TONYA WHEADEN-PUGH ‘22
studio art MFA, Towson University

As We Watch Each Other Disappear, 2021
Acrylic paint, paper, oil paint, cold wax, and alkyd on wood panel
48” x 84”

Inspired by a fallen tree after a storm, I learned that one hundred years or more may pass
before all traces of it are gone. As I Watch You Disappear became As We Watch Each Other
Disappear, since remnants of the tree may remain far beyond my time on earth.

A multimedia piece invoking the feeling of organic decay. Brown paint and dried plants make the piece appear to wither before the viewer's eyes.

Wither, 2021
Acrylic paint, dried leaves, dried flowers, oil paint, and alkyd on wood pane
84” x 48”

Indulging my penchant for collecting dried flowers and leaves, as well as creating textured
surfaces, Wither painstakingly emerged. The unintentional ghostly appearance of the surface ironically serves as a nod to the afterlife of the many flowers that were used.