Drawing I

Drawing I (ARTS 1010) presents a strong introduction to the basic concepts of drawing. It is designed for both experienced art students who want to develop portfolios for transfer and for non-art majors who have little or no previous experience in art and want to develop their drawing skills and an understanding of aesthetics.

Abigail Link, Art is the highest form of hope, charcoal on paper

“Art is the highest form of hope”

by Abigail Link

This quote, by artist Gerhard Richter, especially inspired me this semester of remote learning as a Fine Arts major. Being stuck at home, it feels like it’s so hard to make a difference. But really, I’ve seen this time make a huge difference for me, for my family, and for the different communities we are part of, and I’ve seen art play a role in that.

To me, art is the ability to create or communicate something beautiful, whether it’s with paper and pencil, by turning clay into a statue, transforming a note into a song, or bringing beauty out of a place of hurt. Just choosing hope is an art, especially in times like these where COVID-19 brings out so many fears for the future! But what is hope? Hope is looking forward to something not realized, something tangible in expectation, but not in reality. To take that expectation and express it by creating beauty in any form, in any situation, truly is the highest form of hope! It’s looking to the future and choosing to see and express its potential, bringing it to the attention of everyone around you.

The Quick Fix

by Victoria Messier

My goal with this piece was to display the craving for an addiction, to convey the different types of addiction, to bring awareness to the disease, and to memorialize a family member lost to the battle with addiction. Just as a toddler craves candy, the same is for adults with substance abuse disorder. The craving is so intense that even if the person wants to quit, the craving consumes them and makes that option feel impossible. What some people may classify as guilty pleasures may actually be an addiction. It is so common, yet some addictions are more acceptable than others. Coffee, shopping, social media/ phone use tend to be a part of our everyday lives. However excess use isn't monitored and can also lead to other mental illnesses (i.e. eating disorders, anxiety, depression, etc.). I wanted to bring awareness to addiction because it exists in so many forms around us. Because it is all around us, I think more education is necessary for this topic. While people have preconceived notions on "addicts" they don't fully comprehend the chemical dependency the brain has adapted. I wanted to show that this reliance on a substance is not a choice, it is a disease that weighs heavily on a person to a point of no escape. The primary reason I made this piece was to honor my family member who passed away nearly 4 years ago from an overdose. Many people have lost a loved one or know of a person who has/ had struggled with addiction. I hope this is relatable to the viewer in some way, and if not, I hope it triggers an uncomfortable thought/ conversation on the reality of addiction. We need to begin to normalize this conversation because each year the number of overdose deaths increases, with last year (2020) being the highest ever.

Portrait of a Meal

Our work with sighting and measuring, the grid and texture was all completed during our virtual learning part of the semester. This culminated in an assignment documenting a meal they ate during their time in quarantine. The meal could be delicious or almost grotesque. Leading up to the completion of this assignment we discussed the history of the grid in art, as well as contemporary artists who employ the grid such as Chuck Close and Lee Price.

Amber Cary, Texture and Grid, Pastel on Paper

Michelle Phan, Texture and Grid, Pastel on Paper

Mental Illness: Creature of the Deep

by Abby Cambra

For my final assignment in Drawing 1, I originally had my heart set on doing a social commentary on something that touches all of us in one way or another. Mental illness is being reported in vast and increasing numbers, particularly in the past few years. I myself have struggled with mental illness rather consistently for the past decade. So, upon landing on a solid topic, I was faced with trying to depict something utterly faceless. Which is when I realized that the only way to accomplish this was to draw mental illness the only way I’ve ever been able to see it: in the mirror. Suddenly, my social commentary doubled as a self-portrait, so I sat down in front of the mirror to look mental illness in the proverbial eye. In my long-term journey with mental illness I’ve lost the ability to separate it from myself, it has been a part of me for so long. So, I wanted to try and show that. I wanted to depict the concept of becoming attached to what feels like the worst aspects of your being. Or realizing that you have become your own worst enemy. The only thing that I could try to compare it to is Stockholm Syndrome: caring for your captor. The line between captor and confidant getting blurry over time. And not understanding where your emotional state separates from your personal being. As I worked on this piece over the span of several weeks, it just kept getting deeper and deeper. The page was slowly filling with one double entendre after the other. I could write about every one of them and how they all connect but frankly it would just turn into a book. So, I’ll address the biggest of them all, the giant squid tentacle. For the longest time I’ve tried putting a myriad of different faces on my mental illness, and this particular version felt right for this drawing. I wanted to show how the monster can constrict and confuse its prey, even if it comes from the prey themselves. The creature in this drawing starts off wrapped around its prey, but it coils away, leaving just enough room to breathe as it wraps around the mirror and tinges the background of the reflection, filling it with a haze of thoughts. But mostly, I wanted to show that there can be comfort in routine and understanding one’s own mind, and how difficult it can be to break that cycle. Overall I got to know myself a bit better on this drawing and it’s my hope that maybe it will resonate with anyone who may need to be reminded that sometimes learning to live with your monsters is the best you can do, and that’s okay.