UWSP Student Juried Art Show 2017
My body of work is always based around subjects that I connect or resonate with in some way. This connection is not something that just happens automatically; it comes at the price of long and thoughtful hours spent constructing messages that resonate deeply. Each is different and yields a unique insight, yet they all share a common thread: They are all built upon the same connection.
My greatest source of inspiration comes from the world that surrounds me. Geometric shapes and organic forms perpetually play a role in my work, both intentionally and unintentionally. I look for combinations that balance or complement one another forming a harmony. Each amalgamation is created with the hope that each piece can be seceded to stand alone or brought together to form a cohesive whole.
Glass Arts Society Conference 2017
My body of work based around the beauty and the beasts that exist in this world. I draw my greatest inspiration from the various systems that allow us to process information and behave on an everyday basis. I am interested in how these systems operate, what they do to accomplish things that we take for granted, how they persist over a lifetime, and what happens when these systems break down, form an abnormality, decline in function, or fail to develop properly. My goal is to bring attention to subjects that may have a negative association with the general population and to give a different perspective for these subjects.
When deciding which subject to confront I try to keep a few key aspects in mind; current events, social norms, and the recognition or rejection of the general population. All of these influence how and what I decide is in need of the most attention. I look for new ways to challenge a subject that may be difficult to approach. New perspectives and ideas that can help influence a change of heart about a subject.
Overall my objective is to give a viewer a rare glimpse into the lives of others that the viewer may have never known; and for a moment they can share this experience. Possibly even relate to it in some way that gives is a personal meaning. Though if the viewer does not share that experience or find a way to understand what I am try to convey, I hope the viewer can find a way to respond that gives them a new experience of their own.
UWSP Treehaven Installation Winter 2017
My body of work is always based around subjects that I connect or resonate with in some way. This connection is not something that just happens automatically; it comes at the price of long and thoughtful hours spent constructing messages that resonate deeply. Each is different and yields a unique insight, yet they all share a common thread: They are all built upon the same connection.
My greatest source of inspiration comes from the world that surrounds me. Geometric shapes and organic forms perpetually play a role in my work, both intentionally and unintentionally. I look for combinations that balance or complement one another forming a harmony. Each amalgamation is created with the hope that each piece can be seceded to stand alone or brought together to form a cohesive whole.
Bachelor of Arts Exhibition Winter 2018
My name is Danielle LaMarche. I chose to pursue a BA with a focus on studio arts, because I have always had a love for numerous diverse forms of art. I truly cherish the opportunity to work with an assortment of methods. It is because of this I enjoy combining 2D and 3D aspects within my work. Some of the pieces displayed in my exhibition include combinations such as photography silkscreen with enamels, as well as drawing and painting on fused glass. I believe these are some of my strongest works. Without the opportunity to explore different courses, I may have not found these combinations.
One project that I have spent the last year conceptually researching and creating, is the mandala project. The research that led to this project was primarily focused on meditative artforms. Within this type of creative process, the focus is the inner state of the artist. As both a creator and a witness, the artist can attentively observe the process as it takes place. The goal within meditative art is to let go of expectations and loosen attachments toward personal creativity; to create from a meditative state of mind. Through this research, I found an unexpected deep connection to meditative creation. Before this project I spent my academic and artistic career on countless hours of practice, with the hope of perfecting the skills I have learned. The goal then was to strive for the end result and find ways to improve. In many ways this is still a goal of mine, but I now know it is not the only way to create.
One area within this research that continues to grab my attention is the study of Tibetan Buddhist sand mandala creation and dissolution. Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning “container of essence.” Creation and dissolution of the mandalas take place during a ceremony that lasts a period of days or weeks. Millions of grains of sand are painstakingly laid into place on a flat surface to form the image of a mandala. The purpose of the ceremony is to call the surrounding community to meditation and awareness of something larger than their own small world, but this is not the only message. When the monks have finished they chant and pray over the mandala, then destroy it. Every grain is swept up. The sand is either given away to participants as a memory or thrown into the nearest living stream to be swept into the ocean where it will flow out into the world as a blessing. The act of destruction is to show the impermanence of everything. All things are in flux, beautiful but ephemeral, moving but temporary, a plateau but not a summit. Nothing is permanent.
While I found that this artform resonates with me in so many ways, I did not feel right trying to create a sacred design or symbol. Since this practice is a ritual performed with religious belief and tradition; I felt I could not give this ceremony justice, that it would have been disrespectful to use a traditional mandala for my project. Instead I chose to research art therapy and use symbols and shapes that are associated with expressing certain emotions. Each mandala created was used to express an emotion or a feeling I had experienced during the drawing phase. While creating during each phase I did everything I could to find a meditative state of mind and focus on the act of drawing, frit painting, or letting go when dumping each mandala at the end.
Another combination was discovered by accident or chance. The conceptual research for this project took place in combination with the meditative artform research for the mandala project. The accidental discovery happened when I was exploring ways to recreate a surrealist technique called fumage on fused glass. Fumage was popularized by Wolfgang Paalen and used by surrealists such as Roberto Matta and Salvador Dalí. The technique is to create impressions using the smoke of a candle or kerosene lamp on a piece of paper or canvas. I attempted to recreate this using a candle and a few different types of glass, fusing after the process. These attempts did fail, the carbon impressions did not stick to the fused glass. I was disheartened and abandoned the idea of recreating fumage on glass.
However, this failure did influence an enormous amount of personal experiments, to determine if any type of drawing medium would stick to fused glass. Astonishingly almost all the experiments were successful in one way or another. These experiments led to a few pieces that are displayed in my exhibition. While drawing these designs I also used a few of the meditative drawing techniques I had been researching alongside this project. They are the four pieces in the center of the display. These fused float glass panels were drawn on with everyday drawing supplies that are commonly used on paper. The glass was sandblasted to give the glass a tooth or a surface for the pencil to stick to, drawn on with charcoal and graphite pencil, and then fused together encasing the pencil within the glass.
I believe all these pieces were a great way to successfully combine the skills I have learned during my time spent at UWSP. Without the opportunities I was given while in pursuit of this degree, I would have never made the body of work I have today. Without instruction, advice, and encouragement that I received from every Professor at this university, I would have never realized it was possible to build a successful career as an artist; and I would not be the person I am today. Everything I have encountered while in attendance at this university, has pushed me to become a better artist as well as a better person. Wherever my next chapter may be headed, I know that I will meet and exceed any expectations with great confidence in my abilities, because of my experiences here at UWSP.