Forget Me
An illustration of Mary, a well-known Jane Austen character, who faces away from viewers. The frame of the piece takes the eye away from her as in Pride and Prejudice, she is forgotten. The artist related to the chats as she used to feel forgotten when she was herself an adolescent. (Due to error, the title is unable to be italicized.) She researched many references before finding the right ones for the concept. Each dried forget-me-not flower was individually placed and glued all over the frame.
About the Artist, Lauren Holmes
Lauren Holmes Baloco is a senior at the University of the Incarnate Word. She will graduate May 2023 with a Bachelor’s in Art and English with honors. She hopes to publish several poetry books and start a small business before entering an apprenticeship.
Interview with the Artist
What impacts do you think art can have on society?
Art can have any sort of impact on society. Art in the past as well as in the present has continued to result in necessity infuriate, inspire, comfort, support, empower, even simply engage viewers in whatever piece is presented. Installation art simultaneously visually and physically engages viewers to participate. Art itself does not have to have any sort of meaning, but even if it does not, it technically still might. It is more than okay as an artist to take the time to play.
What is the main message you would like others to take from your pieces?
The skeletal one’s purpose appeals to those who have struggled with feeling like they are not special, like they do not stand out, or like they are or have felt invisible. The second one is meant to draw in viewers of the piece to something as minute and minuscule as microorganisms. It is a small reminder that although we cannot see them, they are there. This applies to many current situations and circumstances.
How has your artistic style changed over the years? Do you follow current trends or follow different themes?
Over the years, I would primarily draw in pencil, pen, or paint in acrylic. That shifted to working with ink, paint markers like POSCA, epoxy, sculpting, etc. I hope to work with other forms of visual arts with other types of media such as oil painting. I like to follow different themes, but save the trends as reference to what I can do with my next works.
What does art mean to you?
Art to me is something I cannot separate myself from. It has always been an integral part of my life. For many years, I would usually only be noticed as an artist first, a person second. This loaded question would need to be properly answered in an essay.