Drawing Across Disciplines @ OCAD University

Drawing Across Disciplines @ OCAD University First year drawings from Fall 2020

Drawing Across Disciplines is OCAD University Faculty of Art's first-year drawing experience. In the wake of COVID and other difficulties in the year 2020, this exhibition-site of our students' drawings stands as a testament to our collective will to educate ourselves and make the world a bit better, more beautiful by our re-making.

This year the course was taught by Luke Painter, David Griffin, JJ Lee, RICHard SMOLinski, Amy Swartz, Heather Frise, Spencer J. Harrison, Derek Liddington, and Erin Finley. Working to engage our first-year students with a wide range of materials and ideas, DAD faculty emphasize that drawing is a thinking practice with deep roots, surprisingly useful across disciplinary lines, not just as formative approaches to the work of Art and Design.

To draw is to build bridges between languages and cultures. Human beings have been working surfaces for tens of thousands of years, and while we can't know exactly what our ancestors were up to with their glyphs, notches, or pictures, we surely recognize ourselves and our preoccupations in their markings. DAD argues that in the primacy of drawing – scroll through this exhibition, for examples -- we are enabled to generate complexity from the simplest of means. Look at what we have done together this strange year, and read the thoughts of the artists about all that work! (David Griffin 2020)

Collaborative Video, Continental Drift, 1920p x 1080p. Individual artworks represented in the video: Theo Zgraggen, "eyeDENTITY", Sushi rice and nori, 7” x 16”; Deanna Gene, "Con you bring", Green onion pancake, 9”x12”; Jason Mendiola, "Role: Undertaking cultural identity", the artist, spring roll sheets, bacon, string , tape, Approx. 21” x 90”

The collaboration between Deanna Gene, Jason Mendiola and Theo Zgraggen was inspired by Kara Walker's work. This video is a performance piece recording our conversation of our experience with our Asian identities. As a result of this conversation, we made three individual artworks. Some of us felt we weren’t raised the same as other Asian families, assimilating to Canadian and western norms and not celebrating certain traditions. Some of us felt like we live a double life and not understanding where we fit in within both cultures. And some of us just honestly thought we were white for our whole lives. Syrus Marcus Ware summed it up the best by saying, “we all are living self-determined lives with a collective sense of community”. This work embodies our combined experience being mixed, Filipino, Japanese, and Chinese people. (Faculty: JJ Lee)

Memphis Lorch, Brunch Tableau ,Colored graphite, marker, and oil paint pen on paper, 7” x 7”

This piece is a light-hearted exploration into an aspect of non-verbal communication in queer culture, colloquially known as “gay sitting," which involves positions mainly focused on the placement of the legs that are usually dramatic or unusual for the situation. I wanted to represent some interpretations of that posing with very quick gestural lines, referencing quick or “secret” glances and shorthand body language, along with expressive elements that speak to the comfort in discomfort and the strange & fun physical sense of community present within this phenomenon. (Faculty: JJ Lee)

Fatima Faiyaz, Surveillance, Dry-wipe eraser on a desktop

I was very inspired by Do Ho Suh's Rubbing/Loving message in his art video; I loved the time he took to painstakingly go over each and every inch on his apartment. It takes a lot of patience and presence of mind, I think, to create that sort of art that is so detailed and at the same time so seemingly simplistic and minimalist. With my piece, I wanted to capture the drawing-on-everyday-items approach and also wanted to make the process my own, drawing eyes on all the wipeable surfaces and adding my own eye on the laptop screen staring straight at the viewer, to represent the feeling of being watched at all times and not having any privacy, not even within the confines of your own home. As a Pakistani Canadian Muslim, I felt much hostility directed at myself and my family after 9/11, and I felt all eyes were suddenly on me, watching and scrutinizing my every move. It was a deeply disturbing experience that permeated my day-to-day life and even made me feel unsafe in my own home sometimes. I wanted to portray that lived experience in this work. (Faculty: JJ Lee)

