Michelle Lucic

Artist Statement: Religion is not just a cross or bible. For me, religion is the moments in my life where I have experienced a miracle or lesson, where my faith, hope, or positivity was challenged; and places where I find peace within myself as I go through the motions of life. With this thought in mind, the idea of finding the literal and metaphorical perspectives of religion within my life has further guided me in the process of creating my art portfolio. Overall, the portfolio represents the complexity of the connections to my life and God, and illustrates the thoughtfulness behind religion’s meaning.

The development of my thoughts is seen through sketches: a process of understanding how to better incorporate religion into both a literal and metaphorical (God and my hands: take on The Creation of Adam) form in my life. Experimentation is seen through My Temple because of the experimentation with de-collage: a new way to express the complexity of thought through tearing away what is given to me instead of adding to a blank page. An interesting twist is seen in my incorporation of landscapes and nature; nature connects us not only to significant aspects of our life, but also to spiritual concepts as proven over generations of research in astrology, alchemy, and more. My reason for showing these pieces is to prove that religion is not only about "God and me," but about every small aspect of the world around us.