Final - Envision

My self-reflection piece is in form of a painting inspired by multiple works that I have had the opportunity to view during the year titled Envision. From Shinique Smith at the Newark Museum to Hilma af Klint at the Guggenheim, I have gathered inspiration from various artist to create this piece. Everything has a purpose; the placement of the rocks in the swirl, the sponged background, and the defined boarder. The peacock blue figures are symbols representing the broad ideas in my life including spirituality, perceived identity, and future goals.

Envision is supposed to give insight into my process of thinking and my belief system. None of the small things that make me, me, would be possible without theses foundational platforms. I chose to express myself through painting because I encourage viewers to develop their own ideas and thoughts about the piece and connect it to their own lives and through canvased art, it is the easiest way to do it.

It was not until after I finished the piece that I realized how spiritual I actually was. I figured that because I don’t identify with any religion, I cannot define my spirituality. The reality is, I am a product of multiple beliefs and take aspects from several religions and belief systems and incorporate the sections I believe work into my life. From the string theory, to law of attraction, to Buddist beliefs, I have added small portions of these ideologies into my work. The swirl in the middle of the piece is my representation of the law of attraction. Inspired by The Power of Tens video and Hilma af Klint, the “V” encompassing the swirl lets me think about my identity on a micro and macro level. The 5 is a personal statement referring to my ancestry. I have always identified as Irish and Italian, but I am 5^th generation American. The triangle figure has dual meaning, reminding me that we are all connected, as Judith Howard describes, as living organisms. I also wanted to highlight my interest in science and thinking about how we are all atomically connected. The three-tiered object was inspired by Shinique Smith’s piece in the Newark museum, Little Glutton. I have Buddah’s all over my room to remind me of my final goal of enlightenment through balance and positive thinking.  The Taurus is my horoscope sign and I chose to add it because it makes me feel connected to a greater community, my star sisters and brothers.

I have never created something like this before but I would love to do a second piece that primarily focuses on the finite qualites of myself.