Joyce Phelps

BFA Drawing

Artist Website: jtphelps97.wixsite.com/website

ARTIST STATEMENT: My practice articulates my imagination and my interest in the media I consume through fantasy and the supernatural themes. In my work my tendency is to lull between vibrant, lighthearted pieces and darker, horror influenced works. This stems from my fascination in media such as cartoons and comics which incorporate these juxtaposing elements. I incorporated this leaning within my artwork with my affinity for storytelling. Following suit, The Island of Rabid Cats paints an apocalyptic narrative in which the typical zombies are replaced with innocuous cats that turn into insidious monsters. This series of digital works which includes standalone illustrations and comic panels presents a story of adversity as the main character struggles to navigate a perilous landscape in order to realize a goal. With this ongoing story I want to convey a theme of hardship which transforms into hope, which I believe reflects the current state of the world. The concept for the story arose from not only my own visualizations, but also my feelings towards the global situation. While using my own imagery and life experience, I want to create fantastical stories with echoes of reality.