BFA Thesis Exhibit

Chloe Strang

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Artist Statement


How do we cope? How do YOU cope? What are your personal rituals?
 
Born out of compacted trauma, forgotten emotions, allowing empathy to flood everywhere except one’s own mind, my work explores possibilities of working through and confronting the stressors of everyday life, past trauma, compartmentalized memories, and ignored emotions. What are the motions necessary to get yourself out of bed in the morning? How do you calm your mind to fall asleep? Through depicting common coping mechanisms, I investigate the point when an intentionally healthy coping mechanism becomes abused into an unhealthy one. There is a moment of indulgence that comes with allowing yourself to heal- but there comes a time when your indulgence becomes the thing that is hurting you.
 
Carefully constructed compositions based in realism create a springboard for my work and allow me to experiment with color, emotion, movement, and texture. Painting at a large scale creates an opportunity for the viewer to realize the large role these small rituals and self-satisfying tasks play in everyday life. By partially obscuring and sometimes blurring the faces of the figures, the works’ focus shifts from the figure to the physicality of the task while still maintaining the identity of the individual portrayed. In the series of screen prints, I have extracted common coping mechanisms and isolated the illustrations in a style that references contemporary advertising campaigns. By displaying them together, it becomes a game of “choose your favorite coping mechanism”.
A hand is resting on the windowsill of a car, holding a cigarette. This is reflected in the side mirror of that car. Inside the side mirror, we see a parking lot with three cars, a blue sky, and office buildings. Looking past the side mirror, we see a brown fence, orange bare tree, and green grass. Click to view A hand is resting on the windowsill of a car, holding a cigarette. This is reflected in the side mirror of that car. Inside the side mirror, we see a parking lot with three cars, a blue sky, and office buildings. Looking past the side mirror, we see a brown fence, orange bare tree, and green grass. Full-Screen

Hiding // Oil on canvas // 3.5 x 4.5 feet

A large bathroom with hexagon tiled floor. A woman is getting in the bathtub, she is pale and the colors of her skin are very saturated. Her face is obscured by her hair. She is clutching the sides of the iron clawfoot tub as she sinks herself in. More subtly, there are two ghostly figures of the same woman, also lounging in the bath. In the background, we see the bathroom, with golden towels handing on each wall and a window in the center. Click to view A large bathroom with hexagon tiled floor. A woman is getting in the bathtub, she is pale and the colors of her skin are very saturated. Her face is obscured by her hair. She is clutching the sides of the iron clawfoot tub as she sinks herself in. More subtly, there are two ghostly figures of the same woman, also lounging in the bath. In the background, we see the bathroom, with golden towels handing on each wall and a window in the center. Full-Screen

A little bit worse than it was, and not as good as it will be // Oil on canvas // 4.5 x 3.5 feet

A blue and orange stereo with a yellow background. A green margarita with a lime with a hot pink background. A pale yellow post-it note with an emerald green background. A vintage television, with a green screen, on a royal blue background. A metal shopping cart with red handles and a lavender background. A white to-go coffee cup with a black lid and a brown paper holder on a sky blue background. Two royal blue hand weights that are royal blue on a lime green background. A simple white pack of cigarettes, with orange filters, on a bright red background. An orange pill bottle, with three half white, half orange pills sitting on the ground next to it in addition to the cap of the pill bottle, on a dark purple background. Click to view A blue and orange stereo with a yellow background. A green margarita with a lime with a hot pink background. A pale yellow post-it note with an emerald green background. A vintage television, with a green screen, on a royal blue background. A metal shopping cart with red handles and a lavender background. A white to-go coffee cup with a black lid and a brown paper holder on a sky blue background. Two royal blue hand weights that are royal blue on a lime green background. A simple white pack of cigarettes, with orange filters, on a bright red background. An orange pill bottle, with three half white, half orange pills sitting on the ground next to it in addition to the cap of the pill bottle, on a dark purple background. Full-Screen

Pick your poison // Nine, three-layer screen prints on Arnhem. Editions of 12.// 14 x 14 inches each

A metal shopping cart with red handles and a lavender background. The image is square, printed on white paper with a deckled edge with a white boarder. Click to view A metal shopping cart with red handles and a lavender background. The image is square, printed on white paper with a deckled edge with a white boarder. Full-Screen

Detail of “Shopping Cart”  // Screen print on Arnhem // 14 x 14 inches

A man with blond hair and pale skin is drinking out of a pink cup while going down a slide that leads into a pool. There is green foliage behind him, and a bright blue sky with fluffy clouds. In the bottom of the painting we see some pool water and the pool liner. Click to view A man with blond hair and pale skin is drinking out of a pink cup while going down a slide that leads into a pool. There is green foliage behind him, and a bright blue sky with fluffy clouds. In the bottom of the painting we see some pool water and the pool liner. Full-Screen

untitled // Oil on canvas // 3 x 4 feet

Two square prints, each on white paper with a deckled edge with a white border. On the left, a stick of butter with blue writing and a dark blue background. On the right, a stick of butter with red writing and a pink background. Click to view Two square prints, each on white paper with a deckled edge with a white border. On the left, a stick of butter with blue writing and a dark blue background. On the right, a stick of butter with red writing and a pink background. Full-Screen

Salted/Unsalted // Screen print on Arnhem, Editions of 12 // 14 x 14 inches each

Large, colorful painting of a bar cart scene. All of the image is taken up by bright glass bottles of alcohol, and in the bottom right corner, we see hands pouring a drink from a shaker into a vintage glass. Click to view Large, colorful painting of a bar cart scene. All of the image is taken up by bright glass bottles of alcohol, and in the bottom right corner, we see hands pouring a drink from a shaker into a vintage glass. Full-Screen

Ritual // Oil on canvas // 3 x 4 feet

Three prints, all of a woman laying in bed looking at her phone. The prints are on white paper with a deckled edge and hand colored. The woman has pale skin and red hair, and is wearing a blue shirt. She rests on a red pillow. Click to view Three prints, all of a woman laying in bed looking at her phone. The prints are on white paper with a deckled edge and hand colored. The woman has pale skin and red hair, and is wearing a blue shirt. She rests on a red pillow. Full-Screen

Restless, Triptych // Hand-colored laser engraved woodcut prints on Arnhem // 19 x 19 inches each

A woman is laying and bed reaching into her bed side drawer full of sex toys. In her left hand, she looks at her phone, that is the only source of light in the painting. In her right hand, she is holding a hot pink vibrator. The bedside table is covered in seltzer cans. The bedding is white, and in the bottom left corner there is a blue fluffy blanket. On the floor next to the bed we see an overflowing garbage can and a pair of slippers. Click to view A woman is laying and bed reaching into her bed side drawer full of sex toys. In her left hand, she looks at her phone, that is the only source of light in the painting. In her right hand, she is holding a hot pink vibrator. The bedside table is covered in seltzer cans. The bedding is white, and in the bottom left corner there is a blue fluffy blanket. On the floor next to the bed we see an overflowing garbage can and a pair of slippers. Full-Screen

Isolation // Oil on canvas // 3 x 4 feet