The Little Things

My senior thesis for my BFA at Elon University. In this project I am asking how painting can divert attention from the overall composition and into the little details of the paint itself, and I’m looking at that by emphasizing and enlarging small sections of a painting. Drawing attention to the abstraction that makes up everything representational.
When I paint, I do it teetering on the line between representation and abstraction. My paintings are recognizable; there are forms and shapes that can be identified as specific things. But when you get close, the abstraction within the recognizable forms becomes clear. Chaotic and messy brushstrokes, built up over a canvas to somehow make something recognizable. Being able to see the marks of the brush, the evidence of the artist's hand. It’s like seeing the painting being created, the decisions that were made through each mark. It took a few diversions to bring me to what I’m interested in the most, the medium of paint. The little details in the medium are what I find fascinating about paintings, so those little things are what I’m going after and digging deeper into. That interest is what’s driven me throughout the last year as I’ve worked to try and fully flesh it out. As I’ve gone farther and farther, I’ve learned that this project has no clear end in sight. That might be the most exciting thing about it.

Installed in the 2026 Senior Thesis Exhibition at Gallery 406 at Elon University. May 8th- May 22nd.