Artist Statements

Ciara Barsotti

My work and identity have undergone a monumental shift since becoming a mother. The lack of executive functioning in my brain during those early postpartum months allowed me to stretch myself into intuitive abstract painting, which has been an excellent way to recharge as I continually adjust to the demands of motherhood.

After I gave birth to my first child in late November of 2022, I felt unmoored, and like I would never get my self back. At some point, however, I decided to start painting again, but what came out of me was completely unexpected, and so full of life and playfulness and joy which was a far cry from how I was feeling at the time. I began making abstract paintings, a major diversion from the landscape paintings and drawings I had been creating for the last several years.

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Lindsey Kapoor

I am a sculptor here in Chico working with natural homemade dyes on paper. My work is a tangible expression of my awe and spiritual elation experienced while exploring the natural world. My process starts with collecting flora and making natural dyes. A variety of colors are extracted from grasses, flowers, seeds, fruits and vegetables. The dye is used to stain paper, thus infusing literal natural components into each piece. The stained paper is then cut, torn, rolled or folded in a repetitive manner. This repetition becomes a form of meditation. Each piece is filled with prayerful intention as I contemplate the splendor and serenity of the natural world. Once completed, these abstract works strive to reference my spiritual connection to the outdoors.

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Artist Statements

Kellen Dyer

Kellen Dyer is a figurative painter based in Northern California. He graduated from Chico State with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with his show “Build-Up” featuring large cut-out figurative acrylic paintings of the artist’s bout with sleep paralysis. Now painting in oil, he is fascinated by the classical nude human form, surrealism, and pulls inspiration from the works of Odd Nerdrum, Salvador Dali, and Erik Thor Sandberg to name a few.  

Solving the puzzle of how multiple figures collage together into one composition is a welcomed challenge for the artist. Dyer paints in a large scale often using vibrant opposing color combinations for his figures to contribute to the detailed layers and compositions. The arrow shaped panels help play with the larger composition of how two or more figures interact; also pointing the viewer along the way. Another steady inspiration throughout Dyer’s works is the chicken. The introduction of the chicken inflatable pool toy is an effort to experiment with new textures and welcome different explanations to darker themes.

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Taner Paşamehmetoğlu

My practice delves into the perpetual sensation of being "stuck in between." Both of my parents immigrated to the United States from Turkiye and so I've been navigating the confluence of my American identity and cultural roots ever since I was little. Balancing the pursuit of the "American Dream" my parents toiled for, I find myself caught between the dualities of individualism and consumerism, and convenience, conservation and duty to community.

This sense of liminality extends beyond cultural identity, intertwining with the internal conflict between logic and creativity, which guides my path forward. This state of "stuck" is never motionless - it propels me down an unconventional, self-carved route where my practice becomes my sanctuary.

In my artistic journey, I revel in traversing diverse concepts, and experimenting with different styles and mediums, seeking to provoke thought and evoke emotion. I aim to employ shock with purpose, shedding light on overlooked perspectives through humor and absurdity, particularly when addressing weighty social issues.

Originally rooted in photojournalism, my creative endeavors have expanded, toggling between abstract and representational painting. I often collaborate with nature, allowing environmental elements to shape my work, blurring the line between artist and environment.

While my work may lack a conventional visual thread, sustainability often serves as a unifying principle. Influenced by my father's career dedicated to  science and clean energy I see my work as a tool for communicating and advancing sustainability, ultimately fostering conversations and questions about the places we might all feel a little bit stuck within the world around us.

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