ARTIST STATEMENT
Much of my art revolves around investigating the relationships that we have with one another. This work comes from a small series about my grandmother and the care she gave me growing up. She loves the color blue and the ocean, even though we live in suburban Indiana.
I was at her house almost every day while my parents worked full time, and everything in her home was some shade of aqua with shells, sea glass, seagulls, and lighthouses in every corner. My grandparents’ household is incredibly traditional. My grandmother has always done all the cooking, cleaning, and housework even though my grandfather is long retired.
She cared for me and dealt with my sometimes very difficult grandfather with the strength of a quiet ocean. No matter what was going on or how much work she had to do, she wrapped both of us into a peaceful oceanside world. It was quiet, feminine, beautiful, and blue.
We could stay here and play dress up with blue scarves and skirts until the next meal had to be made. She took the harsher waves of reality, received them kindly, and let them pass. While I wish she could get the beach house she has always wanted, I am glad that she taught me how to follow the ocean.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
I lived in Indiana before coming to live in Chicago to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I am a current student there, and most of my work consists of oil paintings, but I am also studying printmaking and design. I love to observe relationships, especially here in the city. Many of my paintings revolve around portraiture, crowds, and the beauty of the souls around us.
© Samantha Degucz