LOREN MANSFIELD
Student. Artist. Adventurist.
Artist Statement
The purpose of my art is to create a renewed love for life for my viewers. I embrace vivid colors in efforts to create a positive and warm vibe that leaves my viewers feeling refreshed and cheerful. Using high contrast and complementary colors I make my subjects appear to pop off the canvas. Always feeling a strong appreciation for nature I choose subjects such as animals and bugs. Through the use of my subjects and color choices I aim to enlighten my viewers so that they may feel the same appreciation I have for this beautiful thing we call life.
I find inspiration in the art works of Andy Warhol and Van Gogh. You can find traces of Warhol’s psychedelic color schemes and graphic appeal in my works. My admiration for Van Gogh began at an early age and his use of expressive strokes, texture and color has always intrigued me. Embracing my inner Warhol and Van Gogh I produce very vibrant and detailed works of art. My paintings have a very graphic appeal to them but a closer look reveals a lot of texture and expressive brush strokes.
My process is a simple but slow one. I have acquired a preference for oil paint and the processes that come with it. Mixing colors to perfection and the thickness of the paint are really what attract me to oil. When choosing my subject I often find a reference photo and tweak the colors until they’re perfect. I use a projector to outline my subject and the rest is left to the paint. I use the colors and values to create shapes and create my subject losing the lines of the original outline as I go. My inner perfectionist leads me to create very detail oriented paintings but I aim to become a more expressive artist. The future holds a lot of learning for me as an artist but will hopefully uncover the recipe to promoting the love for life that I wish to portray within my work.
Works in progress.
Biography
Hello, my name is Loren Mansfield and I am nineteen years old. I am receiving my Associate in Fine Arts degree from South Piedmont Community College. Starting my college adventure at the age of sixteen, my childhood love for art left me with no other choice than to set my focus on fine arts. My plans as a student involve continuing my education at Central Piedmont Community College following graduation. I hope to complete my Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and begin my Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from UNC Charlotte later down the road. My dreams are to establish a successful business while also developing myself as an artist. I have always dreamed of owning my own restaurant with its own artistic flare and I strongly believe in pursuing a career I will truly love.
I am a dedicated student and devote a lot of time to improving myself as an artist and a student. Closely working with my teachers I have achieved many amazing things such as founding the SPCC Art Club. As President of the Art Club I have worked with my advisor to plan events, fundraisers, and field trips. Field trips included a three-day trip to Washington, DC. This trip was a wonderful opportunity for students and we were able to visit the National Gallery of Art and several other museums. I have also worked as a Studio Assistant for the Art Studio on campus.
Other than my interests in art I also have a passion for traveling. I strongly believe life is an adventure and I travel very frequently. South Piedmont has offered the wonderful opportunity to study abroad for ten days in France and Spain. On this trip I will be visiting the Louvre and the Dali Museum and will experience several other life-changing opportunities. Upon transferring I intend on staying involved with my studies and also studying abroad more, hoping to one day study in Italy and Australia. It has always been one of my personal goals to study art overseas but also immerse myself in art within the states.
During my time at South Piedmont I have discovered not only where I stand as a student, but a person as well. I have built a strong belief system that I intend on following as I go forth in the rest of my college career. I was a very shy student when entering South Piedmont and I am leaving a much more empowered individual. I have learned I am a hard worker that will always push through any obstacles coming my way. Balancing a full time job and a full class load provided many challenges but I learned how to effectively manage my time and master study skills. As visual learner I have learned how to really maximize my general outcome from my classes. My time at South Piedmont has truly impacted me and has readied me for the many things to come.
Washington, DC