Senior Art Exhibit 2007: Jeannine Blankinship

Jeannine Blankinship

"A Work in Progress" was inspired by the spray-painted concrete structures in Venice Beach, California. These structures are painted and repainted daily by an assortment of artists who wish to leave their mark, if only for a few hours. The series of large painted boxes was also influenced by previous artwork that I have created—from street-like spray-painted murals to boxes with defined geometric compositions. The study of mixed media creations by Robert Rauschenberg led me to explore expressive free-form layering in the black and white box.

The sculptural installation represents my ideas, personality, and anti-formal, often irreverent, style. I constructed the large boxes from planes of rough panel board. The pieces are nailed together in an intentionally imperfect manner. The inside of the boxes are just as important as the outside surfaces. The piece exhibits a painterly, but raw approach, the process of which included many layers of an assortment of paints, markers, pencils and other mediums. Friends and acquaintances played an important role in the design's development, construction, and painting. Just as people affect one's personality and life experience, various individuals affected the installation in both positive and negative senses. Although I ultimately determined the final presentation, there are remnants of the interaction and energy of others. The work celebrates the ongoing and colorful process of artistic and personal development.