I have been fascinated with Death Personified since I was very young. From Reapers, to Gods, to Angels, cultures from around the world have been trying to rationalize death for thousands of years. I have decided to tap into those ideas and create artwork based off of Death Personified and explore the idea to its fullest.
Each piece has some tie to death, whether that is referencing a specific mythological figure or alluding to it with symbols of death, such as animals. I aim for these images to not be horrific, but instead peaceful, or sometimes even playful. Some people may find the lightheartedness of the images strange. Why would death be portrayed in such a manner? In a world where Death is portrayed as a looming darkness that brings fear and discomfort, we are trained to be afraid of what is inevitable. Everyone dies, and most people do not die violently.
I hope that with these images they bring some semblance of joy despite what may be seen as a grim inspiration. Death is an experience that everyone will go though, both directly and indirectly. Death Personified being a rationalization of that experience whom I wish to portray in my work.
Diana Ormanzhi is an oil painter, illustrator, and printmaker currently living and working in Sacramento, California. Her surrealistic artwork pushes realistic imagery beyond how it is perceived in daily life. Organic forms often clash against geometric elements, fairytale characters are placed in new settings, and science fiction comes to life through her illustrations.
"In Time" is about how social constructs limit freedom. I focused particularly on time because when I made this piece in high school, time was the construct that weighed the most on my life. In high school I was just trying to survive one week at a time and make it to the two days of freedom on the weekends. During my senior year when I made this, I wondered if the cycle of work and school would end or if the rest of my life would consist of a similar routine and overwhelming feeling of my life being wasted. Everyone told me, "Life gets better after high school," but I still question that.
My untitled piece is from a series of twelve pieces about what it means to be a woman and what's expected of us. Most of them are focused on how women should appear. This specific piece is a self-portrait and I'm shaving my body. People find ways to criticize every single part of a woman, including things as subtle as the hair under her arms and on her upper lip. What specifically motivated this series was a social media post in which people were criticizing female celebrities' armpit folds and how they looked too fat. We are often put under microscopes by others, which results in us looking at ourselves through the same lenses and attempting to fix every 'flaw.'
“A Memory from the No Borders Camp 2007 Mexicali/ Calexico”. It started as a collage of mostly paper trash I glued together with stuff in my kitchen (like my abuela used to). After looking at it for days and imagining what it could be, a memory from sharing food with Everybody’s Kitchen (EK) at the No Borders Camp projected onto my canvas of trash. Traveling with EK rarely did I know all the circumstances before arriving. As long as I had my sleeping bag, I was fine. So, I didn’t do my homework on the organization of the Camp. In fact, I didn’t even camp there. I stayed with the rest of the kitchen crew at a safe distance (rather than risk the border patrol confiscating the bus) and we delivered food daily. The makeshift radio station, first aid set up, art, and the good intentions were very inspiriting. It balanced the horror of learning about the suffering and the thousands of deaths the border causes. That's why white flags were flying throughout the camp, to represent the people who had died crossing the borderlands. This wasn’t like some parts where you can see through it and I wanted to see what the camp looked like on the Mexicali side. So one day, I climbed a ladder that was propped up against the wall, even though I hadn’t seen anyone use it before. Up I go, unaware that another person was climbing up on the MX. side. Once we both reached the top, we were perfectly synchronized. We couldn’t have timed it better if we tried. To my naive surprise, the man in front of me quickly went back down before I could say hi. Jaja! At the time, I was all like, “that was anticlimactic”. I envisioned us hugging or at least a little convo. Years later, I finally realized since we were heavily surveillanced by border patrol, waiting for any excuse to shut everything down (they probably thought we were smugglers), it was better that we not give them any reason to arrest us.
An encounter with surreal formats and anatomical fascination I strive to take my media to different levels of dark artistry. I'm heavily inspired by erotica art and the complexities of the human body, the human female sexual form that's so often repressed, disregarded, and penalized. I dissect my painting technique to understand the layers of creating the feminine portrait- Is female nudity inherently sexualized? Can nudity be objective without objectification? Is the objectification worse when it is myself perpetuating it?
Anastasia Golosna is a published & exhibiting digital and film photographer in the Sacramento region. She photographs a wide variety of categories including, wildlife, portraiture, fine art & commercial and product work. Her deep love for the Earth's wildlife/foliage resonates in her work as she often experiments with new and creative ways to make her audience approach nature as a work of art.
