Painting
2023
Emerging from the Unknown, Transforming into the Extraordinary
Watercolor and ink on paper, laser cut birch panels
4” x 6.25” x 1”
“Emerging from the Unknown, Transforming into the Extraordinary” is a handmade book that explores the numbers one through ten. The number one emerges as a single point in space; it expands equally on all sides to create a circle. That simple geometric shape has the capacity to grow and transform into the intricate design we see within the decagon. Throughout the pages of the book, this progression symbolically represents the passage of time, while the increased complexity of the geometric forms parallels our personal evolution over the course of our lives. This book speaks to the potential that exists within each of us.
2021 - 2020
Since 2017 my studio practice has focused on creating large, site-specific installations. In January of 2020, I had just completed my piece “1, 2, 3…” at the Carnegie Art Museum Studio Gallery. We had a lovely opening reception on February 1st, even though concerns of the Coronavirus spreading around the world were lingering in the air. By March 16th, my campus, my husband’s work and my kid’s school sent us all home. We began our transition into teaching, working and learning from home for the next year.
Not being able to make installations during this time, I changed course and created works on Duralar and panel. These paintings continued my exploration of numbers, shapes and patterns, as well as thresholds between different realms/states of existence. They relate to the look and feel of the installation projects, while being discrete objects. These are the six works you see here.
2016 - 2006
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. –John Muir
Growing up in the woods of Northern Wisconsin, much of my childhood was spent discovering nature. I have a particularly vivid memory of studying the unfurling coils of a fiddlehead fern, and finding the mystery and beauty of this event to be a moving experience. I have always been intrigued by the strange yet familiar aspects of the natural world, and the relationships between these elements and unknown forces that bring them to life.
In my drawings and canvas paintings I seek to reveal the hidden, energetic interactions between flora and the surroundings they inhabit. Abstracted plant life emits ethereal and luminous forms that transcend our notions of natural phenomena. The viewer is often transported into a realm where pure essence radiates from bulbous pods and reaching petals, whispering a private invitation to the moment. It is my hope that the viewer will connect with the intimacy of the event unfolding before their eyes.