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An Artists’ Exchange

Valencia Portfolio Exchange

Over the past year I was lucky enough to participate in an international portfolio exchange. Students and faculty of the University of South Dakota were encouraged to create original works of art at no larger than 20cm x 20cm. These were then sent to Valencia, Spain– where individuals created responses to the works that were received.

Human Error

During my first semester in academia, I found myself teaching drawing courses. It was a great break from the digital media I’ve become so accustomed to. However, as a web designer, I’m engrossed in detail and pixel perfection. I wanted to de-compartmentalize these aspects of my interests so I set out to create something seemingly technical with analog materials. While this piece is more about process than the finished product, I am surprisingly pleased with the results. This drawing is now a part of the permanent collection of the University of South Dakota Art Galleries.

Women’s March on Washington

Woodblock print effect typography poster: "No true peace without equality & justice for all."I recently had the opportunity to submit a piece for the Women’s March on Washington taking place January 21st, 2017. While I will be unable to attend in person I am proud to be a voice for equality in my home state of South Dakota.

One challenge I faced during the creation of this poster was inclusiveness. The call page asks for art that embodies the mission and values of the march, and has the ability to represent “women and femme expressive people of all backgrounds.” I explored several methods of illustration and I found typography to be the most effective.

Inspiration for the composition and typefaces came from women’s suffrage print advertising. I used a wash of red and blue to show that during this time of unrest, we remain in solidarity under our nation’s flag.

I created this digital print using the Adobe Creative Suite’s Illustration and Photoshop applications. Looking forward to expand this concept and doing a screenprint run in the near future.