COLLECTION NAME:
Fine and Performing Arts Visual Arts Senior Theses
Record
Creator Name:
Melissa Pashby
Creator culture:
Caucasian
Creator note:
Artist statement: This body of work is first and foremost for myself, in every aspect of the word. Going through life as an artist, I have always created with the thought of what other people want in mind, never fully staying true to my own artistic vision. I challenged myself to do the exact opposite and create something that is exclusively for me and contains my own, full artistic vision. In doing this I have created an almost biographical series of work in which I draw inspiration from artists that I have come to love such as Helen Lundeberg, St. Hildegard von Bingen, and Cindy Sherman. Combining my own unique style with those that have come before me, I strive to take simple concepts and turn them into things that are unique, ripe with passion, and intensely complex. When you break down complex structures, you are left with basic shapes and that is where my process begins. I take simple lines and shapes and manipulate how they interact with one another to create complex structures in my mandalas and halos. My drawings began me on this journey of self representation and showcases a woman from my dreams that has been with me for over 12 years now. She is intertwined with me, as is her story. My sculptures remind me of the child I used to be, always believing in ancient myths and begging to know more. They tell me that youthfulness and childhood curiosity don’t need to be something you age out of. My photographs solidify within myself that I can find things about myself that I appreciate and have come to accept and love as who I am. Basking in colored lighting that I have chosen to represent their Greek mythos, I embrace Demeter’s connection with nature as the goddess of agriculture and harvest, Artemis’ strong independence as the goddess of the hunt and the moon, Medusa’s hard fought protection that we see in her tragic myth, and Aphrodite’s love that is stronger than we could know as the goddess of love and beauty.
Creator pronouns:
she/her/hers
Graduation class:
Class of 2022
Work type:
drawings (visual works)
Date:
2022
Title:
"Demeter"
Creation location:
Denver, Colorado, United States
Measurements:
14" x 17"
Rights:
� Melissa Pashby
Source:
Regis Library - Archives and Special Collections