Artist: Kaleb Nguyen, Title:“Flying/FloatingAway”Medium:Charcoal,graphite pencil,sketching markerSize:12”x8”Response to:Bonnie Devine Reflection:This drawing is a visual response to the installation of“Woodlands”by Bonnie Devine. In her exhibition, she mapped the history of European colonialism on the Indigenous land of the Eastern Woodlands, using drawing as a method of exploring, highlighting, and exposing the truths and duality of that history. With my drawing, I wanted to explore and highlight the truths and dualities of the Vietnam War. I chose to draw about this subject matter to explore my Vietnamese historical background, which I have not had a deep knowledge of, particularly to reflect on the duality of the diaspora following the victory of North Vietnam over South Vietnam, where my family and others were privileged to be able to immigrate directly to Canada by plane, while hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese immigrants, called the “Vietnamese boat people” did not have that privilege and had to flee by boat, with many drowning at sea or being captured by pirates. The legacy of the Vietnam War is long lasting, with chemical weapons used, such as Agent Orange, resulting in birth defects and other health issues, as well as causing continuing environmental harm and destruction. Furthermore, the erosion of cultural heritage is a concern among many Vietnamese immigrants and their families to this day. I believe what did work about this piece was capturing the dual nature, grief, and erasure that came out of the Vietnam war. What didn’t work however was making it more evident that the subject matter relates to the Vietnam War versus other similar ones.

Artist: Nicole David, Title: Walker Medium:Oil paint on canvasSize:16 x 20 inchesBased on a response to:Kara WalkerI wanted to create an image that visually affirmed and challenged Kara Walker’s art practice. I thought an oil painting would enable me to talk about blackness and whiteness.Although this painting had many stops and starts, I knew I wanted to engage with the problematic narrative of 4these two ideas within an interior space, thus somehow manifesting a direct dialogue between the nature of shadows and projections.Walker’s relationship to her art gave me insight into my art practice, as it becomes a quest to communicate my presence within this historical moment we currently live in and bend it into a new visual language. In other words, my visual response is trying to pick up where Walker may have left off with oil painting, a pictorial investigation of our blackness and femaleness in a period where these identities become gestural concepts unto themselves.

Artist Siyi Xiao, Untitled - Based on Telling My Story. Digital Painting 1945 x 1846 Px. This is a painting about the relationship with my mom when I was a child.

Artist: Abrar Al Mouktaran This artwork I made for the final assignment is a visual response based on one of the module's artists, Kara Walker. Kara walker's work is fascinating and spoke to me,mostly how she uses her own history or own personal stories to create her art. Instead of cutting out the shape, I chose to cut out the white space in the background, leaving my figures' silhouette connected to the paper. Through this work, I want to focus on the idea of being ourselves no matter where we live and what kind of people or culture surrounds us. We should always be who we are, who we want to be. We shouldn't be trying to impress others or let others control the way we live. No one owns anyone. In her artwork, she talks about herself as a black female, so I wanted to do the same thing by talking about myself as a Muslim female. We both need things and lack others but deserve a better life. Better than what is given to us and what society chooses for us. I tried to represent my identity in my work and show the power I feel and the power I lack while being myself. The silhouettes show a gesture of 2 people holding hands, loving each other and doing what they want most. I liked creating a silhouette of 2 people instead of drawing them realistically because I am speaking about a general problem where many people feel the same as me, so I did not want to be specific and focus on myself only. Those two people are my boyfriend and me, not bothering anyone, not hurting anyone, just being ourselves and enjoying the moment. We were too scared that people might see us or that someone might see the picture and recognize us, so wetook a picture of our shadows, not ourselves. Two years ago, our culture had us lockedin a dark black circle just for having feelings and expressing them in the way we chose.Hurting our feelings and hiding under the name of Islam isn't what true believers should do. Islam forbids physical intimacy but doesn't allow interfering with others, judging them and hurting their feelings either. God is the one that judges, not everyone we see on the street, not our parents and absolutely not our friends. They think they are protecting and defending Islam when they do the opposite of making it seem like jail, where everything is a crime. What they do is a worse sin than ours. Our hearts are white and better than theirs. We want to see everyone happy; we want to fight for our rights and everyone else's rights. Unlike others who carry hate, spite, and revenge in their black hearts, we carry kindness, love and support in ours. The black hearts around the border supposedly represent that. I used an old sketch from my old sketchbook as a reference.

