Bio: Zoe was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and attended North Central High School. While attending High School the arts were her major interest. She participated in show choir and took several drawing classes, jewelry and beginning ceramics. After graduading High School, she enrolled in the University of Evansville for her Bachelor of Science Degree (23). Zoe took several art studio courses including Intro to Design, Painting, Figure Drawing and Ceramics. While in school she entered the Undergraduate Student Exhibition several times. She won best in show in 2021, a Merit Award and Second Place Award of Excellence in 2022 and Second Place Award of Excellence and the Dorothea Schlechte Award in 2023. Along with studying visual arts she participated in classes centered on education. During her senior year, Zoe engaged in Student Teaching at Plaza Park International Prep Academy in the art classroom. She led classes for 6, 7 and 8 grade students including two honors classes. Aside from classes, Zoe worked under Brian Connor as a Resident Assistant for Residence Life from 2020- 2023. While working in the position, she learned how to handle complex social situations. She also participated in Student Christian Fellowship, UE Clay Club, and was a member of ISTA. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career as an art teacher in Mobile, Alabama with her husband and dog. Zoe will continue to further her artistic career through her art classes and on the weekends.
Artist Statement: Color makes emotion visible. I have been attracted to color my entire life. One of the first sentences I expressed as a youth was “Mommy where are my colors?” I spent hours on the living room floor marveling at the different hues of crayons. Color adds an emotional element to the physical things of life. I applied it to everything; my clothing, my makeup, and my artwork.
As a young artist, my work was saturated with the brightest versions of all the colors in the rainbow. Formal art education and maturity led me to refine my choices and combine more natural hues with vibrant colors to create wellrounded artworks. I tend to work with multiple media such as acrylic paint, oil pastel, chalk pastel, colored pencil, and even colored foil. Using varied materials allows for more emotional nuance. The softness of chalk pastel combined with gestural techniques implies emotional distress that cannot be expressed verbally. While the bold oil pastel and mixing of acrylic paint create complex color combinations that convey deep unfiltered joy.
Just like the media I use, my work tends to have a variety of subject matter. The subject is secondary to the color I use to capture it. This leads to a wide variety of different images within my collection. My goal as a growing artist is to entice the viewer to move beyond mere observation, and into the emotional intent of the piece. Color gave me a gateway to express myself and that is something I wish for everyone to experience.