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Ash Mcintyre Art399 Portfolio, Ashlynn Eve Mcintyre

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Artist Statement

Ash Eve McIntyre

I create figural work exploring themes of object-human relationships in the context of childhood trauma and its aftermath. The works are made using a variety of media, including wood, ceramic, paint, and even found objects such as stuffed animals. The same craft techniques that are used to create comfort within domestic settings, I utilize to give care to the figures.

In the work, there is an emphasis on comfort and platonic love in my work. Stuffed animals are used in my sculptures to relate back to both domesticity and physical comfort. While the works represent …

Eve Sexton, Eve Sexton

Professional Practices (ART 399)

In my personal landscape art, there is a focus on nature, family and nostalgia. Combining those elements usually allows thoughts to percolate of times in life where people feel most akin with nature. I feel there is peacefulness in nature, as well as the fact that it is something that has been around for eons, provokes thoughts of mankind’s place and progression in the world. There is an order and a system that things just instinctively follow in nature, life and death is so common and unavoided. Things grow, they die back, they come up again when the time is …

Jonathan Wong Art 399 Portfolio, Jonathan Wong

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Jonathan Wong’s artistic journey revolves around the profound connection between emotion and expression, finding solace in the realms of illustration and film. This transformative medium serves as a vessel for encapsulating the nuances of personal mental health struggles, offering a timeless reflection of emotional states.

Central to Wong's creative exploration is a focus on mental health, exploring the complexities of the human psyche and societal influences. Through pieces like "Social Media Kills," Wong delves into the pervasive impact of technology on modern society, utilizing vivid imagery and symbolism to evoke a response from viewers. Color palettes, facial expressions, and spatial …

Beth Bailey Art399 Portfilio, Beth Bailey

Professional Practices (ART 399)

My photographic work documents the landscape and plants in rural Western Kentucky and Tennessee. Through botanical specimens, such as flowers, I show the beauty of this area. I contemplate the influence of humans and the transformation of previously untouched land. Through landscape photography, in color with black and white film and alternative processes, I seek natural places that provide a calm and stable feeling.

Exploring the relationships between objects, considering the lines they create or the interplay of soft shadows, reveals a play of rough and soft textures, accentuated by mid-tones—a shared element with the three chosen artists. Many of …

Jordan Harrell Art399 Portfolio, Jordan Harrell

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Life is an intricate tapestry of emotions, aspirations, and profound interactions. My artistic journey is dedicated to capturing the essence of these moments and offering viewers a glimpse into my unique perspective. Whether through the rich textures of oil painting or the raw expressiveness of ink and graphite, my aim is to transport viewers into immersive narratives that resonate deeply.

Drawing inspiration from masters like Vincent Van Gogh and Sarah Dean, I integrate vibrant colors and dynamic lines into my work. The swirling patterns reminiscent of Van Gogh's night skies and Dean's masterful equine portrayals serve as guiding influences, enriching …

Abigayle Cothran Art 399 Portfolio, Abigayle Cothran

Professional Practices (ART 399)

After my mother passed away, my interest in her old photos grew, and I became intrigued by changes throughout time. With everything in my own life changing so much, I began searching for consistencies in the photos. Through my grief, I needed there to be things that hadn’t changed and would not change. There had to be something that had remained unchanging. Anything that hadn’t been touched by time could be something that connected me to her. The people in the collection of photos stayed the same, but their appearances were ever changing. The rooms and the homes were always …

Hayley Runyon Art 399 Portfolio, Hayley Runyon

Professional Practices (ART 399)

I often think about the meanings behind my artwork. Why do I create what I create? I’ve realized more recently that the answer is simple. I make art about the things I love. More often than not it can be simplified to the people I love. They seem to be the subject of at least seventy-five percent of my artwork. Not to exclude those we think of as “Children”, or simply our pets. I also love to draw and paint nature scenery. Painting is the medium I mainly use. I use a wide arrange of acrylics, oils and watercolors. I …

Caitlyn Cooper - Art 399 Portfolio, Caitlyn Cooper

Professional Practices (ART 399)

My body of work combines Graphic Design and UI/UX design to investigate and problem solve how to make well-designed products that are interesting and accessible to the broader public. UI/UX work has allowed me to design with intention, finding purpose in my choices and making the experience easy to navigate for the end-user.