Rachel Zhuang,, A Tour to Suzhou, Medium: sand.Size: 600*450mm https://youtu.be/puuYYLqJUoA

This video of a continuously changing drawing in sand is a tour of my hometown Suzhou of impressive locations in my memory. The first image is an old street showing the typical architectural style of buildings there. The second image is a scene of Pingtan, a classical performance in Suzhou. The next image is a scene of rowing, as Suzhou is famous for its river. The final image is the Suzhou Museum, which is famous for its linear architectural style. The order of the scenes has significance: the video starts with the traditional architectural style and ends in a modern architecture to show the evolution of my hometown. (Faculty: JJ Lee)

Camilla Garcia, Promises, 7.5’x10.5’ ,Coloured pencils, White charcoal & thread

For this drawing I choose the prompt “Create a drawing that exists in 3–dimensions”. The gesture I chose was "pinky promises," so I drew two hands separately, rendered them using coloured pencils. I cut them bent at the bottom so that they could stand on their own and I used thread to wrap around their pinkies as a way of representing the saying that you cannot break pinky promises. (Faculty: JJ Lee)

Artist: Gabe King, This piece, inspired by artist Kent Monkman, is a depiction of a man who is in a very vulnerable, and feminine pose. I attempted to capture the feminine pose that is seen in skin care commercials that specifically target women. Using this pose, I painted myself in this pose,however, to shatter not only my own masculinity but of the general man, I did not draw facial features, as to not have this figure be recognizable/be relatable. The pink light on the ground is an attempt to use a “feminine” colour as a stage for this figure, providing more to the feminine equality. The background itself is dark colours to contrast the figure, which is the main highlight of the piece. This background is also an attempt to capture the lonely feeling of being a very“feminine” man, where I personally have no male friends and feel excluded from male groups.This piece was an attempt to show just how society’s view on masculinity and how it is applied to men can be easily and effortlessly broken by just a simple pose, and that it can isolate those that do not fit this stereotype.

Jana Dowidar, “I don't want to see you right now”, glasses, collage work

My grandma has quite the personality and is very out-spoken, when I was little I remember whenever she got mad at me or my siblings, she would take off her glasses and close her eyes and jokingly say "I don't want to see you right now!" As kids we thought it was hilarious, because we knew she couldn't see well without her glasses meaning she can't see us in quite the literal sense. It has been years since then, and whenever I see glasses that resemble grandma's I laugh to myself and remember the nice memory. I wanted to create an intervention that can accurately represent the light-hearted mood. (Faculty: JJ Lee)

Artist: Alyssa Virjee Title: we are only seen when you want us to be seen Size: 11’ x 20" Medium: Water colour and black India ink Statement: I wanted to show cultural appropriation on the runway. When designers take cultural styles from minorities and give it to others. People from minority groups are protesting in order to be safe from police, while more privileged individuals make money off their cultures and clothes. Minorities will often be told that fashion and food is weird and gross growing up, however as soon as it's put on the runway and done by someone who isn't us, it's seen as innovative and new. Not only will traditional outfits be depicted with no input from who they are appropriating from, but they often do it in a way that sexualizes and fetishizes the culture. It tells us that the designers and the consumers see minorities as props to use to promote themselves. We are only seen when you want us to be seen. (Faculty: HF)

Artist: Simon Backewich Title: The Wheel Painting Size: 6.5’ x 3’ Medium: Paint on concrete Statement:To make this drawing I started by covering the tire of the wheel in white paint. I would stand at the crack of cement and send it off. I followed it and grabbed it before it fell over, then I’d send it spinning in another direction. What attracted me to my alley was its availability and the fact that it is behind all these busy restaurants where mysterious substances are run over by cars, bikes and forklifts. The painting process contributed to the alley as another one of these strange marks that can be found on the concrete. It is like one big communal mark making process.(Faculty: HF)

Artist: Atiya Malik Title: Weather Size: 18”x 18” Medium: Coloured pencil on tinted Strathmore paper Statement: I wanted to depict weather through the human form. In my city, it is summer almost 8 months of the year. The air is hot and humid and I wanted to depict the embarrassment I feel when sweat rolls down my face. (Faculty:HF)

Artist: Sohyun Yoon Title: Untangling and Winding Size: 5” X 8” Medium: mixed media, Copic marker, pen and thread on tracing paper Statement: My drawing depicts that I am untangling the string--inherited values, nature and unsolved problems in the family.. I re-wind the string on my body and I have a knot on my little finger of the left hand. The knot is for the next generation. My grandparent's generation lived through the Korean War and my parent's lived through the dictatorship and the dictatorship's end. I feel that now my generation is the only one that can understand the upper generations. I have inherited my family's histories and I will carry them forward to the next generation. (Faculty:HF)

