Rhetorical Landscape
Zoe H.
Ink and watercolor on paper
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Rhetorical Landscape is a series of literal interpretations of three idioms—Barking Up the Wrong Tree, Curiosity Killed the Cat, and To Stir Up a Hornet's Nest—and a story formed by connecting them. I wanted to explore linguistics and its reliance on our communal agreement of meaning. For example, "it slipped my mind" communicates forgetting without actually saying that. By forming figurative language into a visual story, we uncover more about the connections, nature, and interpretation of these central yet strange, aspects of language. Even before beginning the final work, I found myself linking this metaphor-driven story to the tradition of fables. During early sketches, my drawings grew reminiscent of storybooks. I studied standout examples and adopted techniques to emulate that look within my own style. Researching how to visually interpret idioms has inspired me to continue this exploration and see where else it might lead.
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To me, creativity is re-imagination. Taking a provided truth, interpreting it and finding new truth. It is core to everything "creative" I do; book analysis, essays, artwork, and maybe the occasional rule.
