For recent work, follow me on Instagram @herwildgrace
I studied at the San Francisco Art Institute in the late 1980's, as performance work and installation were shaking up perceptions of what defines art. It felt as though art had the power to change the world. Through the years I've been involved in a number of multi-disciplinary projects designed to awaken consciousness. Many have been around issues of social change, environmental justice or simply as an invitation to get present to the moment.
Returning to studio work in 2015, I began pursuing a more personal investigation through the mediums of encaustic painting, ceramic sculpture and recently coldwax. I'm interested in the perfection of imperfection inspired by nature, life/death, transformation and metamorphosis. Repeated shapes of wings, bones, pods and vessels allude to something that is becoming. Textures, layers over layers, subtleties of color and nuances of form run through the imagery of my work. My process has to do with allowing that which not yet known to become revealed and thoroughly enjoying mystery.
Frequently, I sit down to work without a specific outcome or objective, following the impressions of the marks, the medium or mood, as it evokes some recognition of what is wanting to be expressed. My desire is to stimulate a felt sense, a pre-cognitive response or a 'knowing' in both my self and the viewer. Artists who've influenced my work have been Ann Hamilton, Eva Hess, Timothy Hawkins, Louise Bourgeios, to name a few.
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