NON COMPOS MENTIS
not sane or of sound mind
11 x 9 x .5 inch wire bound sketchbook
|
|
Beautiful Knowledge
|
|
Plastic Flowers
|
|
Recovery
|
|
Enough
|
|
Work of Art
Form
|
|
Just Pretend
|
|
Rising Sons
|
|
Creeping Out
|
|
Breaking
|
|
Silence
|
|
Dripping into Tomorrow
Son
ARTIST STATEMENT + BIO
|
Much of my art focuses on mental health and the way society tiptoes around the stigma as an undesirable that should not be openly discussed and needs to be discreetly repaired. I think that it is very important to bring awareness to this heartbreaking issue and art is one of the most effectual ways to get people talking about struggles and eventual healing. I started my journey of collaging in the pandemic summer of 2020 when I locked myself in my room and used anything on hand to create photomontages in a therapeutic way to resolve my summertime frustration. I myself was feeling really low and tired, but with the art that I created, I felt as if I was putting my feelings on paper. Although through this cathartic process some of what I was creating didn't make sense to me I acknowledge it did come from my heart and my head realizing that it has subconscious meaning that I am still exploring and unpacking even today.
I really enjoy collaging because I have always been obsessed with colors. Combining and layering different materials into thought-provoking compositions is curative and can help distract from the mania of the COVID world we have been navigating this past year. It is fun to search for specific pieces of paper or images that I want to include. Reminiscent of a scavenger or treasure hunt where I feel victorious at the end when I find an element that fits well. The journey of collage is interesting because I always imagine something in my head, an end goal. But the process is somewhat intuitive and spontaneous so ultimately what is created may be very different from what I imagined yet it still carries the essence of my initial motivation. Conclusively no matter the outcome I am proud of my methodology and the finished product because it is an original object… inspiration transformed into art… by me. Although I've had my share of creative mishaps and days where I've ripped out many pages from the sketchbook that houses my series of artwork that didn't fit my vision… I am happy to be able to say that in the end my body of work has all fallen into place and I couldn't be more pleased with the crazy, textured, colorful collages that have revealed themselves to the world. |
Olivia Keiderling is a senior who enjoys painting, sculpting, and several other hands-on activities. Her series focuses on surreal collaging. Some things Olivia loves is listening to Indie music, watching period piece movies, learning about history, fashion, and looking at old pictures. Olivia has been accepted to Westfield state and she will be majoring in Criminal Justice.
Materials used in series: watercolor paint, paper, magazine clippings, acrylic paint, and puffy paint. |
