Emma Crosby and Kalynda Santana/Honors in Art (Painting)

Honors in Art students Emma Crosby and Kalynda Santana present a joint exhibition in the Winfisky Gallery, April 28 through May 16. 

ADDITIONAL EXHIBITION EVENTS on APRIL 30

Artist Talk: 12:30-1:30 pm

Reception: 1:30-3 pm

Artist Statement: Emma Crosby

Exploration of the Absurd

My artistic process begins in the sketchbook, where I explore ideas and solve compositional challenges. Often, the sketchbook itself becomes a finished piece, capturing the essence of my visions, and I do not feel the need to create a

painting out of it.

However, for this exhibition, I've challenged myself to push beyond the initial sketch and delve deeper into the possibilities of paint. Realism has never been a focus within my art, rather what I can get my art to evoke or remind the viewer of. In acrylics I embrace the bold brushstrokes, expressive gestures and vibrant colors, meanwhile watercolors allow me to delve more into intricate detail. My personal preference for each medium leads to vastly different interpretations of the same idea.

My inspiration stems from the fantastical and the macabre, drawing upon mythology, poetry, and folklore. From rat kings to unicorns, pirates to clowns, my work reflects my own fascination with the absurd. I find enjoyment in capturing the movement and energy of animals and people, often focusing on organic forms rather than static objects. My aim is to evoke a sense of wonder and invite viewers to see the world through a new lens.

This show is a personal journey through my artistic process, a self-indulgent celebration of my love for all things strange. It's a chance for me to share my fascination with both the bizarre, strange and macabre, and hopefully inspire my audience to find appreciation for the world in areas they never thought to look before.

Artist Statement: Kalynda Santana 

Working Title Fe(male) Gaze

Contemporary media plays a powerful role in shaping societal norms and values. It often portrays women through the lens of the male gaze, emphasizing idealized beauty standards that can lead to body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem among women. This can influence a woman’s perception of her own body, leading to behaviors such as dieting, cosmetic procedures, or adopting specific fashion trends to fit these standards.

I would like to create a variety of depictions of the female figure, aspects of the feminine essence and experiences in order to explore the question: How does the perpetuation of the Male Gaze in media influence women's consumption patterns and self-perception? I have responded to this question through various artistic representations of personal and learned experiences of contemporary women. I am interested in using my artwork to express the intense and nearly overwhelming feelings of being a woman 2023-24 as the project is being created. Not just one feeling, word or woman can express the experience and because of this a culmination of many mediums feels appropriate to explore through the course of this project. I enjoy working with a variety of materials, anything that is available to me I may use to create my art. To begin the project I started by collecting things like shopping tags, receipts, disposable vapes, fast food sauce containers that would be assembled together within a series of different canvases or surfaces.