artist statement
Seeds, tubers, roots, and plants are metaphor for growth, change, and unseen aspects in life. The plant world is gentle and patient with humanity; whispering the mystery of the spiritual while giving beauty and healing. Plants represent beauty and healing for me. The daily showing up to work a surface is metaphor for working with soil and seeds; mind and heart.
Formally, my work connects with feminine qualities of using traditional feminist materials. I work with the surface of paper and fabric to express the subtle magic called growth. My practice uses a mix-media approach of low-cost materials such as papers, fabrics, color pencils, water-soluble graphite stick, pastels, encaustics, and watercolors. I use overlapping and transparent modulating shapes in expressive colors to show the subtle movement of growth and then combine them with graphite rich areas of lines created with a range of pencils to show a depth of textures. Lenox paper allows the 6H pencil to impress it creating a metaphor for working with soil and tender hearts of children. Pencils impress upon paper to show daily task. Watercolors portray beauty and healing that result from being with nature.
I work in a large format to create an atmosphere of mystery; to awe-inspire respect of the natural world. I would like the viewer to stop for a moment and be confronted by nature’s qualities of beauty, healing, and knowledge of the spiritual. Let nature give understanding and comfort to the heart.