Thesis Exhibition: April 3-6 

Reception: April 5, 6-8 pm 

Inside Me There Are 2 Horses, 2023, oil on canvas stretched on panel, 30" x 40". 

"Behold a red horse!", 2023, oil on canvas wrapped panel, 30" x 40".

Artist Statement 

My paintings center on the promise and failure of the American Dream. In my paintings, I aim not to recreate the nostalgia of a bygone America, but instead to highlight the dystopia that has sprung up across the country. I want to both document and question the current world many Americans inhabit. Horses, animals with a complex history in America as emblems of “freedom” but also representative of westward expansion, are heavily featured in my work. Growing up in rural Wisconsin, I am deeply connected to horses. I am familiar with their form and with how they can operate as a laborer, making them a good subject to represent the lone American. I care about the representational aspect of my paintings. I want them to be crafted with care even as I comment on the spaces that I am creating. The love I have for these landscapes is complex, and I aim for that tension to be present in the work. I do this partially by pushing color as far as I can. With every painting, I want to see if I can push the tension further. Can a painting become “too red”? Can it become too difficult to look at? And if so, what does that do? 

More information about Claire HarnEnz at www.claireharnenz.com