Antonia Tapia is a Sacramento Photographer. Her moon series was a photo documentation of every phase the moon went through from full moon to full moon on the month November-December of 2019. This project taught her a lot about the moon through her re-search such as phase names, how long the phases lasted, and it's relevance to the zodiac signs.
As and enthusiast of nature, I love to combine elements that I see around the world into art. I design these works from collage using references and my photography from exploring life. My mission is to get people to view life through a different lens, to stop and smell the roses, and to see every aspect of the world as a form of art. Mother nature provides us with this beautiful home and with the elements she provides, I create forms of art through her gifts. Combining these energies together is a therapeutic experience for me and I want to inspire others to do the same.
Ashley Tan was born and raised in Sacramento. She has loved art in all mediums her whole life, and has had some ceramic pieces featured in art shows across Sacramento. Her work aims to be lighthearted but can also carry deeper meanings when looked closely. She hopes to make people smile and think with her work.
Both of my pieces come from my theme of relationships. In Spiral (All the Way Down), I wished to capture the relationships between colours. By changing the pairing of a colour one can completely change the emotion connected to it. Blue is traditionally associated with sadness, but by switching the colours that surround it, it can convey a completely different emotion. In Spiral, I randomly paired different colours to show how important colour is in the expression of art.
In Shadow Survey, I again decided to explore relationships, specifically, dependency in relationships. The shadows depicted in the photographs are completely dependent on the light supplied. By changed the number of light sources and the angles of the light sources, the shadows transform. Without the light, the shadows cannot exist.
Caitlin Rose is an Art and Sociology student with plans to transfer to UC Berkeley in Fall 2021, and aspirations to become an art therapist. She focuses on oil paint, graphite, ink, and digital art.
Crystal graduated from ARC in 2019 and now is double majoring in Art and Computer Science at Sacramento State.
Eori Tokunaga is an emerging artist and illustrator whose work is heavily influenced by her background in social work and child development. She tries to make work that can be easily received by children and incorporate messages that are understood by adults to tell a story that is loved by all ages. Along her path of one day becoming a children’s book author and illustrator, she continues to tell stories in her artwork by focusing on color and its various meanings across different cultures.
Eve Fulford is an 18 year old artist and fashion model, mostly working in ceramics.
I am always exploring the edge of beauty and ugliness, or just simply the mundane. I find beauty in places people do not normally think as beautiful, like garbage, piles of junk, or just a pile of dirt. I try to reflect that edge in my work; yet I like making functional pottery. Pieces on the wheel that come out pretty and symmetrical, I alter to try and create imperfections. So whether my piece is a bowl, cup, or a vase, I hope people can look at it and question if they really like it or if they don't. I am very drawn to nature, the Japanese wabi sabi aesthetics, and earthy tones, as the things around us are not just brown, but so many shades of browns and greens.
I also like using all the senses. My work is meant to be lifted and touched, not just seen. The people who have joined me in appreciation of pottery were well in their twilight years. My work is always made with them in mind and so they are light.
I designed Winnie for a Character Design class in the 2019 Fall semester, and made her for our first assignment, the "Benevolent Ruler" archetype. Since our professor told us the ruler archetype could mean anything for our design process, I wanted to make a benevolent gang leader. Someone who looked intimidating, but also would give the best hugs. While looking for inspiration, I found a sketch from artist David Liu (@AngryangryD on Twitter) of his character, Ms. Pi, from January 2019 and it had a huge influence on the final product. She ended up being one of the characters that called to me the most throughout the semester, to the point where I would doodle her nonstop in my notes for other classes. I just couldn't stop thinking about her. And even though I haven't been able to plan out who she really is, I'd like to involve her in a personal project at some point in the future so I can explore her character further!
I draw on personal and family experiences for much of my art and enjoy stories in my work. Often I just make art for art’s sake. I attempt to maintain a sense of humor in all areas of life and occasionally like a humorous twist in a piece. Most recently, I have been exploring the human face and figure in my work.
I have been doing art for many years but only started taking art classes for the last decade. I’m still learning new stuff every day from my amazing teachers here at ARC.
I lived in outside of the US during some of the most formative parts of my life.
One picture represents my joy at coming home to see the beaches in California - reminding myself of where I came from while living in a foreign society that has strict definitions of who and what you are and struggling to integrate.
The second picture is that of my friend whom I met abroad - a part of another family I had to make from nothing. It represents the effort, struggle, and time that it takes to build something we do not all have but can cherish when we do.
