Artist Statement
The current mixed media paintings are populated by animals, both real and imagined. In these narrative works, the animals often become surrogates for human beings and their emotional lives. Some of the animal figures, including those made from fabric and Play-Doh, speak directly to the child within and the vulnerable, delicate places of the viewer’s own past.
The highly textured pieces are made with painted and photographic images, fabric, wood, glass, and found objects. They coalesce into intricate and surreal scenes, reflecting life’s emotional complexity. Poetic meaning emerges from the broken, the castoff, and the unassuming: the delicate bruise of a pansy, a father’s old hat, a childhood dress. Ephemeral, unexpected beauty is embodied in images of flowers, bubbles, paper boats, and autumn leaves.
Evolving over the last eight years, the work began with taking digital images of the sculptural animals, shooting them numerous times with different lighting and poses. The photographic images serve as models for paintings or are collaged directly onto the canvas. African animals, emissaries from the ever-vanishing natural world, have started to appear in the paintings.
By working intuitively, the artist layers materials, images, and dream-like scenarios. Inevitably they end up expressing aspects of her life or problems she is working through. This creative process, with all its surprises, is like diving into the psyche and seeing what comes up. Continually arising are reflections of the artist’s inner world and personal history, and her concerns for social equality and global survival. |
