Artist Statement: Thirty Past and Present. This body of work comes together through a series of work done throughout my thirtieth year of life. The work shown represents my past through a reflection of mediums and ideas that I have explored throughout my life as an artist. It continues into the present where I am inspired by new ideas brought on by life experience.
Present: The catalyst for this work began with an examination of intimate relationships, which resulted in the creation of the abstract piece, Conversations. These private experiences are represented through the encaustic medium which invokes the fragile and tactile experiences of the body. The embedded layers both hide and reveal parts of the conversations and each one is tied together to create one piece, reminiscent of a map. This map documents interactions, connections, emotions, and the ways in which all are tied together. I am not as interested in the words being spoken but the tone, variations, and movement of the conversations. This includes the subtle, hidden parts we keep to ourselves or the parts of the conversation that require one to "read between the lines". To interpret what goes unsaid, but is implied through inflections, delivery and tone. The small conversations are each an important part of the larger picture and each have something to contribute to the full voice. Some small conversations meld into others and continue. Some conversations stop abruptly and begin again somewhere new.
Past: My studio is a collector of imagery and materials I have found, made and saved throughout my life. This work is a combination of new work and old work. Scraps are pulled out and utilized, woodcuts I have saved over the years reused in new ways, and imagery I could not part with taken out and re-examined. All of these materials are combined to create the series, Meditations, which creates another journey of thoughtful discovery and reflection.
Turning thirty is a time where one reflects on where they have been, where they are now and where they want to go from here. This body of work documents my own journey of thirty through the lens of past work and present experience. Each one creates a springboard for future works.
Below: Conversations, Installation Piece Encaustic Paint, India Ink, Sharpie Paint Pens, Watercolor, Mulberry Paper, Colored Pencil, Book Pages, Oil Paint Sticks and string