Jody Graff
Philadelphia, PA
I create a range of work that is inspired by my joy, curiosity and awe of nature. It is a synthesis of art, design, environmental science, culture and craft.
Message
I am a multimedia visual artist living and working in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I am also an Associate Professor in the Graphic Design program in the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design at Drexel University. My passion for using the power of design to celebrate and elevate the human condition comes through in my fine art, client graphic design work and in the classroom. I thoroughly enjoy exploring projects at every scale (miniature, life-size and monumental). I have a keen interest in environmental issues, a science nerd’s love of insects, leaves and trees and an insatiable curiosity. My hope is that my work will encourage viewers to see and consider the natural world in a new way.
Statement
The quilts, designs and specimens I create use botanical materials that are tied to the specific location where they were collected, which is then explored in the composition (historical quilt patterns, abstract compositions based on details found at the site, culturally tied patterns, and designs that emphasize details of the botanical).
The collected botanicals reflect the conditions of a specific season and particular environmental conditions of that time period. Drought, late season rains (resulting in leaf spotting), insect damage, the angle the sun was hitting leaves, etc. are all visible in the material and add a deeper connection to place and time. They are environmental time capsules that when collected from the same plant/location over many years, reveal a climate change narrative.
The components in all series are collected and pressed by me, and then hand-cut and individually placed and secured. The work has a slow and meditative quality, with each cut affecting the next piece and cut. The pace allows a more intimate connection to the materials and, in the collected botanicals, the time to select each unique piece. I am as invested in the process and discovery as I am in the final outcome.
The multi-media sculptures are similar to the botanical series and also connect locations, ecologies and storytelling, but are explored at a larger-than-life scale in carved wood and paper sculpture.