Artist: Molly Champlin
Exhibition: Fog
Media: Watercolor and oil
Gallery: Gatov Gallery East
Website: http://mollychamplin.com
Instagram: mollychamplinart
Molly Champlin is a student in the School of Arts, Drawing and Painting program. She is a graduate student and is currently in her first year of working towards her MFA for drawing and painting. I think it’s amazing that she is able to get a MFA in doing something she is passionate about. Molly’s main focus for her art is to explore the disconnect from the physical world caused my technology. According to her website, she said, “My paintings and prints are intended to provide a critical perspective on a consumerist relationship with technology.
In the gallery, Champlin displayed several pieces of her work. After looking at her work, I noticed what qualities of form each one had. All of her paintings were on the smaller side. One of her paintings had distinct lines, but they were all different colors and had different shapes. The edges on some of her pieces were jagged, while others filled up all the whole frame. I liked the use of different shapes and spaces she created. She used a variety of colors in her painting. Most were a mix of muted pastel colors and black and white. I think her pieces are all a good size. There are some that are smaller than others, and I had to take a closer look at them, but it also allowed me to notice more details, rather than when I was viewing her pieces from a distance.
I talked with Champlin about her work, and I was able to get a better insight on her thought process while creating her pieces. She said that her paintings are about how the internet affects real and imaginary spaces. When I asked about what ideas she explores in her work, she said she combines contradictory elements, such as oil and water color, and nature and technology. I asked her what’s on her mind during the process of creating the paintings. Champlin said it depends on what steps is on. If she is doing the drawing and sketching, she thinks about what meaning are being created, but when she starts to paint, she’s finds herself responding more to color intuitive.
This was the first time I went to visit a gallery on campus. I was very pleased with the experience. When I first saw Champlin’s paintings, I wasn’t quite sure what the meaning was behind her pieces, but after talking to her and taking a closer look at them, I started to understand where she was coming from and what meanings she was trying to portray. I would definitely suggest to someone to visit the galleries and take a look at her paintings.
Sierrah Long Art 110 