Claire Stankus

Chalk on Pink
oil on panel
20 x 20 in.

I paint from assembled arrangements of collected found and made objects. I gather, rearrange, and find objects that take my perspective of the everyday and breakdown their color and form to play with pattern, specificity, and familiarity. Collecting and arranging these items allows me to complicate the actual space, and gives me the opportunity to manipulate 3D objects into flattened fragments and fields of color. The repetition of shadows, colors, and shapes are both sporadic and calculated, which deserves a second look. With paint I can straddle the line between the real and abstract, pushing the boundary of positive and negative space, to encourage the viewer to find something wonderful and odd in the subtle moments of the mundane.

Claire Stankus was born and raised in the suburbs of Albany, NY and obtained a BFA in painting at Syracuse University in 2012. She is currently a 3rd year graduate student at the University of Connecticut working towards her MFA in studio art.

© Claire Stankus