Tyler Orellana

The Skin I'm In

The Skin I’m In is a series of multiple paintings and 3D animations that explore the human form and how we as individuals situate ourselves in our bodies. Taking place in an altered reality, the body and some of its most vital organs can act outside of each other, fleeing from and discarding one another.

“Throughout my art practice, I have developed an interest in the human body and have explored its intricacies through my personal painterly style to portray humanoid-like forms. Primarily rendering these forms to personify a human characteristic or emotion. For my Capstone Project, I wanted to further research the concept of ‘what is it to be a body’. With a focus on features that operate seemingly externally from the self but are nonetheless valuable to our total sum, existing in a body felt as if a vessel, carrying counterparts that exist of their own accord. The Skin I’m In, is a series of paintings accompanied by a short loop of 3 animations that open the door to a reality where the boundaries of the body are lifted. Created in the program Blender, the animations detail the daily routine of a body living in an altered plane of existence, where the restrictions and boundaries of the body are unsheathed. Thus, allowing for the discarding of the flesh and organs to run amuck freely. Delving into the relationship between the body and the self, The Skin I’m In aims to force a confrontation with the audience and their body. My main influence for this Capstone Project, visually, is artists akin to Matthew Stone, whereas the conceptual idea stems from the philosophical idea of A Body Without Organs as described by Gilles Deleuze. Stone is a fellow painter and 3D artist, whose work with textured paint overlaying onto models inspired me for the 3D animation aspect of this piece and the inspirations for the paintings. Deleuze's philosophical view on the body and our relationship with our internal organs helped me develop a more complex way of perceiving the body. I decided to create my Capstone Project with both paintings and 3D animations to demonstrate the technical skills I have accumulated throughout my art discipline. I wanted to showcase my paintings where I utilize expressionistic brushstrokes to simulate muscles and veins, providing a more vivid depiction of the body. As well as challenging my technical abilities in Blender animation to add a level of uncanny realism and stimulate life into the painted figures. Together those mediums work together to create a dramatic narrative.”