Brooke Kearns '20 | Senior Capstone Exhibition

Brooke Kearns '20 is a featured artist in the 2020 Senior Capstone Exhibition, a virtual gallery showing that represents the culmination of four years of undergraduate work that ends in a yearlong art project created by graduating senior art students.

"Thoughts and Questions from an Anxiety Beast"

Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time, but an anxiety beast is an overwhelming and consistent companion that we certainly don’t ask for.

Anxiety beasts can grow, shrink, or transform. Nobody knows exactly where they come from. Why do some people travel with them more than others..? It’s hard to say, but rather than try to suppress them, we can understand them and use them in a positive way...

I began drawing primarily while sitting (and not taking notes) in a classroom. I realized that it made me feel more relaxed, and so I continued to draw with pen and paper because those Tools were readily available to me. While I have refined my style over the years, the ultra fine tip pen is still my favorite because I draw with many tiny lines.

I plan each composition while thinking about a certain idea, such as (but not limited to): feeling like a social outsider, what it means to dwell on past events, daily experiences such as driving, wanting to feel connected to nature, sharing experiences with others, or the possibility of alien encounters. I allow the piece to develop naturally as I draw. Over time, certain symbols have become a part of my drawn world.

"I allow the piece to develop naturally as I draw. Over time, certain symbols have become a part of my drawn world."
—Brooke Kearns '20

For example, the doors represent future events that the anxiety beast feels with complete certainty will be disastrous. The closed doors mean that there are no options and that you can’t escape your horrible fate. The open doors mean that other possibilities exist…. Anxiety beast is exploring worlds of possibilities which are sometimes intimidating and sometimes inviting.

— Artist Statement, Brooke Kearns, '20