Artists
NHTI Visual Arts Capstone Showroom: Spring 2023
Represented
Exhibited
Click a name below to be directed to that artist's capstone.
Clara Bates
Emily Kanter
Clara Bates
Artist Statement
The Heartbreaking Simplicity of Everyday Things
Today there is an emphasis imposed upon the individual to aim for success within the constraints of a post-capitalist agenda. To succeed is to make the most money, to climb the corporate ladder, to be the fastest rat in the race (as long as you don't leave the maze). To play this game is to dismiss the simple and the ordinary, which often reveal the true beauty we experience in our daily lives.
Using watercolors and colored pencils, my goal is to capture the moments of my experience that are essential to the soul, discarded by the rubric of values imposed upon us by a cult of monetary profit. I take inspiration from Hayao Miyazaki's films, Van Gogh's night scenes, and the Ashcan School art movement, all of which observe the reality of life within the context of different time periods and cultures.
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Emily Kanter
Artist Statement
Kitchen Comforts
For my capstone project I used oil paint as my medium. Originally, I planned on using inspiration from Willem Kalf who was a Dutch oil painter from the 1600s. I was attracted to the detail and cleanliness of the Dutch realistic art style. However, when I started to paint, I found myself intuitively adjusting my painting technique to a more impressionistic style. While the style and technique changed, I continued to be inspired by the challenging subject matter of Dutch still life.
I drew technical inspiration from Vincent Van Gogh, and adopted some of his brighter colors, thicker paint texture, and noticeable brushstrokes. I improved my technique with the kinds of surfaces seen in Dutch still life – various foods, wood, metal/reflection, etc., and I refined the application of the paint like the Impressionists.
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