Artist: Caroline Simon Title: Which one of them deserves hygienic protection? Size: 59 cm x 42cm Medium: Spray paint on used plastic covering on paper Statement:This piece is composed of different red stains that come from a plastic tarpaulin I use while doing graffiti and painting. I decided to cut out the blood-like stains among the other stains and give them a common meaning. All the shape have an ovoid shape suggesting the form of (absent) hygienic protection bands or at least the form of female underwear. The stains vary in form and size to reflect the multiplicity of bodies bleeding during Menstruation period. It’s a saddening reality that a basic female necessity isn’t provided and that in the majority, it is made inaccessible through excessive prices and taxes. Through this piece, I denounce the lack of access to any kind of hygienic protection for a vast majority of young girls and adult women of less privileged countries. It’s unfair, sexist and exclusionary. (Faculty: HF)

Artist: Joshua Novales Masso Title: Stranger Medium: Charcoal Size: 9.14cmx 10.58cm Statement: I decided that I would try to depict a person who I never really met, but was described to me by different people. The person's image is made up of fragments in my mind, but they remain a shadowy stranger.

Judith Librach, All Is Not Lost , Water-soluble ink, graphite, embroidery hoop and floss, parchment paper, paper 11” x 14” This work is an homage to my late father, but also tells a story of my grief in relation to his death. I used the symbolism of flowers to impart the personal character and passions of my father; iris, oak, aloe, orange blossom and holy bramble. Iris represents his wisdom and valour; oak represents his deep value of education (and is a symbol found on the University of Toronto’s coat of arms, where he was both a student and professor); aloe represents his role as a healer; orange blossom symbolizes his devotion to family; and holy bramble is believed to be the “burning bush” in the bible, representing both his work at Mount Sinai Hospital and his commitment to Judaism. I tried to represent a common Victorian style of wallpaper, using floral motifs and block printing. Flowers in the Victorian age were used to send coded messages that were not socially acceptable to reveal in person, and they have been used historically by many world cultures in funerary practices. I’m sending a message about who my dad was and using a style from another time to show time has passed. I used the embroidery hoop and embroidery floss, with the stitching left incomplete, to express that his life was ‘unfinished’ in the sense that he died at a relatively young age and that my relationship with him was also unfinished. As well, I liked the association between the use of the word “thread” and narratives. I used parchment paper for the portrait to give it a transparent, ghostly look to imply that he is no longer living. I tried to position the viewer as though they were standing in front of a wall looking at a hanging picture. I have struggled in the past to make sense of his death, but enough years have passed that I have more perspective now; I can step back sometimes from the grief and just remember him as he was, without feeling overwhelming loss. I imagine myself standing in front of the wall, sad to be reminded that he died before his time, but also inspired by the symbols in the wallpaper to remember his accomplished life. This is his story, but also marks a point in the timeline of my own grief. (Faculty: JJ Lee)

Megan Parker, in-betweens , Glass Pane, Acrylic, 5 in x 7 in

This piece is multiple interventions in one, they intervene with each other in the variety of different orders the pieces are can be in. As well as with anything that is displayed behind it, for example, one (or more) of the panes can be put in front of a person’s face to represent their inner monologue. (Faculty: JJ Lee)

Kaydee Rangel Vargas, "no querer permanecer (not wanting to remain)" Mixed media 8.8”, 2020

Drawing Prompt: Draw flight. For this piece I cut a piece of paper and gave it the figure of a cone, then painted the interior all black. I put the wider hole of the cone towards me and the smaller facing the screen, so It’d give a sensation of a tunnel. Then I recorded a video of several videos I had where I felt the happiest (from inside the cone). Then edited it and decided to add the clouds to give it a sense of longing for a time that will obviously will never come back. As if one were looking at the sky just remembering, while at the same time wanting to leave in order to feel like that again. (Faculty: JJ Lee)

"Dash" by Emily Buchan, 18 x 24 inches, chalk pastel, conté, and charcoal

For me, this drawing is all about looking closely at texture, light, and colour. Studying my pet lizard carefully, I was able to take in details I had never noticed before. I found the way light and shadow changed the colour in his skin incredibly interesting. I sought to capture those variations in this drawing, along with his wide range of textures, so that others could see the complexities in this small being too. (Faculty: David Griffin)

Mia René Butter; Untitled; 18 x 24”; Chalk pastel, coloured pencil and acrylic paint on paper.

