Emergent
Inspired by natural processes, I create vibrant soft sculptural wall pieces based on my investigations of how the earth continuously churns inert materials into complex forms. I translate images through multiple iterations of building up surfaces and breaking down material. Each step of the process leaves its mark on the work as it echoes through a series of permutations. I begin by deconstructing abstract paintings and rearranging them into brightly colored collages. These collages are agitated as they are scanned, leaving an impression of the digital transformation on the image which is later printed onto fabric. The fabric is then cut, stuffed, and embroidered until the surface is teeming with marks and crawling with thread. The image goes from flat to full: from inanimate to active and undulating. The resulting soft paintings unearth ways elemental marks and materials can, through dynamic changes, grow in complexity.
Collages
These collages are made from painted papers that are torn and sliced into swirling forms. They are inspired by the dynamic interaction between meteorological and geological forces.I look for moments of balance suspended in systems of perpetual change. These works, while admittedly looking pretty fantastic on their own, serve as a step in creating the digitally printed fabric used in the Emergent series. Some collages also contain pieces of that same fabric cut from the digital printed yardage.
Collective Topography
The pieces in the soft sculpture installation, Collective Topography, are inspired by structures created by small biological organisms. I am taken with corals, specifically with the way inert materials move through them leaving behind a record of the individual, the community, and even an impression of the surrounding environment. Visitors are encouraged to touch these pieces. Build something together. Leave behind a temporary structure in this space. In doing so, they are welcome to participate in deep play, a way of reflecting on feelings, connecting experiences, and generating ideas gathered from this gallery ecosystem.
The Soft Record
My paintings have been moving off the stretcher bars and contorting themselves into new, soft forms. I begin by painting on cotton fabric while inviting my young children to make marks on the fabric with me. We respond to those lines with narratives and then respond to each other's stories with more drawing, like a visual game of telephone. The fabric is then stretched over cut boards and stuffed full of polyfil. I can hold these pieces close to my body as I continue to work on them. While cradling each piece in my lap, forms dissolve and patterns emerge creating a dreamy record of our time together. Layers build upon each other to make these squishable abstract paintings.
Elemental
Using Rives BFK printmaking paper, I painted on these surfaces while continually exposing them to the elemental forces outside my studio door. The heavy Chicago sleet, moments of burning sunshine, morning frost, and pummeling rainstorms all push the colors and scour the surfaces. Some materials wash away while others collect in riverlike deposits across the surface. Glowing ‘aliveness’ revealed, or is it holding the fractured forms together?
