Paul Pearce

Artist Statement: Restoration vs Warpath

Selena Allen

Studio Art Major, Expressive Arts Therapy Minor

Second Semester Senior

Digital Media / Diptych, 16x20 inch panels / 300 DPI

Instagram: @warrior.forlife

I have created these pieces, in response to the Paul Pearce exhibition at SUNY Oswego. Not too long ago, I started a storytelling class, unaware of what was going on in the world today. It can be extremely easy to lose yourself in the day to day, and become out of touch with the rest of the world. So the topic of this project opened my eyes again to what is taking place around me, in society today. All of a sudden, I was immersed and conscious again. I set out to bring awareness to the subject of war, as Paul Pearce, our visiting/returning artist has. I aim to tell the story or “what if”, with the notion of now vs then. These pieces touch on a subject my previous work never has; the political aspects I usually find myself avoiding. I didn’t know at the time that my art could help drive change forward and so that is my hope for these two pieces. I went into these works with an open mind and a small study I created. I chose to use digital media to create these pieces so that I could make them in a shorter amount of time due to some constraints, but also as a way to explore my capabilities in the medium. With a newfound interest in digital art, I started with drawings in procreate. I used colors that expressed the kind of tone I was going for and translated that into the next piece I made. My color palette for the pieces were oranges and blues with brighter tones in the left panel and darker in the right. I also noticed how some of Paul’s work used these colors, ones that I have been starting to fall in love with, so it just felt right at the time to create environments with these unusual colors. Warpath Panel: I wanted to depict war in a raw and destructive way by making chaotic brush strokes and sketched outlines. I played with the point of disconnect between community and soldier(s) within the piece. The soldier stands outside of the community, away from support, connection, and has to watch and take part in the chaos that ensues. Restoration Panel: I chose to make a depiction of a person, not necessarily a soldier, at home. Surrounded by support and community; safe in a peaceful place. I strongly believe that rebuilding a community starts at home or with people closest to you. With a healthy foundation, we can find it in ourselves to start the change. The world desperately needs that right now. With the help of peers and those around us, we can see to it that a better future awaits us and future generations.