Sarah Pardo

Computer Science major, Studio Art minor

The three pieces I have chosen for the senior show explore personal experiences of tenderness within love: tender as gentle or soft and tender as sensitive or vulnerable. I am informed by the essays "The Grain of the Voice" by Roland Barthes, "Haptic visuality: Touching with the eyes" by Laura Marks, and the book Ways of Seeing by John Berger. These writings inspired me to make art in a way that would disrupt the conventions of viewing art in a museum. I have attempted to construct intimacy between my art and the viewer through choice of medium, composition, and subject matter. The process of creating these pieces helped me strengthen my relationships between thinking, drawing, and seeing. I hope my audience will be open to holding the tension between safety and exposure within loving relationships while viewing my work.

Long Distance

pencil, charcoal, and graphite powder on paper; medium density fiberboard; wood; water-based paint; plush polyester blankets; and found armchairs

Jewett Sculpture Court

Charcoal and graphite on paper to mimic rumpled cloth. The low contrast drawing works in conjunction with the fuzzy gray blankets and cozy armchairs to create an atmosphere that feels safe and intimate. This intimacy is interrupted by the physical barrier between the two drawings; two viewers may experience the same physical elements of the artwork at the same time, but cannot see each other.

Getting ready for bed

pencil on paper

Jewett Sculpture Court

This double portrait depicts a tender moment between my sweetheart and me. Pencil is applied heavily in some areas and not at all in others to simulate bright bathroom lighting. The viewer sees through the eyes of the male figure, but is also granted a slightly wider and sharper periphery field than the human eye would allow, making it possible to oscillate between his perspective and an outsider perspective.

Self Portrait

handbound artist book: charcoal, graphite, and colored pencil on tracing paper; Kitakata paper; and Rives paper

Jewett Sculpture Court

This unbound book must be viewed horizontally on a flat surface or held in the viewer's lap, rather than displayed vertically on a wall, enforcing a closeness that enhances the haptic quality of the drawings. Some drawings are so close and cropped that it is not immediately obvious which of my body parts are depicted, others are layered with transparent paper to play with negative space, while still others depict the same body parts side by side, augmented by muscular flexion and relaxation.

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