Artist's Statement

Theresa Bergman

I always find myself trying to define what art is.  As a concept that has a wide range of definitions, art is hard to pinpoint in just one sentence.  Over the four years I have spent studying art, I have finally had a breakthrough in defining art, or at least what art is to me.  Art is an awareness-- an expressed observation of a happening, through a visual medium.  I find that my art started as an observation of things going on in classes.  Figure drawings were a product of a model posing; Self-portraits were products of what I see when I look into the mirror.  Over time, these observations became more detailed.  My newer drawings and paintings started to be products of not only a visual observation, but of what I was feeling inside, an emotional observation. 

This is when I became an artist.  My work was becoming in-depth and dimensional.  Still, my art was very close to me and personal.  I studied abroad in Italy last summer and produced what I consider to be some of my best work because of the way it captured my experience living in Tuscany.  This year though, I wanted to push myself to go where I haven’t been before with my artwork.  I wanted to push my personal boundaries by making works that had a wider perspective, works that weren’t ‘all about me.’  The decision to change the direction of my work was made in lieu of me feeling that a chapter of my artistic life (my undergraduate art career) was finishing, but the chapter was not finished being written yet.  I had worked so hard to show who I was and what my experiences were through my artwork, but had not yet shown my opinions about what was happening around me on a global level. 

The idea for my shadow boxes emerged from the yearning to express my opinions about what had been going on around me for the past few years in the media.  Atop the boxes are people who have affected a specific environment or place. Contained in each box is a representation of the space affected and how it was, negatively or positively, affected.  I wanted to capture the idea that each person in the media is put on a given pedestal because of something they said or did.  Whether or not the pedestal these people were placed on is correct or an exaggeration is up to the viewers to ponder, talk about, or debate.  If my art can spark one new thought or conversation about what is going on in the world, then I have created a dynamic piece. 

Aside from the aspect of trying to create through a wider lens, I was also working with new mediums.  I have never created sculptural pieces that included two-dimensional works before.  Working in three-dimensions was refreshing; I felt it opened up so many possibilities for expression.  I will continue to work with several materials on pieces; however, drawing is still my choice medium.  When I draw, I feel like a part of me is flowing onto the paper—my worries are momentarily released and all I focus on are the curves and shapes created.  I have looked to several artists for inspiration, but in the area of drawing, I have specifically looked to the sketches of renowned architect Frank O. Gehry, the figure drawings of Pablo Picasso, and the street art of Keith Haring.  All of these artists have drastically different styles, however, they all put great emphasis on creating a realistic image based solely upon line at first, and in some cases, have finished pieces with only line.  The thought of being able to complete intricate buildings (Frank O. Gehry), draw the complex human figure with perfect movement (Pablo Picasso), or convey a story (Keith Haring) with simple, clean line intrigues me.  Keith Haring also inspires me to be fearless in my work.  His works were modern, sometimes political, and sometimes completed in illegal areas (the New York Subway walls), but no matter what the media said, he continued to work in his way.  It’s important to me that I remain fearless in how I create, in order to not limit myself.