Figurative Bust Sculptures

SOCIAL ISSUE: Addiction to Perfection  

Blinded

Air dried clay, pink satin cloth, acrylic paint, ink, wood

5" x 7" x 4"

(in process)

Artist Statement

The first work I made discussing social commentary talks about the idea of women never being happy with what they look like, although they are already so beautiful. It is so common on TikTok or any other social media to compare yourself to other women and wonder why I do not look like them and just want to change your makeup, your hair, your body, anything to maybe feel a little more desirable. At least for me, I know I do not feel happy with where I am and social media feeds into this addiction to perfectionism. This is where the scale comes into play. The scale depicts digital text that reflects back to digital life like social media. The woman's hair is voluptuous and full of color because everyone is drawn to her beauty but she is blindfolded and looking down because she is too consumed with the number on the scale and changing how she looks. These sculptures depict the addiction to perfectionism. 

RESEARCH

https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-blog/2019/november/dis-like-how-social-media-feeds-into-perfectionism

This article discusses how perfectionism is created by social media and the addictiveness behind social media and how the two are interchangeable.

https://harmonyplace.com/blog/the-link-between-addiction-and-perfectionism/

This article discusses how perfectionism is an addictive feeling and how wanting to feel perfect adds to emotion like despair, shame, guilt, and emotions that addicts feel.

https://recovery.org/pro/articles/the-perils-of-perfection/

In this article it discusses how hearing “that was perfect” feels wonderful to hear. However, when you do not hear it, and do not get this appraisal this may feed the idea of the addiction and this creates an unhealthy habit.

SOCIAL ISSUE: Deforestation

The Graveyard

Air dried clay, ink, wood, metallic paint

18" x 8" x 42"

(in process)

Artist Statement

The second work I made delves into the social commentary of deforestation. The sculpture is decapitated as is every tree, making this artwork feel like a tree cemetery. Wood carvings are falling everywhere, making it feel messy and as if the construction is undone and the workers just left. Each tree stump depicts a tombstone. The piece of wood underneath is a metallic silver that is being uncovered, which shows that technology will soon be taking over the land that was once providing us oxygen, but will soon be metallic and polluting our airways. I decided to add shades of  browns to the decapitated sculpture to show that there were once trees apart from her, but not completely paint her because the gray emphasizes she is lifeless.

RESEARCH

https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation-and-forest-degradation

This article discusses how the forests play a major role into houses homes to animals, yet people are illegal logging and are playing a major role to our animals.

https://brilliantio.com/what-are-social-impacts-of-deforestation/

This article discusses that deforestation is a loss of trees, and plays a major role on the loss of food, water, shelter, and clothing for the whole world.

https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/deforestation-human-costs

This article discusses the future impacts that deforestation will have on us, like how much our medications may costs us in the future.