East Meets West: Artist Statement

Triptych: Unknown God
Watercolor
Unknown God 18x30
$350
Jesus or Shiva 7x18
$75
7x18
$75
(Prices for prints)

East Meets West is the result of the mixing of two distinct cultures and worldviews. As a student of Religious Studies and Philosophy, I find the mixing of religion and the lines that separate culture from religion fascinating. In the field of religious studies the term that is applied to the mixing and combing of seemingly contradictory religions and cultures is syncretism.

Talents, Mixed Media

My experiences before, after and during India have led me to create some works dealing with the meeting, clashing, and synchronization of my own religion, Christianity, and the beautiful aesthetic of Hindu culture. Eight months after traveling to India I am still trying to process my experience and have continued to immerse myself in the culture that I find so beautiful. To my surprise, returning home and actively observing American culture is teaching me almost as much as being in India did.

I find that learning about other cultures allows growth and a greater understanding of the world around you that can only be experienced when two worlds meet, clash, and synchronize with each other. East Meets West is just that, a syncretic mix of the Eastern culture and my own Western world views.



For more information or to follow my exhibition please check out the Event Page or my Facebook page.

Talent Showoffs: Water LIlies+ Social Justice

I recently had the opportunity to have my artwork in Talent Showoffs, a local event for artists and musicians.  Here is the Artist Statement that I used for the event.

Felicia Follum, Water Lilies (Untitled), 11x15

My work combines social justice themed Fine Art with graphic design techniques and processes. I tend to use a variety of mediums. Through research and brainstorming I strive to develop a creative language to talk about current social issues as diverse as African American hair, the LGBTQ community and Christianity, and world water.


The work on display tonight is from my in-progress series dealing with human trafficking and sex slavery. Though water lilies are beautiful plants the eco system that they have adapted to survive in is not so glamorous. The root system and underground workings of the plant are extremely complex and parallel the system that supports human trafficking. The most basic, yet significant, comparison is the function of the lily pads. Each pad takes back energy to the root, which would otherwise shrivel up and die in the mud.

Since I am still in the process of creating water lilies to represent those who have been trafficked in the United States, there are many directions in which this body of work could travel.

Please check out my Facebook page or this blog to keep up with my work and learn more about the symbols and comparisons I am making.

Backpacking Artwork

My travel watercolor kit

I love love love water media.  I have been using ink for some time now, just recently took a watercolor class, and have fallen in love with both.  This past weekend I had to opportunity to go backpacking and painted some quick studies (two watercolor paintings and one ink drawing).  Which is your favorite.

Click here to see more watercolor photos.

You can read more about my backpacking and camping watercolor kit here. 

Staring out of our tent

The fire pit in the afternoon

A friend sitting by the fire pit

  

Noose

Photo featured in the Laramie Boomerang November 10, 2011

This Noose painting was an experiment 

created during the 1892 process. 

Noose was painted on top of wall art 

again showing the contrast between fake (though beautiful)

and honest.  Speaking to the covering up of the past.
This idea of covering up the past is not as clear as in History Can't be Undone...
I chose to include this work in 

Make it Plain beacuse it had a strong use of lights and darks.  

Tweet