Accessibility is not an afterthought but a cornerstone of the creative process. Whether crafting a website, a mobile app, or a digital interface, each project must be approached with a deep understanding of its context, audience, and objectives, ensuring that every design choice aligns seamlessly with overarching …

Art 399, Jayson Coley

Professional Practices (ART 399)

In my exploration of abstract and portrait photography, I aim to transcend the confines of traditional visual representation, delving into the realm of the intangible and the unseen. Through a careful interplay of light, shadow, form, and color, I strive to capture the essence of emotions, concepts, and fleeting moments that elude direct description. Abstract photography allows me to break free from the constraints of literal interpretation, inviting viewers to embark on a journey of subjective interpretation and personal connection. By distilling the familiar into the unfamiliar, I create compositions that challenge preconceived notions and encourage a contemplative engagement with …

Kaylee Vanlue Art399 Portfolio, Kaylee Vanlue

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Serving as vessels through which one is able to navigate notions of identity, belonging, and passages of change, honoring intersections of cultural heritage alongside influence of the diasporic community, my work is established. Central to my body of work is exploration of lived experiences alongside the development of materials over time. Emphasizing the interactions of an item with the environment it has been placed in. How do these reactions of environment evolve into something relatable to lived experiences of humans, and how does it tie everyone together?

Consisting of ancestral impact, close at hand with modern comforts, an intertwine of …

Art 399 Portfolio, Virginia Walsh

Professional Practices (ART 399)

My work is deeply rooted in my upbringing and the environments I grew up surrounded by. Most of my inspiration comes from revisiting childhood memories and translating them into themes relevant to my adulthood, primarily through painting. The majority of my body of work consists of portraits, specifically those of people I love dearly and whose faces are most familiar to me. I am fascinated by the way light interacts with skin, how sunlight at a particular angle can allow the flesh to appear translucent, and the myriad of color within the shadows of the face.

I strive to tell …

Michael Ridenour 399 Art Portfolio, Michael Ridenour

Professional Practices (ART 399)

A plethora of my artwork is based on imaginary animals and their role in reality or fantasy. I utilize pencil and charcoal to add depth and feeling to the piece whether it is colored or monochromatic. To make the drawings, I first gather some ideas from creatures from mythology or the virtual landscape and add some features of my own design. This passion for capturing creatures, real or fictional, can utilize their unusual adaptations from a scientific point of view as a way to merge two of my interests. I have always been fascinated by animals, especially mythical ones or …

Amber Ryan Final Portfolio, Amber E. Ryan

Professional Practices (ART 399)

My personal journey and the lived experience of women in society inspire my work. I speak to my own experiences and thoughts as a woman. I force people into a place of discomfort, causing them to think deeply about how society speaks to women and what is taught to us from birth, leaving them with thoughts that linger long after they have walked away. This gives them a window into my intrusive thoughts, traumas, and emotions. The Tulip Field speaks to the manner in which society deals with the sex industry and sex workers today as opposed to how they …

Art399 Portfolio, Thomas Townsend Jr

Professional Practices (ART 399)

When I was young I wasn't much into art. I liked doing my owns thing and looking at cool images and colors that grabbed my attention, now really understanding that I actually liked art. The way I really knew how to communicate my feelings was to draw them out since I struggled verbally expressing them. I really didn't know exactly what I was doing but I was drawing or doing other creative ways to express the way I was feeling at the moment to others. Sometimes to this day I still do that but I'm at lot better at expressing …

Art399 Portfolio, Wesley Hammer

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Since a young age, my art has been a proper channel in which it allows me to express my own lived experiences by visually processing the thoughts and emotions that are made through everyday living. The process in which art is made deepens the understanding of oneself. Why I bring into existence art is why I exist. One of the most important influences to the creation of my works is the fact that I am transgender. The way in which I exist in the world as well as the relationships created are also influenced by this aspect. As I continue …

