Capturing one\u27s Nature

This series of drawings builds up line, and focuses on a concept of reflecting on one’s roots to evoke an experience of nostalgia. Reflecting on those things that make up my own nature, one thing that illuminates my roots is the beautiful environment that surrounded me growing up in the Pacific Northwest. The artist Vince Low, who works with the buildup of scribbled line in order to create his composition, technically inspires this series of chaotic line drawings. I refer to his work throughout my process to apply his method of line use to my images. My portraits are taken from photographs I have captured of those who represent and remind me of all the sacrifices, the dedication and skills I have developed and I will soon rely on as I transition into the real world. By making this work, I have used my time to reflect on all of the things that influenced me, as a large chapter of my life is coming to an end, and that allows the art to be an outlet for my thoughts. I first wanted to capture these important aspects through photography. It began at the start of the year. I took pictures of my basketball team to document the people who I spent so much of my time with, bonding in order to create trust on and off the court. This team is filled with my best friends and because of that I focus on these subjects in order to represent all the sacrifices, skills, and dedication I have had over the fifteen years playing this sport. In photographing these girls, I was following the work of photographer Mary Ellen Mark, who documents her subjects using the foreground and background to surround her figures with the environment and assets that make up who that person was. In continuing through my process, I was not getting the maximum creative potential I was longing for. So I experimented with different material in order to print and hand layer text over the top of the images. Through this experimenting I was not pleased with how materials and how components were coming together, and I knew that I wanted to get more from my work. I started to recreate the photographs I had taken by drawing the figures, and I wanted to apply Mary Ellen Mark’s technique of combining backgrounds surrounding the figure with imagery of nature from my childhood in the Pacific Northwest. By free hanging these drawings and allowing the light to be captured from the windows of the gallery, the work conveys the nostalgic reflection that was gained through creating these images