In this body of work, I hope to introduce my audience to my experiences living in the Hudson Valley. Many artists that I draw significant inspiration from, such as Winslow Homer, have frequently conveyed their surroundings and their life experiences to the viewer through their artwork. In the case of Homer, he has demonstrated his life experiences in New England through various observational oil paintings of the ocean as well as realist paintings reflecting his travels during the Reconstruction era in the American South. In my body of work, my experiences are predominantly reflected through portraits of animals or landscapes as opposed to people. Growing up, I formed many close bonds with animals rather than people that had a profound impact on me, and I want to convey this particular aspect to my viewers through portraits of the various animals I’ve encountered in my life.

Aside from Homer, additional artists that have had a substantial impact upon my art making processes include Georges Seurat, Henri Matisse, and Paul Cezanne. As Homer’s work mainly influenced my choice of subject matter, the latter three all influenced my art work in terms of palette choice and technical skill. Similar to Seurat and Matisse, my pieces displayed within my body of work tend to utilize vivid colors while painting natural scenes, particularly within the painting of my dog and the orandas in the pond. Cezanne’s influence is primarily seen within my usage of large, blocky brush strokes as opposed to using smaller, flowing strokes as seen in many other Impressionist works. I have been exposed to many of these artists in a similar way to being exposed to the subject matter of my works -- through exploration of my surroundings and curiosity. I’ve purposefully sought out these artists and explored their respective body of works further as I’ve intentionally sought out the subject matter in my own works.

In terms of techniques and materials that are present throughout my body of work, many of my pieces use gouache or watercolor on canvas. My interest in gouache developed over the course of the past two years, and I’ve taken inspiration from folk art in doing so, as gouache in a common medium used in indigenous and folk art. This contributes to the importance of my paintings as my interest in gouache reflected in my work demonstrates a development in my technical skill as well as a cultural significance.

Concerning the specific pieces I chose for the exhibition, I chose the works that I believe demonstrate the development of my technical skill the best as well as the pieces that formed the most cohesive body of work. Throughout the course, I had branched off and explored art nouveau through Mucha’s work and developed my technical skill in other realms by experimenting with beading and polymer clay, but these pieces did not necessarily fit as well into my vision for the exhibition.