I wanted to emphasise the surface of the object and give the drawing a tactile nature. To do this, I used acrylic paint to recreate a wet sheen and coloured pencil for the bumpy surface. I didn’t want the object to be immediately recognizable, but for it to seem painfully obvious once told what it is. I chose this object because it is rarely given much attention or seen up close in this way, and I like the muted green colours it reflects. (Faculty: David Griffin)

"Moss" (2020) Meagan Craven, 20 x 17.5", Charcoal, graphite, and white Conte on illustration board

This is a drawing of a patch of pincushion moss examined very closely to explore scale and capture detail. Using shading and contrast of values, the moss is detached from its context and creates a microbial interconnected world suspended in space. (Faculty: David Griffin)

"Prism," Leah Arch, 2020, 3508 x 2480 px, Digital media

For this piece, I wanted to focus on making it look ethereal and space like. I was drawing the wings of a moth painted over foil and gold flake. I used teals and greens in a attempt to create a holographic/iridescent layer which lays underneath the white veins of the wings. The dark background represents the night sky, since it is during the night moths are most active. I’m not entirely sure I succeeded in my goal, but I enjoyed the process nonetheless. (Faculty: David Griffin)

Avesta (2020) “A Greasy Plantain Chip,” 18x24 in., chalk pastel and goauche on paper

A drawing of a sad plantain chip up close and personal. Originally what was so striking about the subject was the different organic shapes and silhouettes I was able to see in a single chip, the goal ultimately was for the drawing to not be recognizable. The way the colours are represented is also a focal point of the drawing, to show the coolness in the yellow colour of the chip. (Faculty: David Griffin)

Yutong Liu (2020) Inside of a bad lemon, scale drawing, 12x16"

This is a close-up observation drawing of the side of a bad lemon. The drawing focused on the depiction of the pulp of the lemon and colours that are different from the normal yellow pulp.

Espie Krementsova (2020) Peeling Paint 1: Paint Peeling Off a Metal Door in an Alley, or something, 19.5x25.5"

I struggle to title my work a lot of the time, but I hope this to be a kind of series, I hope to make more work around representations of peeling paint and those kinds of minor details of decay. I don't exactly know what to say about it, it was made with chalk pastels and conte, (it) cost me many hours. I love it, and am elated that I got to make this piece.

Eco-Bot 3000: Jiaxin Wei, Melisa Yukselir, Carol Zhou, Jessica Lui. Kass Coolen. How to Fix a Pressing Issue, Drawing Systems project. Faculty: RICHard SMOLinski

Our project Eco-Bot 3000, is made to make recycling easy and profitable. With our innovative technology Eco-Bot 3000 will scan your items and check them against our digital catalog to determine how the object needs to be recycled. Eco-Bot 3000 comes with an App where you can see your recycling progress per category such as Cans, Cardboard, Glass, Bottles, etc. With educating the user on their monthly total usage, we offer alternative items from our shopping catalog to purchase reusable eco-friendly items such as bags, bottles, and jars to encourage the user to get rid of one-time usage of packaging items, brands, and daily items they use. Every item that is deposited will return a small cash amount directly deposited to your linked bank account via Interact e-transfer.

Zoraida Anaya. Connessione. Waxed pastel on mylar paper, and collage. Portrait through Garment assignment: Narrative. Faculty: RICHard SMOLinski

Navigating the world is no easy task, but fortunately there is the school of life in which learning never ends.

Kate Hemblen, Transforming No Place. Transforming No-Place into Someplace project: Practices of Thought. Faculty: RICHard SMOLinski

Agalia Christofi, Mia Czartoryski, Jose Mancia, Josh Manapat. How to Fix a Pressing Issue, Drawing Systems project. Faculty: RICHard SMOLinski

The intent behind our design was to create a space to cultivate a garden or grow one's own food at/in the home at a scale which approaches independent food sustainability. The greenhouse pod structure, composed of insulated plexiglass infill panes within a frame of steel beams, is affordable and easily integrated into existing or new designs for single or multi-unit structures. The greenhouse pod is modular and can be built to any size or specification. The roof is angled to collect and distribute rainwater. The pod is of simple and adaptable materials making it a viable option to grow one's own food at home.

