ABOUT KATIE FUSCO
ARTIST STATEMENT
As I’ve always said since people began to ask me why I love art, it’s all I’ve ever known. As a child, my I copied my mother’s old drawings and would present her with each doodle, sketch and painting. In my teenage years, it was where I found my voice. I learned to communicate my emotions to a wide audience, in a way it would grab attention and keep it, typically through humor and relatable situations. I became nearly famous in my oh-so densely populated high school of roughly 600 students (altogether) for my spontaneous little comic strips. A pen and something to draw on became a safe place for me. Ink became my weapon against rules and regulations. There wouldn’t be a corner in a classroom or park that didn’t have a secret little character living on it. Ask an artist why creating is important to them and they won’t ever stop giving out reasons. To be short; for me, a life without art is no life at all. (1)
The number one inspiration to me is emotions. People, animals, even plants. A gentle shove from the wind, making a dandelion droop toward the ground, makes it seem a little grumpy. A dog laying on its back on a hot summer’s day shows contentment. My biggest focus, however, is usually human experiences, although that may just be because I’m around them more often as a fellow human. Expressing beliefs and opinions through a simple cartoon or painting is what I’m mainly interested in. They say writers always look at life as if they were to describe it in full detail a moment later. Well, an artist like myself constantly looks at the world with humor and in short clips, catching short moments so relatable they almost go unnoticed. The emotions people and things show without even thinking about it, that is my inspiration for much of my work. (2)
The pieces I’ve presented in this portfolio is focused on the growth of women throughout the history of American society. While each work of art seems minimal, they’re still very bold with a complex message. Some show improvement for women, and others show our remaining weaknesses. As women, the struggle to fit in, be a “lady”, appear “beautiful”, etc., is a struggle we have brought to the attention of the people. Social standards and problems alike are toxic to true peace and harmony, particularly within one’s self. Hopefully, through my portfolio, these problems are a reminder to the audience, a small seed that lasts throughout their day. If just one person lets that seed grow into a compliment to a person who needs to hear those words, I will have succeeded in sharing a message too easily forgotten. (4)
Creativity means stepping out of your comfort zone, into a world full of oil pastels, chalk and exacto knives. An artist walks out of a studio with used up eraser under their fingernails and acrylic paint unknowingly swept across the brow. And to me, for an average day in an art studio, that is worth while. On the other hand, for a person who cannot confidently present a piece of art unless I have full confidence in the overall neatness, there’s only one place I can go for reliable safety - Photoshop. On a screen, colors look much more vivid and strong, and (most importantly) one wrong stroke of a pen doesn’t mean dedicating thirty minutes trying to fix it. It wasn’t until a little less than a year ago that I became very confident in Photoshop, even with five years experience under my sleeve. If there’s any way to leave a program like NYSATA, it’d be to do so with confidence. (5)
I’ve been a part of NYSATA since I was thirteen years old. After all that time, some words of advice have been passed onto me. Starting at that age, I just collected whatever class projects we did in class and threw it into a folder ready for a presentation. Later on, I’d get my own original idea for it and immediately do it (a habit I’m still very guilty of), no planning involved. Now a days, I take about a week to really think out the idea and have an arguably stronger piece than an original one. Sometimes I’ll even just start all over again and have a new blank slate or idea. (6)
The number one inspiration to me is emotions. People, animals, even plants. A gentle shove from the wind, making a dandelion droop toward the ground, makes it seem a little grumpy. A dog laying on its back on a hot summer’s day shows contentment. My biggest focus, however, is usually human experiences, although that may just be because I’m around them more often as a fellow human. Expressing beliefs and opinions through a simple cartoon or painting is what I’m mainly interested in. They say writers always look at life as if they were to describe it in full detail a moment later. Well, an artist like myself constantly looks at the world with humor and in short clips, catching short moments so relatable they almost go unnoticed. The emotions people and things show without even thinking about it, that is my inspiration for much of my work. (2)
The pieces I’ve presented in this portfolio is focused on the growth of women throughout the history of American society. While each work of art seems minimal, they’re still very bold with a complex message. Some show improvement for women, and others show our remaining weaknesses. As women, the struggle to fit in, be a “lady”, appear “beautiful”, etc., is a struggle we have brought to the attention of the people. Social standards and problems alike are toxic to true peace and harmony, particularly within one’s self. Hopefully, through my portfolio, these problems are a reminder to the audience, a small seed that lasts throughout their day. If just one person lets that seed grow into a compliment to a person who needs to hear those words, I will have succeeded in sharing a message too easily forgotten. (4)
Creativity means stepping out of your comfort zone, into a world full of oil pastels, chalk and exacto knives. An artist walks out of a studio with used up eraser under their fingernails and acrylic paint unknowingly swept across the brow. And to me, for an average day in an art studio, that is worth while. On the other hand, for a person who cannot confidently present a piece of art unless I have full confidence in the overall neatness, there’s only one place I can go for reliable safety - Photoshop. On a screen, colors look much more vivid and strong, and (most importantly) one wrong stroke of a pen doesn’t mean dedicating thirty minutes trying to fix it. It wasn’t until a little less than a year ago that I became very confident in Photoshop, even with five years experience under my sleeve. If there’s any way to leave a program like NYSATA, it’d be to do so with confidence. (5)
I’ve been a part of NYSATA since I was thirteen years old. After all that time, some words of advice have been passed onto me. Starting at that age, I just collected whatever class projects we did in class and threw it into a folder ready for a presentation. Later on, I’d get my own original idea for it and immediately do it (a habit I’m still very guilty of), no planning involved. Now a days, I take about a week to really think out the idea and have an arguably stronger piece than an original one. Sometimes I’ll even just start all over again and have a new blank slate or idea. (6)
Selections 5, 6, 7, and 8These four pieces come together for one larger message. The main concept is representing acceptance in the workforce. Minimal, as said above, is where I find myself not only the most challenged but having the most fun as well. Without facial expressions or true individual identities into no facial expressions to but individuality and a more nonchalant approach. A simple painting with a complicated meaning. (3)
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Future HOPESOne day, hopefully in the near future, art will take an even more important role in my life, and that is my career. My main interest currently is digital advertising. I’ll be sure I’m where I want to be when I am able to use my simple yet powerful piece to plant tiny seeds into the minds of a much larger audience. The popularity of my name is nowhere near as important as the popularity of my artwork, even if that means it remains anonymous. (7)
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Future PlansIn August of 2016, I will be attending Dutchess Community College, the place I have grown to know and love since the seventh grade. As the Class of 2020 I will hopefully be graduating from SUNY Purchase. After that, although hard to tell at this time, I plan to already have started my career in digital advertising, some small projects like logos to larger ones like signs or websites. I will hopefully gain attention to bigger businesses and make a name for myself. (8)
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