My oil paintings, glass works, and mixed media are abstract meditations on familial relationships and their boundaries. The interaction between colors and layers of pigment reference human interaction. I apply veils of colors, which obscure, alter, or blend into previous layers of color. These layers metaphorically reference how family relationships affect the person we are and influence who we become. I approach my oil paintings serially and often refer to them as sisters or a family. I often work on two or more canvases at a time allowing each painting to share palettes and a similar language of shapes. When I work this way, it allows me to explore different responses to an experience. The interaction of the paint embodies struggle, and new shapes and shades of color emerge as the boundaries of painted areas are dissolved or declared. I also layer color and pigment in my glass paintings. Here, I place finely ground colored glass onto clear glass sheets, then fire it, rework it, and fire it again. Reworking the glass allows me to build a history of layers, which I relate to the way that a person carries around a history of experiences. Lastly, in my prints, I use multiple stencils to apply layers of ink to conceal or reveal the history of the work and reference the ever-changing nature of relationships. This dance of emergence and disappearance of color relates to the forced kinship of family and calls to mind the levels in relationships we build with people, consciously or not.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:vcu.edu/oai:scholarscompass.vcu.edu:etd-4225 |
| Date | 05 December 2013 |
| Creators | Leake, Lauren |
| Publisher | VCU Scholars Compass |
| Source Sets | Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | © The Author |
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