Artist Statement
For this series of book cover designs, I elected to go down the route of tattoos. I want to shine light into their beauty and complexity by helping elevate the art form. Permanent Inscriptions is a series of five books that each relate to a specific style of tattooing. They mostly go in a chronological order so that viewers can see how the styles developed and changed through different cultures. I want people to understand that tattoos aren’t just defacing your body. I want people to understand the artistry that goes behind them. I chose to do ornate covers for my series that play off of an art magazine known as Cabana because I don’t want people to have preconceived notions about the subjects at hand. I want them to go into these styles, eyes wide open, so that they can begin to really appreciate tattoos and what they are to people.
About the Artist
Kayleigh Schrader is a dual major completing her BFA in Graphic Design at York College. She is from Southern Maryland and spent all of her childhood living and breathing art; perhaps that’s why she has such an affinity for tattoos. Growing up, Kayleigh would often come home with anything from sharpie to pen to highlighter “tattoos” adorning her arms. By the time she grew up, she knew exactly what she wanted to be – a tattoo artist. When she began college, her dreams led her to the Fine Art program to expand her abilities and perfect her craft. Kayleigh completed the Fine Art program with a Bachelor of Arts in Spring 2018. When it came time to graduate, she wasn’t really sure if that was the path that she wanted to pursue and decided to continue her education and expand her knowledge through Graphic Design to learn some digital ‘tricks of the trade.’ Kayleigh received and accepted a Marketing Assistant position this Fall and will be graduating (again) with the class of Fall 2020. Though the pandemic of COVID 19 affected her, she pulled through and came out a more versatile artist than before. Kayleigh believes that the ‘art-en-tine’ made her a better artist and designer than before and she is ready to graduate and continue her professional career in the design field.
York College Galleries 