Artist Journey.

Lori Korschgen

Inkjet photo transfer via acrylic gel, acrylic paint.

My piece discussing my journey as an artist.

In my piece for my artistic journey, I decided to take a more figurative approach. 

When thinking about my relationship with art over the years, it felt relatively simple to me while in reality it was quite complex. When I was younger it was bad- I didn't have very inspiring teachers, I didn't feel special, and I didn't like a lot of the work I produced. To me, I got the most praise by being book-smart. I envied those that seemed to magically make "good" art appear, and it just seemed like I could never do it, or make what was in my head come alive. Then after a few more neutrally-negative experiences, I wandered away from visual art. I tried writing, guitar lessons, dance classes, I even took a drama class instead of art at school. This is represented in the transition from black to grey, for what I call my "lost years." Then I got to Rock Bridge High School where things started to click. Why? I had great teachers, people talked to me about the history of art, and for the first time content was introduced instead of just technique. So, my skill started to take off again with my interest.  I show this transition from the grey to the white, the neutral to the good. 

This cycle of black to grey to white is a symbol for my journey overall as I grew up. However, I find this cycle repeating itself every year inside myself, even when my relationship with art was established as "good." Every time I asked to move up a level in art classes, or take a new class, or exhibit, I kept on asking myself and teachers around me: "Am I good enough?" Eventually someone tells me yes, I believe them, I get over the fear and prove to myself I can do it. Yet this cycle of self-doubt is my own battle I still face today in studio classes as well as in the pursuit of my career to be an art educator. For this reason, the white in my journey piece does not end, but continues to cycle back into the black areas. The tears and layers of the image show this process of great inner conflict, a battle inside myself of confidence, expression, and learning techniques.

I chose a photo to transfer that is a digital-self portrait of mine. I take digital self-portraits a lot lately just for myself: my need for personal expression and enjoyment; not for homework. This particular image deals with juxtaposition, and feeling like I am the opposite of where I am supposed to be. With the subtle photo transfer and emerging posture, the fact that I placed myself in an art piece suggests that I am emerging into the world of art, where I am in fact supposed to be.