series

In 2004, Cleo earned a summer research grant to paint and study the social effects of college
suicide which culminated in a seven-piece painting series entitled Student Emotions. The series
was later shown in the Karpeles Museum of Tacoma, WA and because of this project, Cleo was
nominated for the 2004 USA Today All-Academic Team and given Honorable Mention

Student Emotions: An Artistic Examination of College Suicide and Suicide Prevention

The “murder of oneself” robs society of a unique and valuable member. Suicide represents a major
national and international public health problem and is one of our most failed endeavors in understanding
the human mind and spirit. In summer of 2004, I earned a research grant that allowed me to conduct
research into the broad topic of college suicide and in response to my research, created a seven-piece
painting series entitled: Student Emotions.

I began this project inspired by the life of Alex, a high school classmate. Alex and I worked together one
summer after our first year at college, during which we shared stories of our experience and struggles as
incoming freshmen. The complications of her story grew to a climactic account of her failed suicide
attempt. As my University had just experienced a student suicide, this story resonated profoundly. I
dedicate this project to Alex and others like her who struggle with depression and suicide ideation.

Suicide is indeed complex and a condition that implores an integrated understanding of biological, clinical,
subjective and social factors. In fact, more young adults die from suicide than from all medical illnesses
combined including cancer, heart disease, and AIDS.
As a whole, the paintings represent seven days on a calendar week; each title corresponds with a date
from the Fall 2004 academic calendar. Each piece evokes a universal emotion that every person has felt:
nervousness, loneliness, sadness, anxiety, depression, confusion/ confliction, and
hopefulness/contentment. Although I had a discrete intention with each piece and its respective emotion, I
allowed each work to build upon itself as a testament to the complicated and forceful nature of our
emotions.

The goal of this project is twofold: to inspire people suffering from suicide ideation to seek guidance and
support, and to promote a better awareness of depression and mental/emotional illness in our community.
My hope is that this artistic contribution serves as a conduit towards a more compassionate understanding
of our emotions and their formidable presence in each and all of our lives.