PLANES

This series of works started in 2023 on the tallgrass prairie of rural Kansas, during my time as an artist-in-residence at the very pared-back and contemplative Prairieside residency program. This was an opportunity to experience and meditate upon the subtle but important ecosystem I was raised in, and respond to it with the production of visual art. 

The series title makes reference to multiple aspects of my life and practice as an artist. Plane—plain—plein—plane. My current work involves layered geometric planes, both in process (collaged paper) and in final rendering (abstracted landscapes). I frequently visualize the grassy, repetitive plains textures when working from my studio in the Pacific Northwest, and was grateful for the chance to capture it firsthand again during this residency. Many of the built-up textures in my paintings are captured en plein air (while outdoors), observing natural spaces. The final ‘plane’ reference relates to being an individual who has ventured away from their Midwest home, despite how much it was and always will be valued. Traveling by airplane becomes a familiar and necessary indulgence when you love places and people far from each other.