I want to begin by giving my utmost appreciation and gratitude for the scholarship award for my project titled “God Save the Queen.” The experience was eye opening and demanding at times but well worth it as I was so happy with my finished pieces. The activity of cutting and creating aluminum sculptural suits of armor was difficult since I had never worked with aluminum flashing in any art class before this project. I learned to create in a new medium which is an incredible experience for any artist.
The pinpointing with the nail pin and creating flower like images on top of the armor was extremely tedious; however, it made all the difference in creating a look that was more elaborate and creative. This creative process really helped me put a lot of energy in a creative way that was necessary since I had gone through two huge losses in my family. While I created these pieces, I was able to get very creative and create looks that not only represented a strong warrior bee but also get some inspiration from fashionable female members of my family. I truly will remember this project through all the ups and downs, trials and tribulations, sweat and pain, late nights and stressful deadlines that I went through but the final outcome and the beautiful stunning and time-consuming effort I put into the pieces I will forever cherish and admire that I was able to create. I am very content with the looks I created and believe no matter the criticism that I might have received that they are beautifully crafted and truly stunning pieces. I genuinely want to thank the Office of Undergraduate Scholarship Student Support Award and especially thank Jaclyn Chastain for all her time and effort in the matters of my project.
Artisst Statement:
The themes that reoccur in my artwork is a strong feminine aesthetic which embodies the thought provoking environmental climate change issues that humans have on planet Earth. I examine the evolution of human tendencies of curiosity and technological advancement with the way we care for our oceans, plants, and animals. My technique is inspired by sculptural fashion and wearable art work. I have a strong passion for high fashion haute couture garments and I am always inspired by the artistry of Avant Garde fashion designers in my artwork.
The extravagant and over the top “wow” factors of beauty and size of art pieces always compels me to want to create such a reaction as well. The scientific research that the bees are dwindling because of the harmful effects of human development and pollution on nature is an idea I examined in my work. The best way of creating nature in a sculptural fashion was by recreating a Queen Bee as an actual human Queen. The Queen Bee holds the bee colony together so as a warrior Queen with a suit of armor I wanted to imply that the action of some humans are trying to hold together human survival on Earth.
The alarming threat bees are facing will threaten and impact human survival tremendously, there are 700 North American bee species that are declining because of habitat loss and pesticides. My artwork is and will always be greatly inspired by my mother and grandmother as I grew up watching their beautiful craftmanship and artistry on the sewing machine for my older siblings and I on Halloween or their reupholster in furniture pieces. I want to convey the strength of females and the feminine aspects of nurturing and caring for the Earth as well as for continued human survival for future generations.
Student: Sebastian Melendez
Mentor: Prof. Mary Voytek
Department of Bower School of Music and the Arts
