Jennifer Rosio BFA: February 2018

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

7 Rosio: "Awash"

7 Rosio,"Awash", Digital Media (Autodesk Sketchbook Pro), 1920 x 1200 ppi, Self Directed, 2017.

6 Rosio: Sketchbook

6 Rosio,"Sketchbook for 'Fisheye' Project", Graphite and Ink on Paper, ART 4600: Painting III, 2018.

5 Rosio: "Fisheye"

5 Rosio,"Fisheye", Digital Media (Autodesk Sketchbook Pro), 17 x 24 inches, ART 4600: Painting III, 2018.

4 Rosio: Ad Illustration

4 Rosio,"Jacques Rabbit (Ad Illustration)", Digital Media (Autodesk Sketchbook Pro, Adobe Illustrator), 2739 × 3477 ppi, ART 3460: Illustration, 2018.

3 Rosio: "Fishing Line"

3 Rosio, "Fishing Line", Digital Media (Autodesk Sketchbook Pro), 17 x 36 inches, Art 4600: Painting III, 2018.

2 Rosio: "Beta" Drawing Final

2 Rosio, "Beta", Charcoal , Graphite, and White Pastel on Toned Paper, 24 x 36 inches, ART 1110: Drawing 1 Final, 2016.

1 Rosio: Book Cover

1 Rosio, "Poetry for Peyotes (Book Cover Design)", Digital Media (Adobe Photoshop + Illustrator), ART 2430: Intro to Graphic Design, 2017.

Jennifer Rosio
Design for Digital Media

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Art is the sail on the mast of my existence that I use to navigate the crashing waves of life. Art aids my sailing through life’s chaotic tides. Over my academic career at Weber State University, it has been quite the journey, navigating the different approaches to art and finding what label fits my practices best, but I could not declare myself as a “painter”, or a “designer”, as my process is always fluid and am always finding that whatever idea I have is not bound by the tools that I use for it. Over this course set for me, I’ve learned to harness both my strengths and weaknesses: I feel the most comfortable in digital practices, but have learned that my style is illustrative and favors flat shapes. I am most drawn to figurative work, specifically feminine or androgynous figures within settings of dreams or simply conjuring of fantasy elements. I favor such art periods such as the Vienna Secession movement, Art Nouveau, Japanese Woodblock prints, and Byzantine art. Individual artists both contemporary artists and names from art history significance, from Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser, and Edvard Munch, to more current artists such as Aya Takano and Audrey Kawasaki.

In regards to personal influences on subject matter, One of my significant influences is a substantial part my life being engulfed in the world of religion. Born a Catholic, raised Lutheran, and ultimately departing as an Atheist, I carry much of the religious imagery and symbolism in my artwork that I was exposed to as a child, whether subtly or explicitly. “Portraits of the Anxious” is both a combination of saintly imagery and bringing in the subject of mental health, another theme in which I am always exploring, due to my own personal mental health issues. This project was inspired by an online campaign by people that suffer from anxiety disorders, snapping candid pictures or recording videos of themselves in the moment of an anxiety attack in order to bring awareness and remove the stigma.

In my figurative work, halos have become a common motif. "Study of a Figure and Skeleton", despite being a study of a model interacting with a inanimate object, I found myself scratching in charcoal halos over their heads, always feeling compelled to do so, as if the figure is incomplete without their circular frame. Even themes of my work, whether figurative or representative, have great significance rooted from my experiences: fish, for example, is not only a prevalent symbol in Christian mythology, but also a tool that I use to harness my fear towards fish themselves that I’ve held with me since childhood.

As my art ebbs and flows, both in success and failures to rise from, I take continues on within the Visual Art and Design program, more than ever am I determined to take the voyage through my art-making.

Jennifer Rosio BFA

Thursday, February 22, 2018

10 Rosio: "Portraits of the Anxious" (Series)

9 Rosio: "Study of a Figure and Skeleton"

8 Rosio: "Faye Wilds"