Abstract blue, pink, and purple watercolor painting with swirling layered brushstrokes

Abstract pastel painting of a dark blue-black flower or sea creature with pink, blue, and white washes

sucrose.

Abstract blue and black painting with two bright intersecting starburst shapes

Contemporary art gallery displaying blue-toned portrait paintings on white walls.

Bright modern art gallery displaying colorful close-up portraits of children on white walls

Contemporary art gallery displaying two large close-up portrait paintings, with a blue column, window, and track lighting.

Bright art gallery hallway with colorful portrait paintings, blue chairs, glass doors, and a large face painting on the wall

Gallery entrance displaying large “SCAD Sucrose” lettering and artwork from Jazmin Marie Saunders’ MFA thesis exhibition.

Glass entrance doors to an art gallery displaying “MFA Thesis Exhibition” and “Jazmin Marie Saunders,” with blue chairs and artwork visible inside.

Blush Blind, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton — Blush Blind, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton

Angel, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton — Angel, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton

Hit or Miss, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton — Hit or Miss, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton

Mirror, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton — Mirror, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton

Stranger, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton — Stranger, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton

Eyedrop, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton — Eyedrop, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton

Starry, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton — Starry, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton

Crystal, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton — Crystal, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton

Selfie 2, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton — Selfie 2, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton

Pearl, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton — Pearl, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton

Cool Cats, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton — Cool Cats, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton

Berry, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton — Berry, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton

Sucrose, 2025, 60 x 45 inches, Oil on cotton — Sucrose, 2025, 60 x 45 inches, Oil on cotton

Glucose, 2025, 60 x 45 inches, Oil on cotton — Glucose, 2025, 60 x 45 inches, Oil on cotton

Abstract blue watercolor painting with soft pink and gray organic shapes

Lafufu, 2025, 12 x 12 inches, oil on cotton

These paintings seek explore my own identity in our modern world of images, where self-commodification has become a pervasive norm. I named this thesis sucrose. after the scientific name for a naturally occurring disaccharide that is processed and refined into the sweet, crystalline substance we know as white sugar. The figures in my paintings present the struggle between authenticity and artifice. In eye contact they share with the viewer, they ask: do we seek genuine connection, or are we content to be consumed?