(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1981) Toland, Deborah Groome
I am trying to represent a feeling or psychological state; the situation and figures in.my work are often used as metaphors. The drama becomes a symbolic representation of an emotion or inner condition. There is an exaggerated sense of drama or melodrama throughout the work, which increases the potency of the scene and promotes self- consciousness in the viewer. In creating scenes where the figures look out at the viewer, it is my intent that the viewer becomes aware of his own observation,. Many scenes depict fragments of an implied narrative creating a mystery open to the viewer's interpretation. The use of light and shadow support the melodrama and increase the level of fantasy and mystery. Each isolated scene, beyond describing a condition, asks> the viewer for his involvement in the drama, while making him self-conscious in the process. My work is often satirical. This satire co-exists with an empathy for the situations created.
