My work is about process - accepting what is while being on the way to something unknown.
A process of unfolding stories by exploring memories and experiences, to discern between narratives of truth and falsehood.
A process of creating by exploring tensions between conflict and hope in the narratives, through intermodal creative practice.
I engage fullness of presence through physical movement, then layer in written words and images to document the conversation that emerges between lived experience and longing.
Process is the primary artwork - drawing on the influence of architecture and design, the principles and practices of Expressive Art Therapy and the movement practice of Argentine tango.
Visual narrative, as it emerges, is secondary.
In process, initial images arrive primarily in charcoal, oil pastel or Touch Drawing - an organic form of printmaking in which the hands or body apply direct pressure onto a page to create visual impressions from contact with the inked surface below.
I develop these images into carborundum collagraphs, etchings and engravings.
Ambiguous in composition, sometimes dark, often high in contrast and characterized by dynamic lines or heavy textures, the visual narrative explores ongoing themes of belonging and identity.
In turn, process work together with the visual narrative, develops a work within me - building resilience, deepening acceptance and inspiring new possibilities:
I am changed.
catalyze freedom
and
hope
Trying to prove myself to gain momentum and power for impact by clinging to motivation of meeting expectations and seeking approval.
Dependent on the acceptance of others.
Fear of vulnerability brought failure to dream –manipulating the process and leaving me overwhelmed.
Friendships invested in me and shaped belonging.
Courage to follow my intuition brought joy and confidence to create art.
Longing for stability and connection, I will trust the Spirit with my finances and my time, for an intergenerational family legacy.
Listen to truth in community and escape achievement.
Follow inspiration out of a cared-for identity, surrendering to the healing dance.
Co-create priorities – it is safe to respond to the rhythms of God’s mercy and grace with space to rest in nature.
Togetherness is not enough. God-movement impacts the noise, transforming the boundaries of independence.
Rejecting numb-doing brings surprise with impact.
An affirmation of the outsider’s story!
The body-mentor leads the narrative exposing apathy.
Navigate conflict beyond limits. Bulgaria!
Abundant Life.
on longing
Longing . . . dark and heavy, existing in ambiguity; lonely; screaming silence, somehow
uncertainly hopeful. Light makes it all visible. In my carborundum collagraphs, I explore a
brooding state of being through the visual representation of moonlight in architectural spaces.
My prints are invested with longing, passionate and abstractly unclear, which is present in
multiple layers of my unconsciousness. The moments of light that span across dark spaces in my
images visually capture this silent, panging ache that echoes in a dialogue between the layers of
my mind, my body and my soul. The images are heavy and unresolved, yet aspiring. The light
beams are intangible yet visible; like shifting shadows, they cover an area but do not occupy it.
They disappear only to return again.
The carborundum collagraph process allows me to create images rich in tonal value and
serendipitous textures. Carborundum is a sand-like material that prints a black foundation on the
plate. As I layer values on this foundation, I work with blind anticipation; gradations of texture
are barely visible before printing. Values emerge from dark to light on the principle that rougher
textures hold more ink and as a result print heavy darks, while smoother areas wipe away easily
and print wispy and transient lights.
Each print helps me to better understand this feeling of longing, which is sometimes so difficult
to even recognize, articulate, or most of all capture visually. Through the process of collagraphs I
strive to create a sense of ambiguity and restlessness but not despair. I have come to believe that
the state of longing is present within many levels of the aspiring conscious and subconscious
human understanding. My own longing stems from deep roots in the belief that there is an
ultimate Truth where every individual is created with a specific purpose. I aspire for viewers to
engage in a silent dialogue, examining their own personal state of longing, and considering its
connection to the existence of an ultimate Truth and their purpose. Until we long for this Truth
and search for it, until we find it personally, we will not be fully complete… filled… content.