DAWSON'S VISA0150 PORTFOLIO:

PROJECT 1: Color as Medium

For this project, I reworked a graphite drawing I created at the beginning of 2023 that explores various forms of power. As a visual artist, I am most experienced with traditional 2D mediums. However, I am fascinated by the opportunity to blur the lines between physical and digital art. While I am less familiar with digital mediums, this project challenged me to explore the possibilities opened by incorporating my more traditional practice with digital art.

PROJECT 2: Cutting Line

This piece is was originally a linocut from a larger body of work that explored the Canada Goose as a symbol of masculinity and male sexuality. I am drawn to printmaking as a medium due to the ability to reproduce and recontextualize a single piece. In the planning stages of this piece, I found myself interested in laser etching for similar reasons. I find the possibility of creating a varied edition of lasercut artwork very inspiring, and I hope to further develop this concept in the future.

PROJECT 3: Steal This Book

This piece is made entirely of editions of The College Hill Independent, or The Indy. For the last two years, I have been collecting printed editions of The Indy with the intentions of making some sort of collage or similar piece. I'm drawn to both the inspiring student art that is published as well as the physicality of a newpaper. When asked to create a zine of entirely plagiarized material, the idea of using my collection of The Indy editions came to me immediately. I used a photocopier to digitize the physical copiers, and experimented with moving the magazine as the photocopier scanned the text. I picked out a few of my favorite lines from each published edition, and reformatted the resulting images into the final zine.

FINAL PROJECT: Varied Edition

This piece is based on a linocut I made about a year ago. I’m interested in the ways that traditional and digital mediums can be combined to create unique artistic processes. In particular, I’m excited to explore the idea of creating traditional printmaking editions using digital techniques. For this piece, I converted the original 10” x 10” linocut into a vector graphic, altered the colors, and printed four 18” x 18” versions in different colors. I then cut each print into strips, and wove the images together to create two 18” x 18” prints. The outcomes possible by using a combination of digital and physical processes is inspiring to me. The final varied edition of prints is neither traditional printmaking nor entirely digital art, yet has qualities unique to both.