Paintings
For my first piece of work in this collection, I wanted to create a surrealist landscape that takes viewers to a part of Schiedam in the Netherlands that I got to see this summer. On this large canvas, I created a piece of work from oil paints that feels like a dream landscape and calls for more attention to detail. The work uses bubble wrap imagery to act as a shield and place for security and safety, while the watering cans are surrounded by lush green abundance that symbolizes growth and development.
My thought process going into this piece was to use the dream that my boyfriend had told me about, where he wrapped me in bubble wrap to keep me safe, and images from my time spent in the Netherlands during a mission trip. This was my first time out of the country and I was feeling unsure about where I was, but I knew that I was surrounded by people who cared for me and I for them. We became somewhat like a family and I found that I felt safe there.
I was looking at the works of Salvador Dali and Katia Scotti, two very talented surrealist artists who use a very liquid movement through their pieces while presenting strong gradients and textures. I was inspired by Scotti to create the clouds and bubble wrap in ways that she would have done it, with realism and perspective. Whereas Dali uses beautiful gradients and objects in different places to create a movement through the piece.
This work was created with the mindset of being outside of the ordinary and forming a unique dream-like reality in which viewers find themselves considering where they are and what they need to find their safety in places they have never been. Just like I had found myself struggling with being so far away from home but finding comfort in the people around me.