The push and pull of holding on and letting go
March 27, 2025
Stepping foot into a completed gallery, one that I worked on through years and years with my time at Xavier University, is the most bittersweet feeling I have ever felt. Given the significance of a senior thesis show, it felt like one of the most important moments of my life. I was intentionally putting myself out into the world as a professional artist, the way I wanted people to see me.
My artistic process is loose and lenient but at the same time structured. Brainstorming is crucial for me for understanding exactly what I want to say through my art. I create tons of mood boards ranging from ideas to color scheme, and oddly enough, a deep royal blue kind of became the theme for my show. It has a melancholic quality that reminds us of the past; things that once were but are now distant memories. On the other hand, the color has a significant richness to it, reminding us that those fleeting memories are still valuable and shape who we become. The theme of the show then became very apparent; I needed to talk about how odd the passage of time and growing up into the “adult world” can feel, good and bad. From there, the ideas came flowing and with mostly my printmaking specialty and other fine art forms, I was able to make a multitude of works with tons of different processes: cyanotype printing, hand building clay, woodblock carving, photography, drawing, cameo glass engraving, dry point etching, poetry and writing, graphic design, sculpture, jewelry making, oil painting, linocut printing, film and animation, and merchandise. From there, planning the gallery was also intentional in that setting it up is personally chronological, bringing viewers from childhood to adulthood.
The process was an emotional experience, one that uncovered a lot of things that were buried deep inside me—fleeting memories that have shaped who I am today and emotional thoughts and feelings of the past and future. Ultimately, this show taught me that I am so capable of what I used to dream about as a little girl, to be an artist, and being in the “adult world” only means achieving that dream. The goal was for people to recognize that too, that every decision made reflects on the many layers of the human experience that resonate with the push and pull between holding on and letting go. For me now, I realize that art has always been a part of me and that will always remain constant, I would not survive without it. My art will forever be a testament to my growth and transformation, and I think that is the most beautiful thing.
Caitlyn Hyland
Class of 2025
Art Major with concentrations in print making and graphic design
Arts Administration minor
In this video, Caitlyn lets us visit with her as she prepares for her senior thesis exhibition entitled Énouement, the feeling of growing up and the passage of time. (Video produced by Julia Hootman)
