Carolyn Estes

Class of 2020

Carolyn creates art centered on self-reflection, psychology, philosophy, and mostly a sense of spirituality. Her spirituality is defined mostly by feeling a connection to life on Earth through people, places, animals, plants, and her sacred spaces. She has an interest in thinking about mindfulness and awareness and how that leads to the soul's personal growth, and that butterfly effect on the collective. She sees mindfulness and awareness as a strong aspect of some spiritualists today. 

Another theme she hopes to convey is transmutation, the art of turning even our worst life experiences into beautiful things. She loves feeling a connection to her creations through colors, and how they pull out certain emotions. She also likes to convey in her art a sense of fluidity and allowing herself to simply flow with what she desires to show. She hopes for a sense of attraction, passion, and magnetic pull to her pieces in the same way nectar draws bees to flowers. She believes her artwork is the force of her life that allows her to have the courage to create the life she desires that manifest her attractions. 

Her art is her sacred space and her home and environment deeply affects her. She wants people to see her art and feel the beauty of being in a sacred space-like a bedroom full of things we love. The feeling of being in our rooms surrounded by the things we love that reflect our individuality, and the serenity of being in a space of our own creation and design.  

For her collage art, she wants to feel a connection and meaning with every single photo she chooses. She thinks that by delicately deciding each individual image that she feels a strong passion for, she is creating a whole image that reflects a collection of all the little gems she loves. In these pieces, she wants to convey the concept of conflicting love for Seattle, a city strife with problems, and yet still rich with natural beauty. For the next piece, she wants to show the blend of masculinity and femininity first within our own selves, and then rippling throughout the collective consciousness. 

See more of Carolyn's work here.

Photo of artwork by SU student Carolyn Estes installed in the Vachon Gallery

Installation View, Collaged mixed media, 2020