ONLINE: The Junior Art Major Exhibition 2020 > Bryanna Filip

As an artist, I am interested in the world of concept art, where characters and worlds for the movies we see today are made. How do I create my wild and impossible characters that have constituted much of my art practice thus far? How do I create the world in which they exist? Well, it starts with a song. It can be any song from almost any genre, and from that point I simply leap off the proverbial diving board. I grab the spark of inspiration provided by the song and use it to shape a character. I might give a character impossibly big, spiky brown hair, or a black pompadour. Then their clothes, are they grungy? Or do they like fine suits and tailored shirts. What are their personalities? Maybe one has a heart of gold under a wild and rambunctious personality, another could be burning hot with fires of courage buried under fear and insecurity. There’s very little telling until the music is done, and they stand before me in their little world, ready for adventure!

I have a boundless and undaunted imagination that is fueled with the endless need to create. After all, someone once said imagination works best when it’s set free. For this exhibition, I turned to myself as a subject. Doing this was difficult for me since I avoid bringing attention to myself, hence (UN)seen shows me in shadow despite the spotlight being on me. In Concept of Self, I made myself into a concept character, considering my usual appearance and clothes as well as my role as a comic artist for the campus newspaper. In One Little Spark, I represent what my imagination feels like to me, that I run around a world filled with creative possibilities--with some help of course from an old friend who knows a thing or two about sparks of imagination! Finally, Mickey Bar Gazes Upon Tomorrowland Terrace is what it sounds like. A Mickey Bar is my favorite food--there’s nothing I love more than that classic treat on a hot day. One of my favorite memories is of my mom and I going to the always quiet Tomorrowland Terrace at Disney World to enjoy our treat and watch the castle show.