artist statement

Art saved my life.

Before beginning University, I was not the man that I am today. I was introverted, shy, and with little to no confidence. Art and everything that it stands for is what saved me from my internal anguish. People who know me, know me as a positive upbeat person. They would have difficulty recognizing my former self; however, that person is who shaped me to be the artist and man I am today.

Before I discovered art, I struggled with depression every day. Personal creativity has transformed the way I think, and the very essence of my person. This revolution in thinking led me to not only be a happy person, but to see that life is a series of side effects and we never know where anything will lead us. If it had not been for the struggles in my life, I never would have picked up a guitar, or started the search for that creative outlet that has led me here. Art is no longer an activity or exercise to me; it is now my way of life, and the way that I interpret and embrace the world around me.

The process of making art has taught me to accept and embrace the surprises and accidents in my life and in my work with positivity and creativity. I usually start out with an overall plan for a project, and during the process of creating, the piece changes and evolves, based on things I see happening in the materials. This process of experimentation and observation of materials is what dictates the direction of my project. Though I start with a concept and an end goal, it is the ideas that have yet to take shape which truly excite me.

By living in the moment and accepting these anomalies, I see my artistic process evolving in a very similar way to that of my discovery of art. With my latest project of body casting, all three molds failed. By noticing the ability of the casting material, alginate, to move and flex, it led me to experiment with the moulds and the unique shapes they could create. I began to work with the “failed” moulds and the resulting pieces are now, in my opinion, my strongest pieces to date. Confirming my belief, that life and its experiences, are links in the chain reaction of the universe. If the mould had not “failed”, I never would have ended up creating the biological/biomorphic forms, and I never would have found the direction in which I am working in now.

I am very excited about the years to come, the challenges that I have to conquer, and the discoveries that I have yet to make. But, the most exciting part is that I have no idea where life will take me and the unlimited possibilities that lay before me.

-Daryl Markiewicz