Jamie Myres Art399 Portfolio, Jamie Myres

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Jamie Myres Artist Statement

When I set out to create something, I have one main goal in mind: to make the creative process as fun as possible for everyone involved, at every step of the way. I use saturated colors, nostalgic imagery, clever concepts, and most importantly, humor to invoke a positive feeling in my audience. I want them to walk away with a memorable experience, so memorable they tell their friends and laugh together as a result of something I made. My practice is mainly based in graphic design and fiber objects, but is expanding to include other media …

Teresa Hill Art 399 Portfolio, Teresa Hill

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Aside from the aesthetics of cartoons and video games that I was attracted to in childhood; other influences that often guide where works would go are personal experiences, our connection with nature and others, the development of the imagination, and the human eye. The pieces made from that influence contain something tied back to others, whether it is the use of various warm/cool hues, the use of nature and flowers, colorful clothing on figures, or hands and legs being slightly longer than the rest of a figure’s proportions. Artists like Yayoi Kusama, Bonnie Seeman, and Hayao Miyazaki have also impacted …

Hope, Catrena Kovaloski

Professional Practices (ART 399)

The majority of my work is still very fresh and new. The pieces that get made are typically for college assignments presented in class, more specifically ceramic pieces. For most of my artwork I grab inspiration from my family and pets. I find the most joy in creating pieces through clay on the throwing wheel. The pieces that have been created are a variety of ceramic pieces such as mugs, jars, pitchers, as well as a two-foot cat shaped vase. It is very difficult for me to be able to sit down with a pencil and paper and be able …

Hannah Robards Art399 Portfolio, Hannah Robards

Professional Practices (ART 399)

I am primarily a ceramicist that creates sculptural work with terracotta clay. Additionally, fibers play a role in my art and I have been working towards combining these two in an interesting way. Ceramics as a whole interests me because it is a very tactile and malleable art form that has endless opportunities of what can be created with it. I am a person that thoroughly enjoys working with my hands and manipulating the material being used, so clay is an art medium that allows me to explore and experiment with my ideas. In terms of my artistic ideas, I …

Grant Hoffman Professional Practices Art399, Grant Hoffman

Professional Practices (ART 399)

As an artist, my design is heavily inspired by a lifelong passion for creativity and desire to effectively communicate with an audience. My work tends to lean into the realm of swiss design, characterized by simplistic layout and bold san-serif typography. The use of neutral tones and bold hierarchy contribute in building an effective but unique way of communication to the viewer. Oftentimes, my work conveys complex ideas that provoke the viewer to deeper understanding behind a seemingly superficial piece of work. I enjoy exploring the concepts of reliance on technology, false imitation and abstraction within a composition.

I find …

Art399 Portfolio, Laurie Snellen

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Since beginning my journey as an artist, my muse has been found in nature and environmentalism. Natural imagery and symbolism can be used to invoke a viewer's interest and curiosity. Mine focuses on invasive and native plant species as a lens for both environmental and social concerns. Through observation and extensive research my content and imagery take form in lithographs and screenprints.

Most recently, I explored the relationship between the biodiversity crisis and songbirds, focusing on rural areas and attitudes toward this issue. Using plant imagery that are integral parts of the issue combined with manufactured effects such as glitching …

Art 399 Portfolio, Alexus Devaul

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Seeing how humans pollute nature by leaving their trash behind has been an ongoing question. Why are humans contaminating our environment? As an artist, I am passionate about the environment and its preservation. Drawing and making art from found materials has always been a part of my life. When I was young, I would draw in the dirt or stack objects into structures; and in my first year of college, I realized the connection between my lingering question and my childhood art-making.

