Artist Statement

Jerry Talley

This year I created artwork about abuse. And from the start of the story I'm trying to tell, it is affecting not just the people being abused, but the abuser as well. Whether that be emotional, physical, or even drug related. It tells the story and shows the progression through time and how the abusers actions have haunted him and how he has seen the person he has now become with bits and pieces of different stories throughout.

I chose the theme of abuse because I wanted to dive into something that was a little more controversial and that people don't usually talk about, but that could also be taken in many different ways, which is why I try to make each artwork very vague and have the viewer decide one what is actually going on. Abuse can be very unpredictable and that's how I wanted this story to be told. My intentions were to use lots of different materials and challenge myself to learn more about things that I was uncomfortable with before but that I was surrounded by from the beginning. I used lots of pen work as well as water color to paint a certain feeling and emotion for a specific scene. I previously attempted works in charcoal and pastel but wasn't completely satisfied with the outcome. Detail is something that I love to add and it seemed best to incorporate it through my pen work. A typical project starts and finishes on the same piece of paper, all my brainstorming and sketches become my final product even if it takes forever to develop. This process forces my creativity to take the lead whenever I'm lost on what to do, knowing that I'm confined to one piece of paper makes all the difference. And once the sketch is down, that's what I'm working with, no going back.