My work has deals with the patterns and relationships between forms in nature on a macro and micro level. I am interested in the way we make sense of these patterns, relate them to our own lives, use them to determine our place in the universe, and translate them artistically. Much of my inspiration comes from cartography, biology diagrams, aerial views of landmasses, and amorphic forms that one might find under a microscope. Observing nature in these two ways, from far distances and very close, helps me to feel connected to a force that is larger than myself through tangible forms. Representations and illustrations of these forms in nature have the significance of marking time and place, aiding in our future direction and allowing us to trace our steps and the steps of those before us.
Currently the mediums I have chosen are watercolor and embroidery. Embroidery is a very controlled medium while watercolor is more able to create organic, free flowing forms. These two mediums allow me to explore the dichotomy of two forces found in nature: order and chaos.
Embroidery and painting are also appealing to me on a personal level. I come from a long line of women who worked with their hands, many as seamstresses and some doing small detail or beadwork in factories. I saw how that work spilled into their home life in the form of crocheted doilies, hand-sewn clothes, dolls and window treatments. In art school, many of the artists I studied were men and up until more recent decades there was little to no mention of women in the field of fine art. I saw a clear distinction between what was considered craft and what was considered the more intellectual fine art, and throughout much of history, craft was women’s work and fine art was created by men. My work dismantles the line between what is craft and what is high art.
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