BFA Thesis Exhibit

Carrie Dugan

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Artist Statement

I find myself reluctantly drawn to conventional female beauty: an hourglass silhouette, large eyes, and full lips. Conceptually, I am offended by today's beauty standards disguised as female empowerment. We are supposed to find strength in these oversexualized goddesses presented to us; however, these beings fulfill beauty standards deeply rooted in patriarchal ideals. Despite knowing beauty's problematic existence, I find myself drawn to endless images of impossibly gorgeous women. My figures capture this complex, internal conflict in a bizarre manner. They are both beautiful in their exaggeration and ugly in their distortion. I specifically exaggerate unhealthy body standards, such as an absurdly thin waist, to emphasize what I find morally disgusting and yet most aesthetically pleasing about today's body standards. Within the paintings are moments of delicate beauty as well as raw, awkward, and violent gestures. I challenge traditional femineity, associated with poise and delicacy, with my materiality. The charcoal mixes with the paint, giving the oil paints a grungy appearance. The women are both stunning and strange in their own right. To create this world of women, I collage several glamour shots from sources like fashion magazines to create a single being that is both cohesive and disjointed. With my paintings, I capture the complex and current dilemma of women's empowerment in feminism.
The painting features two women sitting on a loosely sketched bench in an abstracted beach scene. The two women are staring at each other and shown in profile. One woman is white, and the other is Hispanic. They are both exaggerated in form and color. Initial traces and reworking of the figure are present in the finished piece. Click to view The painting features two women sitting on a loosely sketched bench in an abstracted beach scene. The two women are staring at each other and shown in profile. One woman is white, and the other is Hispanic. They are both exaggerated in form and color. Initial traces and reworking of the figure are present in the finished piece. Full-Screen

Beaches // Oil and acrylic paint on canvas // 70 inches by 67 inches

The painting is of an abstracted individual woman who is multi-racial. The woman stands with her hands on her hips. Her left eye (from the viewer's perspective) is much larger. She is wearing a dress that is blue at the bust and pink at the bottom. The blue part of the dress has a small pink floral pattern. The pink part of the dress has a large floral pattern. The painting is overall very expressive with swooshed painting gestures and charcoal mark-making. Click to view The painting is of an abstracted individual woman who is multi-racial. The woman stands with her hands on her hips. Her left eye (from the viewer's perspective) is much larger. She is wearing a dress that is blue at the bust and pink at the bottom. The blue part of the dress has a small pink floral pattern. The pink part of the dress has a large floral pattern. The painting is overall very expressive with swooshed painting gestures and charcoal mark-making. Full-Screen

Voguing // Oil paint and charcoal on canvas // 60 inches by 42 inches

The painting is of an abstracted white woman with blonde hair from the waist up. Her left hand (from the viewer’s perspective) is gripping a highly texturized sleeve. She is wearing a rich blue dress. Her right eye (from the viewer’s perspective) is much larger than her cat-like left eye. Throughout her fair skin are intense hues of purple, yellow, and reddish orange. The background is a pale blue with pink and red triangles on the right side (from the viewer’s perspective. Click to view The painting is of an abstracted white woman with blonde hair from the waist up. Her left hand (from the viewer’s perspective) is gripping a highly texturized sleeve. She is wearing a rich blue dress. Her right eye (from the viewer’s perspective) is much larger than her cat-like left eye. Throughout her fair skin are intense hues of purple, yellow, and reddish orange. The background is a pale blue with pink and red triangles on the right side (from the viewer’s perspective. Full-Screen

Perfectly Awesome // Oil paint and charcoal on canvas // 54 inches by 35 inches

The painting is of an abstracted white woman from the neck up. She has short reddish-brown hair with a strawberry blonde highlight. The woman's neck, mouth, and eyes are highly exaggerated. The figure's eyelashes are incredibly long. The initial charcoal drawing is strongly present in the finished piece. Among her pale complexion are intense moments of reds and purples. The background is a light blueish purple. Click to view The painting is of an abstracted white woman from the neck up. She has short reddish-brown hair with a strawberry blonde highlight. The woman's neck, mouth, and eyes are highly exaggerated. The figure's eyelashes are incredibly long. The initial charcoal drawing is strongly present in the finished piece. Among her pale complexion are intense moments of reds and purples. The background is a light blueish purple. Full-Screen

Allure // Oil paint and charcoal on canvas // 38 inches by 35 inches

The painting is of an abstracted white woman from the neck up facing straight forward. She has purple-pink hair and is wearing a large golden hat. The woman’s neck is extremely long. Charcoal is present in her left eye (from the viewer’s perspective). Within her skin tone are strong hints of red, orange, purple, and pink. The background is a rich forest green color. Click to view The painting is of an abstracted white woman from the neck up facing straight forward. She has purple-pink hair and is wearing a large golden hat. The woman’s neck is extremely long. Charcoal is present in her left eye (from the viewer’s perspective). Within her skin tone are strong hints of red, orange, purple, and pink. The background is a rich forest green color. Full-Screen

Instyle // Oil paint and charcoal on canvas // 38 inches by 29.5 inches

The painting is of an abstracted white woman with her hands on her hips facing frontward. She has blonde hair with reddish-orange highlights. She is wearing an orange and yellow dress with oversized sleeves and a blue waist. Color is highly intensified throughout the painting. The woman has long blue nails. She has a long, thin neck and an almost non-existent waist. One eye is blue, and the other is green. The background is lightly textured and has a pale-yellow color. Click to view The painting is of an abstracted white woman with her hands on her hips facing frontward. She has blonde hair with reddish-orange highlights. She is wearing an orange and yellow dress with oversized sleeves and a blue waist. Color is highly intensified throughout the painting. The woman has long blue nails. She has a long, thin neck and an almost non-existent waist. One eye is blue, and the other is green. The background is lightly textured and has a pale-yellow color. Full-Screen

Beauty Bullies // Oil paint on canvas // 60.5 inches by 41.5 inches

The painting is of a white woman from the bust-up. She is facing the viewer with her back turned towards us. She has brown hair tied back in a hair tie. She is wearing a pale yellow crown. Her neck, along with other features, is greatly exaggerated. Throughout her skin tone are icy and dark blues. Initial drafts of the figure are present in the finished piece. There is a slight, yellow glow surrounding her. Click to view The painting is of a white woman from the bust-up. She is facing the viewer with her back turned towards us. She has brown hair tied back in a hair tie. She is wearing a pale yellow crown. Her neck, along with other features, is greatly exaggerated. Throughout her skin tone are icy and dark blues. Initial drafts of the figure are present in the finished piece. There is a slight, yellow glow surrounding her. Full-Screen

America’s Next Top Monster // Oil paint and charcoal on canvas // 45.5 inches by 34 inches

The painting is of an abstracted black woman from the bust-up. She has her left arm (from the viewer’s perspective) hanging over her head. She has blue, wavy hair. She is wearing a rich blue dress with transparent sleeves. Charcoal is apparent in the figure’s left eye ( from the viewer’s perspective), surrounding her mouth, and all around the figure. The background is a light blue with flicks of orange throughout that are reminiscent of the orange hues in her skin tone. Click to view The painting is of an abstracted black woman from the bust-up. She has her left arm (from the viewer’s perspective) hanging over her head. She has blue, wavy hair. She is wearing a rich blue dress with transparent sleeves. Charcoal is apparent in the figure’s left eye ( from the viewer’s perspective), surrounding her mouth, and all around the figure. The background is a light blue with flicks of orange throughout that are reminiscent of the orange hues in her skin tone. Full-Screen

Black is Beautiful // Oil paint and charcoal on canvas // 40 inches by 34 inches