In my freshman year, I started to explore art-making from recycled materials. Since we live in a throw-away …

Kylie Conaway Art 399 Portfolio, Kylie Conaway

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Through my work I strive to create a sense of completeness and contentment. I make my art for others so that they can have something meaningful in this chaotic world. Ceramics is one of my main focuses because I enjoy the amount of control I feel when I throw something on a wheel. The tranquility and peacefulness I feel from it can't match anything else. In day to day life I am a very unorganized, scattered brain student; but as soon as I start working on ceramics or photography I can become the most serious person you have ever met. …

Cj Nance Art399 Portfolio, Cj Nance

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Mental illness and being transgender is not only my story to share, but others as well. My art is just one version of this life that thousands of people go through. Even if my art reaches just one person and makes them feel seen, then I know my art is doing something good, not just for me, but for others too. I enjoy depicting my journey with social transitioning in different ways, some may be beautiful, others might be gory or make others uncomfortable. I was once told by an art history professor that you want your art to make …

Art 399 Portfolio, Rebecca Curtis

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Growing up, I was surrounded by fantasy themes appearing in Dungeons and Dragons, figurines, and Amy Brown fairy school folders. As I grew, I doodled those fairies and copied beautiful women from magazines to improve my skills. It makes sense that after all of my experiences; including sexual abuse, divorce, coming out, and my son’s Autism diagnosis, that I made a metamorphosis from fairies to feelings. In my current work, I focus on mending the traumas of my past and celebrating the triumphs of my present.

Because my art helps me to cope and heal, many pieces are quite personal. …

Skyler Pointer Art 399 Portfolio, Skyler Pointer

Professional Practices (ART 399)

In my work, I lean towards the idea that my art could make people think about others around them. I was mainly inspired to do this by a video I was shown in high school that basically encouraged people to try and put themselves in other peoples’ shoes. I tend to lean towards a cartoony art style because I would like to go into the animation industry and I also like to give my art a comedic tone to it. As a graphic designer, I like to utilize all the tools that I have learned throughout college. In terms of …

Kay Yount Art399 Portfolio, Kay Yount, Kay Yount

Professional Practices (ART 399)

Eden is a show based around the concept of love. Love can be clean, messy, warm, cold, good, bad,it can be conditional or unrequited. Love is enigmatic— no one understands or experiences it exactly the same. I wanted to find a way to capture a part of this thing that I crave, something that is so close and yet so far out of reach. This exhibition is my way of giving to others my conception of Love in my own way.

Eden is a garden occupied by the two lovers, a cyclops and a blind prince. In secret, the two …

Molly Ramsey Art399 Portfolio, Molly Ramsey

Professional Practices (ART 399)

As I have grown as an artist and learned increasingly more difficult technical skills I have been able to continue to find what inspires me to create. My main focus as a medium has been split between metalsmithing and printmaking through the last few months of my academic career. I enjoy the contrast between what each material can convey to the viewing audience. The theme of my work specifically has been heavily focused on aquatic life, more specifically aquatic life that seems to be in a difficult situation. With much reflection I've come to the conclusion that in most situations …

Christine Cox Art399 Portfolio, Christine Cox

Professional Practices (ART 399)

I work with multiple medias to achieve the desired effect of the artwork; however, the majority of my pieces consist of charcoal, both loose and pencils. I find that my concepts are most accurately represented in muted, grayscale coloring with the occasional bold singular color to add juxtaposition. I regularly find myself pushing my scale of artwork and creating pieces that are largescale and often become 3D installations or experiences. The content of my artwork is most frequently surrealist depictions of myself or other human figures, distorted in a way that emphasizes how a mental struggle may manifest itself physically; …

Mahaila Pinchot-Rickman Portfolio, Mahaila Pinchot

Professional Practices (ART 399)

The work I create is experimental, and stylized. I like to use certain art making processes such as photography or ceramics to work through different events or emotions that are currently going on in my day to day activities.The concept of taking something common and turning it into tangible art is a topic I am passionate about and continuously exploring.

Images help document the ordinary moments that go on in life that oftentimes humans forget, unless they are photographed or revisited at another time. Throughout my work I am constantly finding myself dealing with the surface area of an object …