Bio

Hey, I'm Syd! I am a visual artist based in Spokane, Washington. I enjoy painting and drawing in several different media, including acrylic, watercolor, pencil, and charcoal. I occasionally like to experiment with collage and printmaking as well. I have a passion for creating a wide array of artworks, which often reflect both my views on the past and my hopes for the future. Some of the subjects and themes that are often reoccurring in my artwork include animals, insects, social issues, and childhood memories. My work has, on multiple occasions, been described by professors as "dark, but whimsical." I will be graduating from Eastern Washington University with a BA in Studio Art in the Spring of 2023.

Artist's Statement

            When we are brought onto this planet as infants, we see it with fresh eyes. Everything around us is bright, beautiful, and filled with wonder. Eventually, as we continue to grow, we are exposed to all that humanity has to offer, and we realize that the world is a much darker, more confusing place than we had dreamt it up to be. 

            The majority of the art that I create revolves around the idea of childlike wonder, while allowing the realities of life to seep through the cracks of that façade. Through the lenses of nostalgia, gender, traumatic experiences, and self-reflection, I am able to give the viewer a brief glimpse into my psyche. I incorporate tidbits of my childhood into almost every piece I create, sometimes without intending to do so. I consider a piece of my artwork to be successful when viewers are confused or made uncomfortable by it.

            My primary strategy when producing a piece of art is to use a combination of realism and abstraction, often blurring the metaphorical line between the two. I enjoy placing detailed depictions of subjects into unlikely settings and situations, while bending the rules of space and volume, and intentionally causing objects and surfaces to appear flat or dimensional when they are expected to be the opposite. I prefer to make these images in color, using acrylic paint, watercolor, colored pencil, and occasionally mixed-media collage. With the use of color, detail, and personal background, I can fabricate brand-new worlds for the inner child to explore, and for the grown-up to fear. 

CV

Sydney Gacusana

Freelance Drawing and Painting

Spokane, Washington

EDUCATION

2023 Eastern Washington University │ BA in Studio Art