Equally Precious (2023) acrylic on canvas 36 x 48 inches Marsh landscapes are a repeated symbol in my work of experiences of the unknown. They are places not quite land, not quite sea- the between is a place we’ve all been. Whether not knowing exactly who we are due to a new chapter or what's happening due to a shift in circumstances, it is too easy to count these moments as negatives. Even the language often used for marshes and these moments contains negative connotations: words such as “murky, muddy, mire.” Based in Pema Chödrön’s writings about the importance of leaning into change as a constant, I consider these places where the ground isn’t quite stable as equally precious in our experience of life to the moments when we are certain we know ourselves and feel confident in all we are and can be, which is a beautiful and also important place. But here, when we can’t necessarily name who we are or what we are doing, we learn more about the transitional nature of being, which offers so much insight into how to gently live through transitions and passage of time. I really love the way the sky came out in this one, it has always been a vivid place to return to be reminded that life isn’t solid, even when you are on supposedly solid ground. It is always fluid and transitioning and it was my hope when painting this that the land, the sky, and the water would all have that feeling of fluidity and boundary-less-ness.
Soften Further (2023) acrylic on canvas 36 x 48 inches In this work, you can see text from Pema Chödrön’s “When Things Fall Apart” and the text examines what happens when you soften into the places where you tend to criticize yourself. What happens when you feel that criticism and acknowledge it with curiosity instead? I find I come to know myself by looking intently at the places where I get hung up on things, rather than getting frustrated with myself, if I soften in with compassion, it actually opens me up and makes me softer to the world's frustrations as well. I feel compassion for it, so this piece is about really looking at my own heart in an effort to see the heart of others as well.
Remnants of Change and Loss (2022) Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 18 inches Semiotics helps describe how I use each form to tell stories of time and object relationships. In the study of Semiotics, “index” is direct evidence of what is being referenced, “icons” resemble what is referenced, and “symbols” are created to reference through cultural understandings. Often my work is deeply in the world of index, where the processes that I put the materials through offer more indexical evidence of my personal involvement in the actions of change and the evidence of my active involvement covers the works. In Remnants of Change and Loss, I was thinking of the ghost forest as more of a memory and an icon for change and exploring that as symbolic imagery rather than material action.