also spent a good amount of time deciding how I wanted to draw the background of the “Still life”. From where I was sitting I, the one light in class was shined toward me. This light I thought really brought out the salt and pepper colored tile which is one of the reasons why I decided to draw it. Since I was not (and am still not perfect) super experienced at using the clock angle tool, my tiles did not match 100% to give a 3-Dimensional look. However, looking at this drawing from a distance, I believe it was one of my stronger drawings. A lot of the challenges I faced on this project helped me to grow as an artist and I will be using some of this experience to continue making more art in the summer and the future. I am hoping that with additional free time coming up that I can make drawing another fun hobby of mine!

Sean McGaughey, “Twin Mustangs”
In this drawing “Twin Mustangs” I wanted to not only capture a scene that I found beautiful, but also a scene that had a lot of meaning to me. I chose to draw two nearly identical P-51 Mustang fighters soaring above the clouds. The P-51 is in my eye one of the most beautiful machines ever made, and when placed in a sea of clouds I find it magnificent. But, beyond the visual appeal these airplanes represent me and some of the choices that have gotten me where I am today. Firstly, I am a twin, and my twin and myself have went through life side by side. Secondly, the P-51 Mustang is what sparked my interest in engineering as a child leading me to where I am today. In this drawing I chose to make use of two-point linear perspective. This perspective helped give the drawing a more dramatic feel as it appears that the planes are coming out of the page towards the viewer. I also wanted to use two-point perspective in a way that was unusual and out of the ordinary.

Nancy Moran, “Calm”
This project required us to draw a landscape with some meaning behind it. I was inspired to name my piece “Calm” because just like everyone else, I have been going through some stressful times lately. Not only because of the global pandemic going on, but also with everything else such as school, work, etc. For those reasons I decided I wanted to draw something that looked peaceful and stress relieving to me. I tried to achieve that by maintaining my drawing simple with both darks, and lights, while still incorporating minor details, such as the weeds coming out of the train tracks and the utility poles. The train tracks are meant to represent a symbol of continuity, eventually reaching the mountains, representing peace or “the light at the end of the tunnel”. Meanwhile, the empty surroundings are meant to represent a stable calm environment.

Riley Santo, “A Stepping Stone”
This piece depicts a colder, darker beach of the Pacific Northwest. The Washington and Oregon beaches hold a great significance in my relationship with my partner. Our trips to the coast are among our best memories. The beach holds joyous memories of the past, a yearning in the present, and hope for the future. Within a sand dollar there are small teeth that look like doves; symbols of peace. Peaceful- an all too fitting description of the emotion that overcomes me on an early morning walk along the water looking for shells. Later, on the same sand that I walked, the ocean washed, and the sand dollar perched upon, I was proposed to. My piece “A Stepping Stone” is inspired by the above description of my favorite landscape, and my current relationship turmoil. The bleak simplicity of the shoreline as it enters the horizon represents an unknown future. And my sand dollar, a symbol of peace and love to me, a stepping stone into an unknown future.

Sierra Wagner, “Midday Falconry”
This piece is a graphite interpretation of an ideal place in my own mind. “Midday Falconry” is focusing on the calm in between the hard work of an abatement job. The rare times when you get to relax are the most important. This represents to me those rare calm times between all the hectic times in my own life. Perhaps others can also relate to having those singular calm bits of time between work or school. It is a happy place in your own mind when you get to rest. “Midday Falconry” also explores one- perspective drawing in the way the horizon line and vanishing point are put where the viewer is standing. This brings an illusion of being inside of the dome- shaped building next to all of the falconry items and the bird inside. You feel as if you are the one walking into the scene. This is very important to feel as the point is to feel inside of the drawing itself.

Meagan Wilson, “Mercurial Squall”
I quite enjoy architecture and I greatly admire all the talented people who excel at drawing it. When we were exploring two-point perspective, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to try my hand at some sort of rigid structure. I also wanted to take advantage of being able to adapt our favorite place to our particular imagination so I hoped to add some, perhaps, other worldly aspects to the piece. I love fantasy worlds that are easy going and immersive by that fact that they just seem like a lot of fun to live in—that’s what I was trying to capture. My favorite place (or at least one of them) is the Oregon Coast. I love the beach, and of course it’s fun to have a sunny day to play in the waves, but I prefer overcast and rainy days which is lucky for me because that’s definitely the norm there. And with an ocean storm there is need for a lighthouse which, going back to architecture, was a good chance for me to incorporate that element into this picture. Ultimately, I hope to portray a neat little world someone might want to step inside of with this piece.