Artist Statement

Sometimes our faces are not truthful to what we are feeling. They can become a façade that we hide behind, suggesting we are fine when we are not, or hiding positive emotions we are afraid of sharing with others. Using the medium of drawing, my capstone attempts to go beyond the face as a façade.

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I first chose close friends and family as models for reflecting on my emotions and how they can be seen in the faces of people who have shaped me and from whom I have not hidden my feelings. I then created large-scale self-portraits drawn in black and white charcoal that explore not only the emotions that compose who I am, but are attempts to go beyond the face as a façade to reveal a deeper sense of self.