Michaela Forsten,
Painter

A universe is an immeasurable space defined by particular experiences. It is tangible, but you cannot hold it in your hand. I have, through my paintings, drawings, and collages strived to create universes based on my own experiences. When I create a painting I am make-believing a world where each shape and color has a relation to the other, just as each person on this planet has a relation to each other and the living things they are surrounded by. I consider the forms to be alive after I have created these connections. I have to always consider how the forms are going to work together to create a universe. I discover new ways to express a world abstractly through self reflection. I am my own universe and I can only create what exists within me.
I use the earth as inspiration for creating my pieces as well. I might reference a specific landscape in a completely abstract way, but it satisfies my desire to have these organic societies be believable. It is not enough for them to be abstract, or for them to be appealing to the eye. I need my work to be felt and experienced as if you could walk into the paintings and never return. I want viewers to lose themselves in my struggles and achievements, just as I lose myself in theirs. I have felt that there is a force in me screaming to be let out. It is a force built on empathy and respect for fellow human beings. I have found a way to release this force accurately with abstract painting. My recent work is the result of my own fight against hardship. I have forced myself to struggle through inner pandemonium to find clarity, which results in either very messy or very strict paintings. I do not start with any planning, but instead allow the painting to form organically through layers of paint or paper. Since I typically do not know where I want a painting to be when it is finished I have to push myself to continually rework or destroy a piece until I feel that it has reached its own conclusion.
I hope that my work will help others to realize the connection that we all have; we are all human. My work, as individual pieces and as a collection speaks to this fact. I have an entire universe inside of me that I am consciously aware of, and therefore I am aware of the macrocosms within each person I meet. My intentions are to bring awareness to the struggles that we all fight through every day and to share the belief that through connections with other people and the world around us we can all overcome any personal fight.