OBJECTIVE: Create explorative compositions with the theme of a journey through the emotional stages of a student abroad in Lacoste.
Throughout my time abroad, which was also my first time overseas, I collected various items, including newspapers, postcards, and tickets. I also took plenty of photographs and kept a journal documenting my surroundings, places we visited, and experiences with the many people I came in contact with.
When it came time to create compositions, I took pieces from both my journals and the items I'd created and digitally layered them on top of my favorite images and watercolor experiments from my sketchbook. To create texture, I also scanned in painted pieces of ripped paper and napkins.
The title Foreign Enkindling was inspired by the entirety of my experience - enkindling being the gerund of enkindle, meaning to set on fire, arouse or inspire. As this was my first time stepping outside of the United States, I wanted to call attention to how much this exposure to new places, people and ideas gave way to new perspectives on life following my time abroad. It was also a reference to the range of emotions I experienced while away.
Copy for the spreads came from either scanned journal entries, books I was reading or song lyrics.
