B.F.A. Painting

Painting has always been a space for reflection—a way to understand how my experiences,
relationships, and environments shape who I am. In my senior exhibition, I explore identity not
as something fixed, but as something continually formed through memory and experience. The
work consists of twenty-four fabric-inspired panels that function as individual moments and,
together, form an evolving self-portrait.

Each panel represents a fragment of lived experience, woven from memory, relationship, and
time. The fabric imagery serves as a visual metaphor for this ongoing process of becoming. This
idea of being “woven from experience” was first introduced to me by my grandmother—my first
art teacher—who often said that certain traits or experiences were “part of your fabric.” Her
words shaped how I understand identity as something built through the accumulation of
relationships and memories.

Color deepens this metaphor. Red represents my embodied self—body, muscle, and fiber—
symbolizing vitality, intensity, and life. Purple represents both my inner self and the people
who sustain me, embodying stability, reassurance, and connection. Together, these colors
emphasize that identity is not formed in isolation but emerges through interaction and support.
The composition extends beyond the canvases, suggesting that identity remains unfinished and
open. Just as new threads alter a fabric’s pattern, new experiences and relationships will
continue to shape who I become. Through this work, painting becomes an act of reflection—an
expression of identity as a state of growth, connection, and continual change.