Galen May

Art has always been a therapeutic release for me; so naturally when I was presented with an opportunity to do art every day, it needed to explore an idea that could serve as this emotional release. I quickly decided my own struggles with mental illness to be the muse of my art. This concept of bringing even my darkest feelings into light through the artistic process quickly became the central theme of my concentration.

I started my concentration strictly in black and white and working only in charcoal. It seemed fitting to depict such raw emotions in stark darks and lights. It also felt right to put such dark and rich emotions in a canvas without color. I slowly began to realize that the use of color could add a deeper emotional message. I slowly began incorporating color starting with my backgrounds. Toward the end of the year, I became comfortable working in both charcoal or pencil or in color; this became an opportunity to work freely on a piece deciding what would best suit the emotion I wished to convey. Often changes or additions of color were added once I deemed the piece finished, and deciding there was a more vivid way to show these feelings. Working with such an emotional and personal idea meant I needed to understand each of the various mediums well enough that my ideas could take form on the paper, rather than be stunted by a discomfort in shifting the tools I used. My final piece encompasses these ideas, allowing for chalk pastels, charcoal, and other materials to live together within the piece to portray the contrast between a world of depression and a world of vivid color. Working deeply with different mediums as well as my own emotions was a rewarding, albeit difficult experience.