hi there, i'm lydia
I am currently based in Spearfish, South Dakota, wrapping up my bachelors degree in Studio Art at Black Hills State University. I grew up in the Houston, Texas area and have found my second home up here in the Hills. Get to know a bit more about me and why I create what I do, below! :)
About the Artist
Artist Statement
My current studio practice incorporates gouache paint, textiles and clay. These interdisciplinary approaches to making art are inspired by nature and by garnered friendships. The work I create hones in on the theme of place, specifically, home away from home. My artistic focus encompasses creating safe spaces, welcoming environments, and comfortability within a piece of art.
Collecting yarn and turning it into something beautiful and cozy is rewarding for me. Rug tufting, specifically, allows me this opportunity. Through this medium what I create is as vast as warm landscapes in the countryside, and as small as a frog by the pond. These themes translate into my paintings as well. Painting is a medium I have used longer than I can remember. Upon my discovery of gouache paint, I felt even more able to portray the comfort I feel while painting, within my works. Using color theory and stories, gouache has pushed me to use specific color schemes and combinations to portray feelings, energy and emotions.
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Finally, through clay I create a world of cozy characters, which range from pots to mugs. They all have soft, rounded edges, adorable, expressive faces and chunky noses. I have established themes of home, community, and friendship within these pieces. All of these mediums only reinforce my love and need to create homes. Homes with a safe, warm, inviting, welcoming energy, that everyone deserves to feel in some way, shape or form.
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Artist Biography
Lydia Derksen is a Spearfish based artist currently studying a BFA in Studio Arts at Black Hills State University. Lydia’s artistic practice is interdisciplinary and focuses on a variety of materials such as gouache paint, textiles and clay. She is inspired by the nature surrounding her in the Black Hills, currently, in relation to the theme of home away from home. Whether she is making rugs or painting cottages, her artwork has been described as warm, cozy and inviting. Creating homes and safe spaces has always been important to her, but especially so after moving over a thousand miles from home to study at BHSU. Currently, she is exploring the combination of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional aspects to create a unique and colorful body of work. Lydia Derksen has exhibited her work nationally, as well as in several regional shows, such as the Mathews Opera House Art at BHSU exhibitions 2021-2023.
TO READ MY CV
