Justine Kraynak

BFA Painting with Psychology Minor

Artist Website: justinekraynak.wixsite.com

ARTIST STATEMENT: Within this series of work, I explore a variety of techniques with acrylic paints that illustrate the influence of the current pandemic, COVID-19, and its effects on children, specifically in the realm of education and the newly adopted style of ‘screen-teaching’. Drawn from firsthand accounts of teachers, as well as my own psychological perspective and experiences, focal elements are abstracted in order to accurately display elements of discomfort and an altered learning environment. I attempt to use paint to its full advantage by leaving surface texture present, while using simple brush strokes as definition for shapes and forms. These canvases cover subjects including teaching fine arts through a video call, as well as kindergarten and college students, consisting of objects that directly link to the statements reported by the teachers.

I find myself intertwining realism with a more abstract approach, where an object’s identity can be skewed slightly and even transformed into another one. By leaving my works up to interpretation through a series of breaking down recognizable elements, I intend to invite a conversation, influenced by the veiled narrative of each piece. The compositions created are intended to confuse the viewer while identifying the disconnect present through screen style teaching techniques.