Senior Art Exhibit

"Killing Cancer on the Days She Couldn't"

This 18 print series represents my attempt to seek control while helping a dear friend who was battling cancer. I wasn't a doctor, an oncologist, or a psychiatrist, but I was a printmaker. I took a piece of copper and through line etch, open bite, beating it with hammers and hatchets, and tearing off pieces with pliers, I was able to channel my anger and frustration in one direction and feel helpful in a situation where I was helpless. I felt like I was killing cancer when she didn't have the strength to. At each stage I printed the plate and then continued altering it. In the final stages I was working with multiple paper thin pieces of copper which were assembled and printed until it diminished into nothing.

"Still"

This piece represents the contradiction between the two meanings of the word 'still'.

still [stil]

1. remaining in place or at rest; motionless; stationary
2. free from turbulence or commotion; peaceful; tranquil; calm

3. in the future as in the past
4. even then; yet; nevertheless

At one point in my life I realized that if I allow certain people or habits to remain in my life, I will never find tranquility. (If it's still there, I can't be still.)

The color blue and the repetition represent the first definition while the decreasing saturation and the increasing damage to the circles represent the second definition.

These are intaglio prints on cotton which are sewn onto brass rings. Hand stitching then creates the look of deterioration.


"Still"

"Staged Strength"

This intaglio print (which consists of 6 layers printed on top of one another from the same plate) represents the stages that one goes through when they are faced with devastating news. Each layer is unique. They overlap and blend together, but no matter what stage you are experiencing, you must maintain a center of strength and courage in order to survive.

"Staged Strength" (detail)