In our post industrialized society we instinctively adapt to innovation but disregard the impacts they have on our environment until it’s too late. We do not own land, it is a gift for us to protect, support, and replenish. Trees provide us with so many benefits and being one of earths most crucial renewable resources I have been developing works specifically related to forest conservation and preservation. I challenge my audience to be more thoughtful about consumerism, ecological preservation, and sustainable living.
Since 2005 my work has been ever changing but has always been concerned with the fundamental values of sustainability. Early in my career I sought out reclaimed and found objects as substrates to demonstrate the need for sustainable development in my community. In the last five years I have been more concerned with the context of sustainability in my compositions rather than the materials themselves. Throughout my career I have been engaged in cross-disciplinary practices, combining materials that traditionally would not go together. I have explored combining canvas, thread, and fabric, paper, charcoal, graphite, watercolor and acrylic paint onto canvas. My latest body of work begins with charcoal or graphite to sketch out landscapes that integrate body forms as our natural world.
I am drawn to the unpredictable nature of combining paint with drawing mediums, as it allows me to experiment and push the boundaries of traditional painting. Some of the materials in my work are symbolic. Occasionally I use thread to symbolize our ability to fix what is broken and use a muted color palette to convey the energy of the social landscape we live.
I start my work by painting colorful background layers of acrylic paint and gesso onto canvas to get rid of some of the tooth. I prefer the top layer of my pieces to be slightly smooth, helping make the last detail of graphite precise. I use soft charcoal or graphite to sketch out figurative landscapes. The first layer of paint I use mixes the drawing with diluted water media. This technique leaves behind faint lines that I use to develop my composition. I pick up dabs of color with my flat brush and blend my paint on the canvas. I like applying paint wet on wet onto the surface leaving some of the full strength pigment to show through. After finding my painted background I bring graphite, charcoal or thread into the work to define important areas. One technique I use mixes the charcoal drawing with water which spreads the charcoal into different shapes over the acrylic paint. I am also able to create an illusion of movement by drawing outside the painted forms as well as creating a surrealist feel with the delicate evergreen trees sitting among the oversized human forms.
I intend to transport the viewer to a dreamlike world where the familiar becomes strange and the boundaries between reality and imagination are blurred. My hope is that my work will inspire viewers to see the world around them in a new light and to look for the mystery and balance in the everyday. Receiving the Hallie Ford Fellowship will enhance my career by granting me support and time to explore new opportunities. I would like to expand my art practice to include multi-disciplinary exhibitions with other artist throughout the northwest. These exhibitions will attempt to enlightening the community about the history of our shared land and how to adopt new behaviors to preserve the earth for future generations.