One

This is the work and artist statement I brought to the first residency. The majority of the work was made in 2014, although a couple of the paintings were made the year before and one was completed this year. They represent three bodies of work: Mineral Pop, Below, and Sandscapes. The Mineral Pop series fuses geological surface micro-landscapes with their imagined iconography, while the Sandscapes and Below series reinterpret aerial and ground view landscapes as patterns of color and movement. 

 Artist Statement

I create work that combines qualities of natural and artificial worlds using primarily sand and acrylic as my media. My sculptures and paintings reflect an admiration of nature and humanity’s attempt to balance its role as steward of the environment with an innate desire to objectify and control it. My creative process mirrors this relationship by constructing space, both real and imagined, through the act of pouring and sculpting media. My work is unified by the thematic exploration of landscape, process, biomorphic shapes, and use of color and texture. Process is emphasized by manipulating media. In addition to the gesture of pouring mounds of sand or sculpting paint, my work requires intense preparation procedures like dyeing sand or mixing various blends with paint medium. Using colors that can be found in nature, but in vibrant hues, I reference the use of bright, isolated colors in popular culture and advertising. Texture engages the senses, indicative of a tangible connection to the work and its content. I use biomorphic shapes and forms to give life to inanimate objects implicating a connection between nature and the life it supports.

I choose natural materials for my three dimensional work. I utilize sand and rice as metaphors for the earth and humanity’s connection to it. In the context of my work, these materials also symbolize the instinctive desire to manipulate nature. My sculptural body of work borrows from a non-Western spiritual practice, creating artwork that incorporates design and performance: traditionally sand painting rituals are performed to bless and purify those present. My pieces break away from the confines of sacred geometry and imagery to additionally serve as a metaphor for human manipulation of nature by emphasizing repetitive gesture, pattern, and process.

 

 

I have been experimenting ways of photographing my sand practice so that its documentation serves also as an extension of the work. I brought a collection of these images in addition to creating a small table top sand painting in my crit space.

Installation view of crit space

Installation view of crit space

Detail of Pennsylvania Hills