Urdilinya Smith
Monsters Within
I am Urdilinya Smith. I create tons of digital illustrations and also do traditional works with acrylic paint, gouache, and ink. I tend to focus on landscapes and creepy imagery. I've always enjoyed making strange, unnerving art with a more fun, colorful feel. Bringing joy to the strangeness around us. I've been attending UMass Lowell since 2019 and currently have an associates degree for studio art from Middlesex Community College.
Artist/Thesis Statement
We all fear things. It may be something small like spiders or mice, maybe more. In this series, I incorporate people's fears that they have about themselves and others around them. What one may fear may differ from others. We may see each other as monsters, and no one would ever know it.
I created these pieces by taking photos in the real world of myself or others, and painted over them using computer software and traditional mediums like acrylic paint and gouache. Sometimes in varying order from one another. I turned the pictures of people into monsters. The reason I use monsters and creatures is for them to be more impersonal to the audience. They lose any sort of familiarity or recognizable features we may recognize so one could more easily insert themselves into the art.
Before creating the art, I would first go around and ask people two questions: What do they fear about others around them, and what they fear in themselves. And I used this info to add to every artwork. Whether it be quotes within the work, or adjusting each monster with said fears.
Our fears can manifest in a profound way. And what I wanted to do was visualize it. Certain running motifs I have going in the artwork. That includes eye people, meant to represent the prying eyes of others. With eyes being the window to the soul, and adding a creepy factor to the art, they add a certain rawness and play into the "how people perceive you" angle. The use of warm tones like reds and browns to create a more intense feeling throughout and to add visual unity with everything. And finally, making the art somewhat crowded. This plays into the idea of your thoughts somewhat crowding your mind. Quotes and ideas running rampant within someone's mind.
