Marks

Artist Statement The theme executed in this piece is “Body Positivity”. By this I mean lifting others up by showing that there is nothing wrong with being happy about the way that they look, despite their perceived flaws. This is accomplished by capturing something traditionally seen as “bad” or “ugly” by societal standards, in this case, stretch marks, and combining it with the use of calming colors and relaxed body language that leave the viewer with a pleasant feeling. By minimizing the stretch marks in this piece, they are made less significant, and therefore unimportant, thus further propelling the idea of accepting one’s own flaws and the flaws of others. Photography and oil paints were used to accomplish this work. The photography was used for the initial reference images by posing the model, and being sure to capture something that would traditionally be seen as an imperfection or unfavorable feature. The image was then cropped in a way that made the subject ambiguous, allowing viewers to place either themselves or someone they know into the position of the figure. This, combined with the ambiguous background, allows viewers to connect more with the image and reflect. The artistic inspiration for this piece, and the series that came after, was Jenny Saville. Her use of simple backgrounds that force one to engage with the subject, her use of color, and her willingness to have a visual discussion, even if it was a difficult one, were what prompted the creation of the work