Reymond Lise, Treurig, Ambiguous Narrative Exercise, Narrative Unit.

Anna Randall, A Graveyard for your Childhood. Transforming No-Place into Someplace project: Practices of Thought. Faculty: RICHard SMOLinski

Artist: Dylan Cody Title: MYb Medium: digital drawing Size: 1080px x 1350px Based on prompt: Metamorphosis Statement: This is my transformation into a bee, I would have liked to continue with this idea and created an acrylic painting in the future. I stayed away from typical metamorphosis cliches. (Faculty: Amy Swartz)

Artist: Sumin Kim Title: Blame It on the Math Problem Medium: pencil, green coloured pencil, blue ball point pen and brush pen Size: B4 Sketchbook (101” x 143”) Based on prompt: Draw something you find funny Statement: This is a blind contour drawing of my younger brother when he dozed off while he was solving math problems. I tried to indicate drowsiness by stacking up drawings, making it hard to distinguish the lines. I drew the first one when he was still holding his pen. The thick black line is a half-blind contour drawing of him after he changed pose (see image below). The second one is when he finally gave up solving math problems, lied down and completely fell asleep. (Faculty: Amy Swartz)

Artist: Sumin Kim (second image in Blame it on the Math Problem, diptych) See statement above.

Artist: Mackenzie Farrow Title: Video 1 Medium: Photographs on printer paper and photo transferred onto clear packing tape. Size: 24”x 35” Based on prompt: make a series by directly observing living things and the passage of time in your everyday life. Statement: I decided to observe myself by recording the different gestures I make during a day based on every time I opened or closed my bedroom door. This shows the passing of time throughout my day and I achieved this by using a camera on a tripod to record my bedroom door the entire day. Then I took screenshots to capture the moments I left my room and the moments I returned. There are seven different groups of photographs and all of them have the same base which is a picture of my bedroom door closed with nothing in front of it and then I added layers of the images of myself when I left my room and when I came back. Some of the pictures are just of me opening my door to let my cats in or out but since I opened my bedroom door multiple times a day to do this I think it is important to add to show the passing of time. I used the photograph transfer technique that I used in my previous work and was demonstrated in class. This consists of printing a picture on printer paper and using clear packing tape to cover the front of the image and thus getting the ink to stick onto the tape. Once the tape is on you put it in water and you can rub away the paper leaving you with a transparent image left on the tape. (Faculty: Amy Swartz)

Artist: Vanna Nguyen Title: Floaters Medium: loose strands of my hair on a black skirt edited in photoshop Based on prompt: Make the familiar strange Statement: I chose this prompt because I thought it would be fun to transform something mundane into some kind of fantastical creature. Hair is something everyone is familiar with yet is capable of evoking specific reactions depending on the circumstance. With this solid familiarity, I thought of arranging the pile of hair in a not-so familiar shape. It could be what energy looks like, it could be a loose hairball. To me, it started to look more like an elusive deep sea creature floating in the darkness. Floating seems like such a transcendent experience where you are just simply in a state of being. Whether you are floating in water, air, or mental states, being completely controlled by your surroundings is a pretty strange feeling. It is as if you are taking the backseat in your own body and mind. I’ve noticed that even detaching hair from the body shifts the response to it into something of disgust, so I wanted to also center on that reaction to fuel the strange nature of it along with the odd shape. (Faculty: Amy Swartz)

Artist: Siu Woollard Title: "Ground Floor Symphony" Size: 3508 x 4960 px Medium: Digital Drawing Based on prompt: Draw a sound, not a song Statement: I was inspired by the concept of "eye-music," wherein composers create visuals that align with the mood and instructions for the music itself. This practice is traceable back to the early renaissance and continues in the modern music scene. Even though this prompt mentioned that the goal was not to illustrate a song, I thought it would be interesting to create a piece based on sound: to compose. This "symphony" takes root from the sounds within my immediate environment (a basement) and treats them as classical instruments working in harmony. I have a background in music, so creating this piece mimics the aesthetics and conventions of sheet music (with the staff, clefs, rests, and repeats) while using nonsensical mark- making in place of notes. I would be interested in pushing this concept of transmuting the unseen into visible manifestations further, potentially circling back to creating a new sound based upon the visuals. (Faculty: Amy Swartz)

Jasmine Liaw | "T-Shirt Experiment 100" | Mediums: Highlighter & Ballpoint | Experimenting with various size ranges in drawings created new shapes and perceptions. The background is fully saturated in neon to counter the overwhelming effect of multiple drawings on one page. (Faculty: Erin Finley.)

