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GATHERING FRAGMENTS
Stumbling in the Wilderness, 2022, acrylic, tempera, and collaged paper on panel, 30 x 24 inches
I am interested in a purposeful restructuring of what has been broken down. Influenced by living in different cities positioned amidst the great wide open, my work explores the ways we navigate cycles of rupture and repair in relation to the surrounding landscape.
I begin paintings with the grounding presence of nature, using repetitive marks that evoke terrains of my current home in the Pacific Northwest, as well as from my upbringing near the Kansas plains. These organic textures are an earthy, nourishing foundation for subsequent layers to be reconstructed upon. I work into paper during the moments between other responsibilities, then later cut, tear, and collage these pieces together over the landscape-inspired paintings.
As a mother of two and an elementary school teacher, my artist’s attention is highly fragmented; this rhythm allows me to maintain some productivity throughout daily life, saving the creative decision-making for my time alone in the studio.
An Incremental Ascent, 2022, acrylic, colored pencil, and collaged paper on panel, 24 x 30 inches
Little Harbor, 2022, acrylic and collaged paper on panel, 12 x 18 inches
Thru-Hike, 2022, acrylic, tempera, and collaged paper on panel, 12 x 18 inches
Fragments No. 3 (Blue), 2022, acrylic and collaged paper on panel, 8 x 6 inches SOLD
Dialogue No. 16 (Yellow), 2022, acrylic, tempera and collaged paper on panel, 8 x 6 inches SOLD
Dialogue No. 17 (Yellow), 2022, acrylic, ink and collaged paper on panel, 8 x 6 inches SOLD
Fragments No. 4 (Blue), 2022, acrylic and collaged paper on panel, 8 x 6 inches SOLD
In the final stages, I tend to veil these layered compositions with white acrylic, as an attempt to unify and quiet the many moving parts that have come together in spurts of time. Despite my regard for subtle value shifts and a limited palette, at times I will incorporate shocks of yellow to represent the playful, energetic impact that my children and students have on my life and practice.
The Sky Washed Clean II, 2022, acrylic and collaged paper on panel, 12 x 16 inches
Beyond my own divided studio attention, I’m confronted with greater examples of ruptured entities on a daily basis: our planet, relationships, rights, and institutions seem to be fracturing at an ever-increasing rate. What renewed whole can be created from these broken parts? My studio objectives parallel this question, as I gather together the messy fragments of life and reconstruct them into something new and more compelling than their previous form.
Dialogue No. 20 (Yellow), 2022, color pencil, ink and collaged paper on panel, 8 x 6 inches, acrylic AVAILABLE
Fragments No. 2 (Blue), 2022, acrylic and collaged paper on panel, 8 x 6 inches SOLD