Growing ambitious with their art: Thoughts from art students, Part I

This is the third post in a series where PCA&D junior and senior art students talk about their art. Today they discuss growing as artists and pushing themselves to do more.

In what ways do you find yourself growing more ambitious with your work?

Alexis Supplee, Fine Art ’16: I use to work very small, and I still do, but I have accepted making larger art pieces as well. Making bigger pieces of art help me expand my range of space and thought. When a canvas is small, it’s hard to find the right thing to put on it. When a canvas is large, I can stand right in front of it and go to town without any worries of how it going to turn out. This for me is a big step, letting myself be free with my work.

Emily Coughlin, Graphic Design ’16: When I first started my major, I was very rule-oriented and followed them to a tee. But I’m finding that following the rules all the time doesn’t always make for an interesting design. Lately, I’ve been trying to think more outside the box (literally and figuratively) and make things more eye-catching and memorable.

Samantha Bowen, Illustration ’17: One of the main things that motivate me most about continuing to make art is the reaction I get from viewers. I love the fact that something I make can affect how a person feels or relates to the work. I begin every piece with intent to satisfy myself (and any requirements, if client-based work), but then I enjoy sharing it with the public eye to see what kinds of reactions it gets. I love sharing my work any opportunity that I can because it’s a major confidence booster and it keeps my artistic drive and inspiration alive.

Jezabeth Gonzalez, Photography ‘17: The more work I make the more I feel like everything I want to create is possible. Also I have a lot of support from professors, how I keep in contact year round, they help me build my ideas and guide me.

Kevin Mancuso, Graphic Design ’16: I always try my best and try to push my design to even further heights. Lately I’ve been trying to grow my design around photography. In most of my portfolio I have vast amount of artwork that revolves around photorealistic illustrations, so lately I have been trying to expand my skills in to photography and more photoshop projects.

Maurice Butler, Fine Art ’15: I feel as though that the more I grow with college and my skills as an artist, the more I find myself as a person. I used to have a lot of identity issues in my late teens wondering what is my goal in life. The more I do continuously dig and dig when it gets tough and I’m in artist block, the more I become very happy. The artist limbo I like to call it, is one of my most favorite moments in any art I worked in. The moment where you get blocked and everything that my teachers have taught you have become transparent and you are left on your own. My ambition in these 4 years of college is explore something new and always challenge myself to become better.

Lauren Carbone, Graphic Design ’16: I always enjoy when I find inspiration and learn ways to create those types of design to improve my skills and to self-motivate myself as a designer. The community itself helps me grow as a designer also since I am constantly surrounded by art and more inspiration to bring to my projects.

Sarah Pietrowski, Photography ’16: My way of working is to not really think while I’m working. I usually just shoot and look, not really think about what I am doing. It is probably not the best way to work but that is the way I’ve noticed I work.

Rebecca Lerch, Illustration ’16: During a project I will often find myself debating between “I wonder what could make this piece grow even further?” and “If I tried this or that on top of the other processes I have already budgeted time for, could I still comfortably accomplish it before the deadline?” and just as often as I ponder these things I will challenge myself to try to incorporate them somehow either way.

David Billett, Photography ’17: Wanting to do more, keep going with things, and researching

Amber Ream, Graphic Design ’16: I have had some hard times involving my work over these past three years at PCAD. However, I have found those hard times to be helpful in making me want to succeed all that much more. During these times, I found myself doubting my work and doubting myself confidence because of the people around me and also because of my own thoughts. But I found myself wanting to prove these people wrong and more importantly, prove myself wrong by creating artwork that I can be proud of.

Lauryn Watkins, Illustration ‘16: I find myself trying to do more difficult poses, or angles for characters, covers, and even comic book pages. Trying to start my own comic book definitely makes these strides more important to my growth as an illustrator.

Trayton Pinson, Photography ‘16: With the large support from my family and friends as well as the growing interest in the public who react to my work, I am continuously able to connect and communicate with viewers through my photographs more and more every day. Before I began making photographs I struggled to express myself. After interacting with so many others like me through art I am inspired to really emphasize who I am and what I stand for in order to inspire even more like myself to feel free to express themselves as well without judgement.