Dilshad Kanji | "Becoming Galactic Beings" | About the work: “Fling me across the fabric of time and the seas of space. Make me nothing and from nothing - everything.” – Rumi | Coloured and Pastel Pencils on Paper. (Faculty: Erin Finley)

Paul Kim | "Tempestuous Borealis" | About the work: For this piece, I used watercolour and acrylic paint. What inspired me for this piece was my conflicting emotions on the stressful things that were happening in my life at the time, which resulted in a constant war of positive and negative thinking. Thus, "Tempestuous" meaning horrific and "Borealis" meaning beautiful. (Faculty: Erin Finley)

Julia Robson-Macgregor | "Packaging Trauma" | About the work: Based on the 2015 film Room, the center image is formed by overlapping lines and distorting the orientation of furniture seen within the room to reflect the repetitive nature of life in captivity. The surrounding area represents a transition into the real world as the characters escape confinement, process their trauma and are met with an open feeling of possibility. (Faculty: Erin Finley.)

Antonia Wilhelm | About the work: For the Gesture and Light assignment. I used colored pencils and markers to convey the idea of creation through the power of imagination. You can see a person posing their hands around a glowing rose, fingers almost touching while splayed in an energetic motion, giving a sense of delicacy and power at once. (Faculty: Luke Painter)

Christina Barrot | About the work: For the Practice of Thought Assignment. This still life drawing shows a hat, pencils and pencil holder surrounded by cloth. These objects are drawn using various marks made by graphite pencils, cuts by a penknife, folds using my hands and the shadows cast by a small lamp. (Faculty: Luke Painter)

Xinzhu Li | About the work: For the Figure in Space Assignment. It's very clear to see that the figure in this space is me and this space is my apartment in China. I just wanted to depict a very normal day in my life. (Faculty: Luke Painter)

Sadhbh Doorley | About the work: For the Practice of Thought Assignment. For the second photo I was given I noticed the single rose particularly its red colour, the red became the accent colour within the graphic black and white shapes and line work of the piece. Having the red appear at least once in every object was to draw the eye around the whole piece not a specific area. (Faculty: Luke Painter).

Jennifer Reis | About the work: For the Practice of Thought Assignment. The realistic technique is my preferred way to draw. Using value, implied texture and shading, I reproduce the still life with a monochromatic appearance. (Faculty: Luke Painter)

Alona Fiandaca, Statement: My final piece is a self-portrait showcasing my own personal mental health diagnoses throughout my life. This self-portrait will be a series of objects that have an assigned disorder to them. I want to illustrate the objects in a way that demonstrates how my triggered and relapsed mind views them, and how I feel towards them. The final product will consist of four individual drawings sewn into a book.

Jessica Dipietro, Statement: For my three pieces I will go off my own experience and incorporate pop culture moments where the male gaze has been popularized. The male gaze has fetishized the idea of young submissive bodies throughout history. I acknowledge that the fetishization of the bodies include other bodies other than white ones, but I don’t want to exploit those bodies. Through my work I have carefully analyzed what the male gaze exploits and translated that into three separate pieces.

Tiffany Duong, Statement: I am planning on creating a series of drawings that explore the different forms of death (beyond the means of a physical existence) and the ways that we cope with them. Through this, I will be confronting my own anxieties about death. Each drawing will seek to combine the present, past, and future, creating a timeline that represents the different stages of life, death, grief, and mourning.

Brandon Baghaee, Statement: For my final drawing series, “System Failure,” my objective is to tell a story with three drawings that show a science lab experiment on ants gone horribly wrong. I include riddles or hidden messages in each drawing that are meant to be completely deciphered by the viewer. I want the viewer to pose questions and figure out what they believe this series is ultimately about. I was intrigued to draw ants because of the subject of this project, space and systems. System is something that the ants represent very strongly as a species and I wanted to incorporate them in unfamiliar spaces in unfamiliar ways, so this is what I did.

Created By

David Griffin

Appreciate

Credits:

All images courtesy of the artists