For my capstone project I am demonstrating an appreciation for writers who have created varying expressions of despair. Each work of art depicts an author and quote by that author, created in chronological order: Albert Camus, Sylvia Plath, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Jean Paul Sartre, Hunter S. Thompson, Virginia Woolf and Charles Bukowski.

Images of authors as well as quotes by these authors are paired with muted color, composition and typestyle. Each work of art is created with oil paint and stencils. Color and texture is addressed in the use of oil paint and the application of oil paint with a palette knife. I use the text not only to convey the message of despair, but also to provide a way for breaking up the space of the background. My biggest challenge was working with text. I wanted the placement to be compositionally pleasing and effective. I responded to this challenge by creating thumbnails, trying a variety of techniques, and calculating measurements. I tested many techniques and configurations to find the right balance.

I am intrigued by the dark and daunting aspects of the human psyche. In a sense, I have created an homage to these authors as well as the works written by these authors. I have read novels and poems by all of them. To tie in with that, I also studied many visual artists, such as painter, Thomas Chimes; the muralists duo Etam Cru; and artists Sean Landers and Christoper Wool. These artistic influences are evident in the way that I have created monochromatic paintings, as well as the use of stencils and outlined letters.

After this initial start, my goal is to work bigger and bolder. Painting is my strength; it allows me to indulge my preference for rendering figurative subjects with color and shape, rather than taking a photo-realistic approach. My goal is to overcome my tendency to be somewhat limited in my technique. In other words, I need to take more risks. I believe there is room for development in all my skills in order for me to become a better artist. While this is the end of a chapter, it is also the beginning for me to go in different directions in developing my personal voice. For example, I want to be able to paint messages on large buildings for the general public to see. I want to reveal what many people mask.