Skylar Guest | SUNY Oswego

Skylar Guest
Victor, NY
[email protected]

BFA Fine Arts, Painting

Biography

Skylar Guest was born in Canandaigua, New York. She attended Finger Lakes Community College, completing her Associate’s Degree in Fine Arts. Guest is a 2021 graduate of the Bachelors of Fine Arts Program, concentrating on painting.

Her primary medium is traditional oil, and her interests lie in figure painting and portraiture. The series she is working on now is painting modern models while referencing Renaissance art. She received the Grant Arnold Award and has been shown in the 2020 Lakeside Statewide Juried Art Exhibition .

Her future plans include attending SUNY Oswego for a Master’s in Art Education and enjoy a lifelong career as an art teacher.

Artist Statement

My work revolves almost exclusively around the human figure. I explore the body as a whole as well as portraits. My main medium is traditional oil paint, exploring traditional techniques. Using this material started with painting still lifes, as most artists begin. I treat the figures I paint as still lifes, painting just what I see and not what I would like to see. I use posed models and photography to assist the process.

My interest in figures and portraits come from the old masters in the Renaissance period. Classic representations of biblical characters have most of my attention, as well as commissioned portraits created for those with status. Contemporary artist Haley Hasler also has been an inspiration.

I plan on continuing this path of traditional painting and exploring more of the techniques of the old masters. To me, this style of Art is important to learn in order to branch off and create different styles of work. You have to learn the rules to break them.

This is a portrait of a white woman in a teal tube top with her head turned slightly to the side and a neutral expression. Surrounding her, there are eight hands coming in from out of frame, each holding a small moon from each phase. There is a navy and blue striped backdrop.

Self Centered
oil on wood panel
30x40 inches
December 2019
Advanced Drawing and Painting
This is a portrait of a white woman in a teal tube top with her head turned slightly to the side and a neutral expression. Surrounding her, there are eight hands coming in from out of frame, each holding a small moon from each phase. There is a navy and blue striped backdrop.

Skylar
Oil on canvas
9x12 inches
March 2021
Advanced Drawing and Painting
This is a side profile portrait of a white woman with the front strip of her hair dyed purple and pulled back. She has a nose ring and a neutral expression. The green background is textured by short, square brush strokes.

This is a portrait of a black haired white woman with a blue button down shirt and black pants. She has her hand on her hip and the other arm draped over a shoulder height object that is covered in a white sheet. Her expression is neutral and the background is a bright green.

Daniela
oil on canvas
30x40 inches
April 2020
Painting IV
This is a portrait of a black haired white woman with a blue button down shirt and black pants. She has her hand on her hip and the other arm draped over a shoulder height object that is covered in a white sheet. Her expression is neutral and the background is a bright green.

This a photo of a dark haired white woman sitting behind a table with a cake on a stand next to her. She has a chunk of the cake in her hand and she is looking to the side away from the cake. Her expression is irritated. On the table is a grey table cloth and pink party decorations. Behind her is a dark blue background with string lights.

And Eat It Too
Photograph
October 2020
Intermediate Photo
This a photo of a dark haired white woman sitting behind a table with a cake on a stand next to her. She has a chunk of the cake in her hand and she is looking to the side away from the cake. Her expression is irritated. On the table is a grey table cloth and pink party decorations. Behind her is a dark blue background with string lights.

This is a portrait of white woman with light brown hair and a very short haircut. She has one hand on her shoulder and the other down by her side. She is wearing large jeans, black boxer underwear pulled up. She has a white tank top cut short to show the under part of her breasts. She has a butterfly tattoo on her sternum and flowers on her forearm. The background is bright blue.

Indigo
Oil on wood panel
25x40 inches
March 2021
Advanced Drawing and Painting
This is a portrait of white woman with light brown hair and a very short haircut. She has one hand on her shoulder and the other down by her side. She is wearing large jeans, black boxer underwear pulled up. She has a white tank top cut short to show the under part of her breasts. She has a butterfly tattoo on her sternum and flowers on her forearm. The background is bright blue.

This is a grey scale drawing of a box turned on its side on the table. Inside the table there is (from left to right) a small ceramic succulent, a candle with a reflective surface, sunglasses, a plush cactus, and a small Iron Man toy. On the left side of the drawing you can see the edge of the head of a lamp, facing the box.

Box Drawing
Charcoal on paper
18x34 inches
November 2020
Drawing for Transfers
This is a grey scale drawing of a box turned on its side on the table. Inside the table there is (from left to right) a small ceramic succulent, a candle with a reflective surface, sunglasses, a plush cactus, and a small Iron Man toy. On the left side of the drawing you can see the edge of the head of a lamp, facing the box.

This is a still life painting of items on a table. There is a mirror reflecting back the legs of the painter. Behind the mirror there is a grey pillow and different colored frames. Then behind those, there is a box that has a model skull upside down and faced away and white pillow.

Frames
oil on paper
20x30 inches
March 2019
Painting III
This is a still life painting of items on a table. There is a mirror reflecting back the legs of the painter. Behind the mirror there is a grey pillow and different colored frames. Then behind those, there is a box that has a model skull upside down and faced away and white pillow.

This is a painting of a nude female body turned to the right side. It is cut off at the neck and at the top of the thigh. The skin is colorful and the background is dark.

Kylie
Oil on canvas
9x12 inches
February 2020
Figure Painting
This is a painting of a nude female body turned to the right side. It is cut off at the neck and at the top of the thigh. The skin is colorful and the background is dark.

This is a portrait of a black woman with short hair and a Oswego sweatshirt on. The background is yellow ocher and textured. She is turned slightly to the left with a soft smile.

Tynise No. 1
oil on wood panel
25x25inches
April 2021
Advanced Drawing and Painting
This is a portrait of a black woman with short hair and a Oswego sweatshirt on. The background is yellow ocher and textured. She is turned slightly to the left with a soft smile.

This painting is of cloud that are pink on the left side and orange on the right side. In the center of the painting is an impossible square. Within the square, it is divided in half with a line. The bottom half showed more of the clouds, reflections of the square, and an upside-down skull. The top half shows a clear dark sky with stars and a crescent moon.

Sky
oil on paper
20x30 inches
March 2019
Painting III
This painting is of cloud that are pink on the left side and orange on the right side. In the center of the painting is an impossible square. Within the square, it is divided in half with a line. The bottom half showed more of the clouds, reflections of the square, and an upside-down skull. The top half shows a clear dark sky with stars and a crescent moon.

This painting is of a Greek, dark haired woman standing with her hand on her hip and her other hand holding the head of a man by her hip. She is looking at the viewer with a soft smile. She is wearing a sheer robe that is opened in the front to expose her bare chest.

Rose
Oil on wood panel
30x40 inches
April 2021
Advanced Drawing and Painting
This painting is of a Greek, dark haired woman standing with her hand on her hip and her other hand holding the head of a man by her hip. She is looking at the viewer with a soft smile. She is wearing a sheer robe that is opened in the front to expose her bare chest.

This is a recreation of the Last Supper using eight college boys and one girl. On the table in front of them there are two computers, an ash tray, an R2D2 toy, and a candle.

The Last Supper
Oil on wood panel
48x24 inches
August 2020
Painting IV
This is a recreation of the Last Supper using eight college boys and one girl. On the table in front of them there are two computers, an ash tray, an R2D2 toy, and a candle.