Both represent two parts of who I am in two different times of my life. It gives me joy to know that they are a part of me.
I love vibrant colours and abstract shapes. Being able to twist and shape and splatter paint, is to me to allow my mind to let go without limitations.
I once heard it said “museums of art are our new churches." I believe this, because if there was a goddess of art, I would worship her. When people look at my art, I want them to experience a spiritual journey: a means of connection between past and present, gods and goddesses, ancestors, and deep reverence for all that is art. Furthermore, many of my pieces are meant to reflect feminist ideological themes that link to ideas of mythological wise women and matriarchal societies.
Janelle "Jaye" Kimzey is a student of art at California State University, Fullerton, after graduating from ARC with an AA in studio art. Her work is mostly in art new media, combining art and computer science in 3D media.
Jessica Blankenship is a photographer based in Northern California. She is currently working full time and attending American River college in pursuit of her bachelor's degree in Recreational Management. Her first experience with photography was at age 7. Her aunt handed her a basket of disposable cameras at her wedding and told Jessica that she was the wedding photographer. Fifteen years later, Jessica specializes in portraiture and nature photography.
My goal as an Artist Is to communicate through form and color, something of the essence I see in the person or subject before me, and try, in some small way to communicate the awe that I feel in the face of Beauty I see all around me and especially in the human form.
My name is Michael Gatz,
I am currently taking a facial expression and anatomy class at American River College. I want to create works that express emotion. I have submitted a digital portrait in black and white that represents Fear. I am working hard to learn the anatomy of the human figure and create full-body poses and expressions for each emotion (fear, anger, disgust, joy, sadness, and so on).
My second piece is a digital sculpture of a female character I created using Zbrush.
This piece is my attempt at creating a full body figure with correct anatomical proportions. It is also a study in pose and form.
I hope that my art will one day inspire others to pursue their passions and learn new things.
We're all in it together.
My work is simply an expression of various passions for different mediums of art and different objects I am exploring. I use art as a way to appreciate things that I consider to be beautiful parts of this world that we live in. I often paint flowers and scenery, for I consider them to be one of my favorite parts of living on Earth. I invite you to explore the beauty in simplicity and everyday scenery with me. Each project has brought me an immense amount of joy and experience and I'm excited to be able to share this with you.
My work over the last three years has been about exploring mediums, techniques and themes in two- and three-dimensional formats. While enjoying the broad academic opportunities at American River College (ACR), Sacramento, CA, I was able to complete an A.A. Degree in Art, May 2019. My coursework there provided a solid foundation for experimenting with mixed-media collage, assemblage and photomontage. Since my U. S. Army Retirement in 2017, I have been able to dedicate most of my time to creativity. As an artist and poet, I gravitate toward social, political and emotional themes and often with the goal of conveying a very specific or more universal message. I am inclined to leave room in the work for an audience to decide what the primary message might be relative to their own reservoir of experience.
In this submission for the ARC Student Juried Art Show, 2020, I have chosen to share Stars Behind Bars, a two-dimensional acrylic on Crescent Board with found objects and The Longing, a found objects assemblage. In these pieces I am conveying an appreciation for movement, rhythm, and pattern with emotional overtones.
The emotional reference in Stars Behind Bars is the ongoing crisis of females being caged, sold, or oppressed. We are often expected to appear “desirable” (or seductive) even when behind real or figurative “bars” of exploitation. Using organic (bare wood) framing along with black coated metal caging (in the foreground) was meant to capture both “natural” and “manufactured” elements. Being perceived as a “star” often depends on a female having both of these qualities.
The Longing was first inspired by finding the long, beautifully twisted, weather and water worn branch. I cut the branch into 3-inch lengths, drilled a whole through the center of each piece, and fed a metal rod up through the bottom side of each piece, held in place by a rubber “O” ring to preserve negative space between sections. I am attempting to express my own sense of loss and longing for siblings and biological parents as well as the deep grief for Army families whom I have served in my duty as their Casualty Assistance officer. Loss is a universal experience. The crow symbolizes “the stealer of souls”. The iron railroad spike represents a desire to ward-off negative energy and abandonment. The bulky and split, guard rail support block was chosen for its mass and texture while providing perfect stability for the vertical elements. The juxtaposition of rough yet fragile twine, keeping the wood base from further splitting apart, offers a humble strength, a respect for simplicity and aesthetic variants. The small songbird atop the additional rod indicates “a watcher”, and an element of gentle quiet.
