Mirrored - Celeste Taheri

Celeste Taheri -

My body of work has the main intention of bringing about change and awareness to the fact that our Earth is slowly but surely deteriorating. The theme arrived out of the blue one day when I recalled a research paper I had done for math within the past year, which looked at how harmful wildfires are to forests. While it’s unexpected, this remembrance would be what inspired me to go on and create pieces that would follow a natural theme. By examining the multiple natural components that make up our planet, I am able to ensure viewers will acknowledge what they see with either an angered mentality or a hopeful heart - just any emotion that proves to be of use in our mission to save the Earth.

The usage of alcohol markers and watercolors proved to be most abundant in my exhibition. While both are reportedly less popular due to their complexity, I find myself to enjoy working with these materials more so than any other one. I often try to vary in my media, but I always go back to using watercolors and alcohol markers. For example, in River In The Sky I tried to focus on only using colored pencils but ended up resorting back to alcohol markers. Two artists that continuously inspire me immensely in my artistic journey are Claude Monet and Berthe Morisot. Their ability to capture the natural world in such an aesthetically enjoyable manner is what captures me the most. Oftentimes I refer back to their pieces so as to decide what my next move should be. I’ve also been inspired by the “We Don’t Have Time” campaign that aims to educate and inspire individuals into becoming a globally minded citizen.

The pieces I present to you today were carefully chosen for this exhibition. They are formatted in a way that starts off very pleasant and relaxing, and ends in a rather heartbreaking manner. As the viewer’s eyes move from the left to the right in a chronological order, they notice how this timeline presented to them only exists for a certain period of time. By the end, all that is left is a pained woman left with nothing and no one, as seen in My Mother, Nature. This is the ending that I hope we aren’t left with, and I hope with this exhibition we can make moves to change the outcome.

River In The Sky, 27.94 x 35.56 cm, colored pencil, sharpie and alcohol markers on mixed-media paper

This piece was inspired by the famous New Mexican sunsets. I knew I wanted to do something with the said topic and have a larger emphasis on the sky itself. This piece included a large variety of different media, more so than any other piece. While that proved to be somewhat of a challenge, I think the purpose of the piece can be acknowledged clearly by viewers. This piece is to appreciate the sky, for it is always with us, even when we can’t see it.

The Rainforest, 12 in. by 15 in., alcohol marker on mixed media paper

In The Rainforest, a rainforest is depicted with a fire burning in the center of it. The abundance of green and brown in the forest is consumed by the bright reds, oranges, and yellows coming from the fire in the center itself, symbolizing how the fire can easily overtake the large forest. By drawing the viewer’s attention to the center, one can reflect on what they are doing to better the Earth. The Rainforest stands as an art piece with the intention to both inform and inspire others.

Fulfilling Journey, 11 x 14 in., acrylic paint on canvas

Fulfilling Journey was the very first piece I created in this class. It depicts a scenic ocean view inspired by European lands. I used acrylic paint on a canvas to add texture to the piece. The aim of the piece was to try and capture details like Claude Monet, which I did so through both attention to detail and the varying consistency. The color palette ranges, but the overall calming sense and mood is visible in the artwork.

My Mother, Nature, watercolor and alcohol markers on watercolor paper, 27.94 x 35.56 cm

My Mother, Nature is the final piece in my exhibition. It was inspired by my own mother, who I consider as a very Earthly woman. This originally started off as a portrait of hers that turned out to be more devastating in the sense that it is clear that the woman in the painting is disappointed at what she sees. There is no longer an Earth behind her. All there is is darkness, a type of oblivion that comes with the lack of care we put out. The future holds the extinction of what our world is.

Jelly Jelly, ~28 cm x 37.5 cm, watercolor on paper

Jelly Jelly is perhaps the most relaxing piece of all of my pieces. This was my first watercolor piece, and the media was chosen due to the connection between preserving our oceans and watercolors. I was originally thinking of adding some trash in the background but ultimately decided to leave it as just the jellyfish. This isn’t more of an intense statement piece - it’s a reminder of how pretty our oceans are. This serves as a reminder to others to take a moment and appreciate all that is.