Genesis An Artist Statement By Rylee Mckenzie Mental health, generational trauma, religion, gender, and spirituality are all topics that I've explored in my portfolio. For the Parsons’s Challenge, I decided to take the ideas of religion and gender, and mix them. The story of Adam and Eve was lectured to me ever since I was a child. I wanted to create something that I was preached to about and turn it into a piece that would not correlate with the book of Genesis. The Book of Genesis places value on the gender of Adam and Eve. In today’s society we are becoming more and more conscious and open of gender exploration. I am non-binary, and wanted this piece to also reflect myself in a way. First, I wanted to experiment with a material I rarely use. I chose Charcoal and graphite. I chose these materials because I wanted to practice my skill in them. I also liked the way the gray-scale and texture gave my piece a rather unsettling feel. Instead of a pretty bedtime story, I wanted to picture sabotage, confusion, and unity. Graphite and charcoal helped me do so. As I began sketching the bodies, I made them more alien like then human. Adam was going to be bald. Eve was going to have black and white skin with a pattern design. Creating these characters into outer-worldly beings was a goal that I believe I accomplished. Adam and Eve also both have no gender in my piece. This is to contradict and challenge the very existence of them, and the importance of gender. Halfway through I began to get stuck. I went to a national portfolio day and met with some schools for advice and critique. Most said I need to combine my portraits with my design pieces to create more unity in my work. I took this advice and ran with it. I started sketching out my rattlesnake becoming the tree of life. Making the snake look as realistic as possible was another goal. I tend to stay away from realism. With this piece I wanted to prove to myself that I can play around with different art styles and better yet, combine them. I also added stages of the foreground and background. This gave my piece the depth that it was lacking before. For the last element of the design, I wanted Eve’s skin to match the air around the garden. I replicated the design of her skin onto the area of the perceived sky. I made my Adam and Eve blind. Part of it was to add to the unsettling nature of the piece, another was to poke a little fun at people who blindly consume religion. I loved this piece. It changed the way I make art. I look for more unity and play with different artistic styles. I believe this challenge strengthened my conceptualization and thought processes when creating art. Feeling this piece while creating it, healed a bit of my religious trauma. To some Genesis is real life, to others it’s a fairytale. I’m glad I got to play with this idea and show my own take on it.

Empathy is a result of art. It has the potential to question ideas, injustices, and passions from all around the world. Art does not tell people what to do, but it can bring you closer to your senses, body, and mind. It can make the world feel. This emotion can elicit thought, participation, and even action. My creative process usually starts with a trigger, a flash of inspiration that emerges out of nowhere and refuses to go away. Though I do have to ask myself, "Will others see my message?" now and then. As a result, I'm always in search of new and impactful ways to make art. Mental health, generational trauma, religion, gender, and spirituality are all topics that I've explored in my works. I'd like to touch more explicitly about bringing light to dark issues. When someone looks at my work, I want them to understand the concept of duality. Opinions are fragmented and one-sided in today's world. Getting someone to think or feel in all perfectives leads to enlightenment. It can sometimes lead to more questions. These questions compel us to adapt. To evolve into a single conscious body, I desire society to keep asking such questions. I realize it's a bit of a stretch to believe that art can accomplish such things, but hope is one of the most powerful emotions we can have in our lives. Art is my language of expression, and sharing it is a wonderful gift. I don't create art unless it has a purpose. It also provides a sense of purpose as an individual. I create because I love art, not for the admiration I get from it. I adore the creative process of art and how it helps me deal with several challenges. Instead of hearing the compliments of how talented some artists are (or myself), I value the insight art brings to people much more. Most importantly, the value of art to me is determined by my capacity to convey a message. Art, including yours, has the ability to tell a tale that inspires others to feel, think, and challenge things in new ways. Change is sparked by art. I would never give up trying to make a difference, no matter how small. As for my future, I have many things planned. I want to become a freelance artist as well as becoming a sustainable designer in fashion. The ultimate goal is to make my art into a profitable business, whilst creating change in the community. I also want to start my own non-profit organization for children who have dealt with sexual and domestic abuse growing up. I dealt with this for a majority of my life and to create change in the conversation, and having planned actions for change is very important.

Genesis An Artist Statement By Rylee Mckenzie Mental health, generational trauma, religion, gender, and spirituality are all topics that I've explored in my portfolio. For the Parsons’s Challenge, I decided to take the ideas of religion and gender, and mix them. The story of Adam and Eve was lectured to me ever since I was a child. I wanted to create something that I was preached to about and turn it into a piece that would not correlate with the book of Genesis. The Book of Genesis places value on the gender of Adam and Eve. In today’s society we are becoming more and more conscious and open of gender exploration. I am non-binary, and wanted this piece to also reflect myself in a way. First, I wanted to experiment with a material I rarely use. I chose Charcoal and graphite. I chose these materials because I wanted to practice my skill in them. I also liked the way the gray-scale and texture gave my piece a rather unsettling feel. Instead of a pretty bedtime story, I wanted to picture sabotage, confusion, and unity. Graphite and charcoal helped me do so. As I began sketching the bodies, I made them more alien like then human. Adam was going to be bald. Eve was going to have black and white skin with a pattern design. Creating these characters into outer-worldly beings was a goal that I believe I accomplished. Adam and Eve also both have no gender in my piece. This is to contradict and challenge the very existence of them, and the importance of gender. Halfway through I began to get stuck. I went to a national portfolio day and met with some schools for advice and critique. Most said I need to combine my portraits with my design pieces to create more unity in my work. I took this advice and ran with it. I started sketching out my rattlesnake becoming the tree of life. Making the snake look as realistic as possible was another goal. I tend to stay away from realism. With this piece I wanted to prove to myself that I can play around with different art styles and better yet, combine them. I also added stages of the foreground and background. This gave my piece the depth that it was lacking before. For the last element of the design, I wanted Eve’s skin to match the air around the garden. I replicated the design of her skin onto the area of the perceived sky. I made my Adam and Eve blind. Part of it was to add to the unsettling nature of the piece, another was to poke a little fun at people who blindly consume religion. I loved this piece. It changed the way I make art. I look for more unity and play with different artistic styles. I believe this challenge strengthened my conceptualization and thought processes when creating art. Feeling this piece while creating it, healed a bit of my religious trauma. To some Genesis is real life, to others it’s a fairytale. I’m glad I got to play with this idea and show my own take on it.