rose quartz pull

15/11/2016

TAYGAN CRAPO

Having moved every two and half years growing up around Canada and a short time in Europe, I was exposed to and developed a love of art at a young age. I’m attending the Alberta College of Art + Design majoring in glass and have entered my final year this fall. My artistic practice consists of the progression towards becoming a polymath with an emphasis in glass. However, I continue to used photography and painting to work through my concepts when I do not have access to my favourite medium. I currently have been given the opportunity to work at the Fireweed Glass Studio in Canmore under the tutelage of Nicole Tremblay, an ACA alumni and seasoned glass artist. My work stems from phenomenological experiences in my life that inspire me to create artwork that ties the artist to the viewer and vice versa. I also have a deep love for the contrast between an etherial and dark aesthetic. I am currently working with a couple of different concepts such as contained chaos and the beauty of letting go as well as the juxtaposition between beauty and brutality. My ancestry stems from Iceland which is where I receive a lot of my inspirations from when it comes to colour and aesthetic. I had a wonderful opportunity to travel there and visit where my family came from. I felt an immediate connection to the land, the history, and the people and I plan to revisit as often as I can. I plan to attain my MFA in glass post graduation, travel the world, and eventually work and teach as a glass artist.

ARTISTS STATEMENT
Throughout my practice as an artist I have explored phenomenological experiences expressed through painting, photography, and glass. I find the way we, as a society, connect to artwork based on human experience fascinating because everyone has a different reaction to the work based on the sum of events made throughout his or her lifetime. The work, therefore, will take on varying meaning once it is out of the artist’s hands and out into the public eye. Exploration of process and research into mixed media have a heavy influence on my personal practice. Glass is a relatively new material to me, so when I can incorporate another medium that I am better acquainted with I find inspiration in their amalgamation. However, glass by itself is a very seductive medium. The process of working with the material in a malleable state, followed by a further manipulation while in a solid state is what intrigues me. There is so much potential for expression through material, let alone once said material is put into context via installation or presentation amidst other mediums. I work through my ideas with the tedious process of moving from a literal state and slowly working the concept down to a more formal, minimal, and sometimes abstract representation of work based on the initial idea. The goal is to work from a very personal space and mold it into something that a wide audience can relate to. I try to emblemetize thoughts or feelings that cannot be adequately expressed through spoken or written word in order to focus in on something that is in-habitually contemplated . I present the work intuitively, but once it is out of my hands the idea is given over to the public to make of it what they will through interaction with the work and quiet self reflection.

rose quartz pull

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TAYGAN CRAPO

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