Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Jessica Dipietro

Exhausted by the idea of painting

These two pieces are experimental, using wet spray foam to mould large sheets of canvas over wood back panels. These sculptural paintings were then gessoed and painted with oil paint in an impasto technique to add more texture to the work. The greens/reds of “Deterioration” melding into each other represent the mental grief of missing someone of great importance and watching that person’s health deteriorate. For “Exhausted,” the fleshy peach and purples represent the lack of sleep and physical strain exhaustion has on the body. For both pieces, the layered, twisted canvas is representative of twisted sheets on an unmade bed, something tired yet so inviting.

“Exhausted by the idea of painting, this is a two-piece body of work that explores personal grief and exhaustion from personal life and school. This piece is the first step away from figural painting and toward exploring new materials. It explores the importance of painting as an outlet for overwhelming feelings. Sometimes the content of the work doesn’t have to be deeply representational or conceptual; sometimes the work can be a pure expression of your own feelings.”