Artist Statement

Tawan Harrell Chester

P.O.Box 12849

Jacksonville, FL 32209

904.536.8910

I currently create protest art that focuses on active duty servicepersons, retirees, and their families. The compositions are renderings from interviews with other veterans, personal photographs, along with images from books, newspapers, and online sources. These are figurative depictions of situations addressing foreclosures, homelessness, and financial positions.

I use references and symbols that are familiar to my audience and incorporate them in my work to form an emotional connection and convey a message to the viewer. The American flag and the pawn chess piece appear as symbols throughout the body of work. The flag represents the country, liberty, and freedom while the pawn is representative of the service member.

use previously issued military uniforms, military surplus materials, and handmade papers to create mixed media works and lithographic prints. The paintings consist of low-key earth toned brushstrokes that border on impressionism laid on the military materials. Mixed media and lithographic prints make up the renderings appearing on the handmade paper. The paper is made from materials that are overlooked, discarded, or deemed useless distractions such scrap paper, used coffee grounds, weeds, or junk mail. These items provide a unique texture and quality that enhances each piece.

The repurposed military materials are significant because they attest to the metamorphic lifecycle of the serviceperson moves through. This lifecycle changes the individual from a civilian to a warrior and back to civilian. The lifecycle the military materials move through is raw form into military articles then into paintings. I am able to mimic the metamorphic change through the handmade paper by repurposing different paper products and plant matter when creating each batch of paper. I complete the change with the application of drawing, painting, mixed media, and printmaking materials.

I draw inspiration from my military experience and the experiences of other veterans through research and interviews. I am able to create composite images that reflect the changing state and financial situations of veterans. This body of work is the result of over 40 years of observations involving veterans and their families.