overlooked moments
Maya krueger
“This collection allows viewers to spend more time considering the small things in life; to see beauty in the mundane”.
Artist Statement
“Overlooked Moments” is a multimedia project that centers around undervalued moments through observation and appreciation. Subjects include food, cooking, and time spent in the kitchen. It focuses on the physical space of the kitchen and what can be found inside, exploring how people may interact with them and the moods that environments can create. This project intends to give attention to these moments and recognizes how art can uplift the smallest of tasks and allows them to receive closer inspection. The artworks use printmaking, painting, and othe traditional media to evoke the intimate materiality that comes with handmade objects. Included in the installation is a zine, titled “Kitchen Diary,” made of ten lithograph prints. The prints are also presented as individual artworks, along with a large-scale painting and an edition of prints that combine printmaking and silkscreening. The combination of multiple formats and materials in the project reflects the different perspectives of the objects and moments. With closer observation, these objects and moments can have a newfound appreciation."
The Gallery
The Process
“Overlooked Moments” is a project centered around everyday moments that are often underappreciated, focusing on food, cooking, and the kitchen. Central to the project are 10 lithograph prints, each 6” x 6.” Although this printmaking process is time-consuming and tedious, it gives the pieces a handmade, intimate quality that I was looking for. It is also fitting for the theme of the works since it allowed me to spend more time and attention on each piece. I then scanned the prints and formatted them on Photoshop, along with the front and back covers that I drew in colored pencil. After I printed the pages, I cut, folded, and bound them together with thread to create zines. Similarly, I created the “Sardines” edition of prints using lithography and silkscreening. I wanted to combine these two printmaking methods to give the piece a mixed media approach, incorporating different textures. Another component of the project is an acrylic painting. I wanted it to be a large piece so the viewer could get the feel of the space I was creating. I began with taking reference photos in my kitchen. When painting the piece, I focused a lot on the color palette and brush strokes, using pastel, neutral colors. I kept the painting to a loose style, using big brushes and a plastic card to apply the paint, along with paint markers in the final steps. This project allowed me to use multiple processes and techniques to create a single body of work that share a focus on being mindful in these different moments.
About Artist
Maya Krueger (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist and illustrator who uses painting, printmaking, and drawing in her work. Her main areas of practice are studio art, surface design, and packaging design. In 2023 she was the recipient of Columbia College Chicago’s President’s Residency, which allowed her to develop and exhibit her work as a solo show, “The In Between.” In 2024, Krueger earned her BA in illustration with a minor in fine arts at Columbia College Chicago. Her work focuses on elevating the mundane by depicting common objects and moments, such as food or the act of getting dressed, and embellishing them with decorative elements to offer them higher regard. The intention of her work is to reevaluate the importance of the small things in life and to savor them.
Instagram @mayakruegerart