In the Spring of 2011, I put up my Senior Thesis Exhibition, which I entitled: "This Is Me: A Senior Art Thesis". My work up until this point had mostly consisted of Digital Art, but for my final project to complete my major at Coe College, I decided to continue my studies of collage and assemblage, a medium Ithat had been working with for only a few years, if that. Luckily, a unique style to myself, emerged from my studio in time for the Spring exhibition, right as I graduated. It was definitely a learning experience, and I received a lot of good feed back from friends, family, and other community members.
Artist Statement directly from "This Is Me: A Senior Art Thesis"
The artwork for this particular show is based on certain aesthetics that are pleasing to myself. But this is something that can be said for any artist. You can show everyone a part of yourself in your art, but you can’t show the entire picture of your life. It’s simply impossible. Any creative expression that one exerts; whether it is writing, sculpting, painting, performing, etc; will relate to only part of that persons life, and quite truly, their past life. Because life always changes and as we grow older, our knowledge and experiences grow with us. Sure, we can’t escape the past, but we can expand upon and adjust the way that we live in the future. How does this relate to me?
I’ve found out, that in the past decade, I’ve changed so much. I’ve always been very shy and have always, somewhat, found art to be a nice outlet. But now that I’ve been experimenting in several different outlets: painting, drawing, graphic design, sculpting, performing, writing, playing instruments (sort of), and even singing out loud to myself; I’ve been more social and willing to share my experiences to others. I am less afraid to express myself.
My work not only shows the kind of aesthetic that I’ve found appealing lately, but I hope that my work can inspire others. I want it to. I want people to see my work and just explore the possibilities of expression.
As the artist, I know exactly what is inspiring to me in each piece and how all of the elements of the piece work together. But I want everyone else to see what he or she wants to see. Get inspired. For imagination and creativity is the key to a better future for everyone, in my opinion. Make your own narrative.
I also want others to just take notice of things that get left behind (photos, junk, trash, old family heirlooms, etc.). There is a quote from one of my biggest inspirations from the Visual Arts world: Robert Rauschenberg, whom I love. The Neo-Dada artist (although he coined himself as being Neo-Rauschenberg, something I can relate to) once said: “I really feel sorry for people who think things like soap dishes or mirrors or Coke bottles are ugly. Because they’re surrounded by things like that all day long, and it must make them miserable.” This is another reason why I like to use recycled materials, because someone put some effort into these objects/images in my pieces. For instance, someone designed this can or bottle, or someone helped to assemble this circuit board. Everything has a story behind it, sometimes you never know what it is, but it’s also wonderful to think about these stories. My pieces therefore are assemblies of stories/narratives that I’ve composed, and can be interpreted by the viewer as they please. Some pieces’ narrative is much more focused, such as Self Portrait and Wreck, but works like Everything Else and the Home series really don’t have a specific focus as far as the meaning goes. This is why I am the artist, and you are the receiver of my message. The message though, is entirely up to you as far as I’m concerned. Please enjoy it.
Statement Regarding "Nick's Portable Studio: A Look into the World of Nick Jared"
I’ve always been a highly introverted person, and I still am a little. But for this exhibit, I’d like to allow everyone into my world by sharing concepts that I find appealing, as well as showing you my design process. All creative processes differ based upon the artist: a dancer might spend hours repeating new movements, a script writer may have to go for a walk, a sculptor may have to throw clods of clay at the wall, and some people just sketch. But the focus for this performance piece is to show you how my process of creation goes. This includes how I choose images (I’ll try my best to explain during the piece), how I compose pieces, and what I tend to listen to while I work, which is fairly important. If you know me well enough, you know that I find music to be a big influence in my life. That is, I find inspiration in music. But the point of this piece is to show you my process, and hopefully you can be inspired just a little. After you leave this show please: write, dance, sing, paint, draw, or whatever helps you to express yourself, because we have to live in a world where we don’t have to hide our feelings from each other. Do what you love, no matter what anyone says.
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