Erin Kittelson

Mosaic Lovers

My name is Erin Kittelson, and I am a senior at Florida State University (FSU) pursuing a degree in Studio Art as an undergraduate. The idea of perception greatly drives my work. Growing up I have always felt more like an observer of the world rather than a participant, and this has led me to want to have others to see the world as I do. I often contemplate how my perception of the world, and of self, compares to others. Through my artwork, I want to bridge this gap from my side and show my perspective visually.

My piece, “Mosaic Lovers,” uses saturated colors and bold lines to create a stained glass or mosaic feel. The work depicts two figures embracing each other during sunset. For this piece, I wanted to create a feeling of harmony and balance by using complementary colors for the two main colors: with orange taking up the top half of the painting and blue with the bottom half.

Stain glass and mosaic tiles inspire the stylization of my paintings considerably. I often use bright colors and black lines to create this effect as the lines help to build both pattern and separation. My primary medium is painting, specifically with acrylic paint. I find that this medium lends itself to a certain flatness that I like to emphasize in my artworks. I believe that color has a large effect on the mood of a piece, and this is the reason why color has such a large focus in my paintings. When it comes to designing my pieces, I heavily consider the areas of busyness. I attempt to create works that have a lot to look at but also do not feel like too much for the viewers so much that it would overwhelm them. I want my audience to be captured, but not over-stimulated.