My goal in these works, as well as other pieces I have created, is to offer observable yet interpretive social and emotional content along with unexpected aesthetic variants. I aim to make work that inspires social justice awareness, compassion and even a level of irritation that may compel positive action. Often, one work is given to support a local fund-raising initiative. Sometimes a work is deconstructed, reshaped, added to other up-cycled items and finds a new way to become culturally immediate or timeless. In these regards I find my artistic and poetic persona to be full of “random intentions, unstuck”.
Photography is a phenomenal activity that allows me to capture art existing naturally
Stephanie Sierra is a freelance photographer in Sacramento, California. She has been taking classes at ARC and has been working on different mediums. From portraits, to night photography, and experimenting with multiple lighting situations.
The first piece follows my facination with boats and my desire to get into one and float away at times - oars optional. I want a viking burial. My second piece draws on my love of surfboards, and usually their designs and colors. This black and white seemed rougher, sandy and tribal in design.
The pictures I draw capture the beauty of the faces.They clearly show human emotions.I want my portraits to be felt and almost close to life.I like to concentrate on the eyes mostly,because they are the window to our souls.People are beautiful in their different forms and that what motivates me to draw.
This [scholarship] piece was inspired by a gourd I found in my art class, while it was still in session. I decided to paint it on its side because it reminded me of a house you might see in a fairy tale or old story. The color of the piece was slightly exaggerated to add to this effect and make it overall a more playful piece
These ceramic works were created in an beginning ceramics class and served as my introduction to this medium. These works were both inspired by my heritage and family. One serves as an homage to my cultural background while the other is meant to highlight one of my favorite childhood memories. I addressed these themes mainly in the patterns and carvings within the pieces rather than the colors. Although, the gold in the teapot does hold some significance in the Japanese ideal of Kintsugi or Kintsukuroi, meaning golden repair. The significance being to show beauty in flaws and imperfections, I really resonated with this idea because I often put far too much pressure on myself to make a perfect piece of art. Ceramics has truly allowed me to let go of this ideal to be perfect and embrace imperfection. Many of the patterns seen throughout my pieces pay homage to the traditional art of my ancestors. Both of these pieces have allowed me to further explore my identity, as so many do in college and I hope to continue this exploration in my future work.
These photographs were inspired by a recent series I completed called Drifting into Stillness. I find calmness in the soft lines that are created through a slow moving shutter.
This is a sketch I did using charcoal and colored pencils. This piece is entitled " Her Voice Thunders" "Listen to HerStory" . This depicts an indigenous mother who is looking for her daughter who is being taken. As a native mother I have been deeply saddened by countless indigenous women being taken at disproportionate high rates. As a conduit of my sorrow and to bring awareness 'Her Voice Thunders' was created. This piece was used in a program called Listen to HerStory that included songs from All Voices Choral Project and a series of speakers. This project was brought to Sac City Campus co sponsored by the Indigenous Peoples Club and Native Resource Center at ARC. To view the project go to www.allvoiceschoralproject.org
This is the first of a digital portrait series I’ve started during the COVID-19 quarantine. In this series I am comparing people to plants, in a way to show the beauty of personal growth and development. This piece in particular is a self-portrait that I created as an act of self-appreciation for the progress I have made in trying to better the relationship I have with myself and in owning my happiness. In this piece, although the flowers in my hair are starting to bloom, my face is not yet full of petals, showing that while I am growing and learning and getting better, I still have more to work to do. These details are meant to show that bettering yourself takes time, but you should still appreciate and celebrate the progress you make along the way.
This painting is homage to Super Mario 64, I made it as a gift for my father.
Unflattering Portraits of Fascists' is a series dedicated to reframing how we think about fascists seeking to undermine democracy. Traditionally, complacent media tends to promote these figures through non-stop coverage--even if negative--and hides their crimes with euphemisms out of a false sense of civility. I want to shift that trend and explicitly name and shame these tiny, craven figures, depicting them as weak through both symbolism and visual technique. To this end, I utilize unflattering narrative elements, awkward colors, and inappropriate brush strokes and techniques.
Shania Mae Vargas is an American River College student who uses digital photography for self-expression through various concepts. When given the assignment called Decapitation, she used a variety of approaches to convey different emotions and stories. The first image, “Don’t Let Love Kill You,” portrays the idea of being young and free, while the second piece, “Be Scared,” conveys a threat for revenge. Lastly, “Sit Down,” shows the persona of being submissive when in love.