ARTIST STATEMENT: GENERAL
My practice explores historical ideas of the landscape and subtly supports ideas around environmentalism, as well as contemporary relationships with the natural world.
Over the last 13 years my work has touched on themes of Astronomy, Magical Realism, Feminism, and a universal child-like wonderment by way of landscape imagery. I have depicted landscapes rich with a history of folklore with a focus on making visible the fleeting qualities (including smoke, fire, clouds, snow, movement, sound, and fireworks) that add to our understanding of Place.
ARTIST STATEMENT: SPECIFICALLY RECENT WORK
“Nature is a haunted house--but Art--is a house that tries to be haunted.” – Emily Dickinson
My aim for my most recent paintings was to depict nature and acknowledge that mystery and nostalgia tied to specific environments. The places I paint have been here before us, will remain after us, and they hold all sorts of secrets. The Pacific NW is special in that here the veil between the spiritual and physical world is thin. Mysterious as it is, the great outdoors has taken on an antidotal role during the pandemic. It serves as a healing escape, as well as a mirror to reflect our very human emotions of fear, isolation, and bravery. The imagery I chose (dark woods, people alone in the landscape, forest fires, steamy hot springs, bodies of water that reflect the cosmos, and caves) symbolize different qualities of the landscape: the powerful destruction of fire and healing qualities of hot springs points to notions of renewal; the haunting magic of the woods and caves, like the incomprehensible vastness of the universe, gives perspective to our human experience. My work often focuses on the fleeting qualities (ie. smoke, fire, clouds, snow, and sound) which add to our understanding of Place and the time we live in. Ultimately, my work reignites childhood wonderment, sheds light on the sublime, and calls on the viewer to protect natural spaces.
ARTIST STATEMENT: SCULPTURE
My animal sculptures are a whimsical offshoot of my more traditional painting and drawing practice. They are three dimensional paintings utilizing a drippy, painterly aesthetic that I find interesting and honest. The materials are varied: cardboard, spray foam, hula-hoops, paper, plaster, mirrors, wires, glue, caulking, spray and acrylic paints. The messiness of the material sometimes directs the form. The paint’s viscosity takes a leading role.
The resulting critters are complex in their symbolism, which can be at odds with their actual role within the ecosystem. Humans often make contradictory associations and tie unrealistic characteristics to animals. For instance, bats symbolize death and rebirth and are sometimes known as the “Guardian of the Night.’ They are associated with nocturnal vampire monster and have been connected to the origin of the Corona virus. Conversely, they are a major indicator species that plays an important role in biodiversity.
The cosmos painted on some of these animals references the idea that humans and animals alike are all just star dust. My curiosity of mysticism, paganism, and historical depictions of animals is brought forth in these works.”
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