'Fly Paper' show at The Artist's Project, December 4-7 at Merchandise Mart, Chicago
My new body of work " fly paper" has been a continuation of the past several years inspection of natural forms. I love working on paper, the immediacy of ink on paper, the simplicity of the medium. I then delve into the longer process of collage, taking the time to digest the image. Repetitive forms found throughout the manmade and natural world hold an endless fascination for me. Plants, feathers, skeletons, ethnographic iconography as well as the enormous energy in nature influence my work.
Artropolis, The Artist's Project
Artist Statement
The flow of water, erosion from wind, the weathering of a dead tree’s limbs all inspire my work. This enormous energy in nature which breaks down and builds up patterns and sensuous lines has a never ending fascination for me. The same way a plant grows following the path of least resistance, the quick gestures and simplicity of working with ink allows the law of least effort to prevail in my art.
I work with either charcoal on paper and ink on rice paper or silk. Japanese sumi is actually charcoal put into a block and bound with glue. Creating the ink requires several minutes of grinding the ink block on stone. My technique with the charcoal drawings is also very fluid as I fill the paper until it’s almost saturated with the charcoal and I am able to lift the charcoal with eraser. This meditative pause brings a balance to both my work and my life. I do several ink paintings on rice paper until I find something that intrigues me, I then work into the larger silk paintings.
Ink gives a more spontaneous experience as I allow the ink to move where it flows naturally. The patterns or lines of the work often have multiple inferences. The flow of a tree reaching to the sun has the same movement as a river reaching toward the ocean. Water droplets bind together and become fluid just as arctic ice builds up and melts apart. The dichotomy in our natural world of destruction and growth, light and dark, fear and wonder is very important to my work.
The flow of water, erosion from wind, the weathering of a dead tree’s limbs all inspire my work. This enormous energy in nature which breaks down and builds up patterns and sensuous lines has a never ending fascination for me. The same way a plant grows following the path of least resistance, the quick gestures and simplicity of working with ink allows the law of least effort to prevail in my art.
I work with either charcoal on paper and ink on rice paper or silk. Japanese sumi is actually charcoal put into a block and bound with glue. Creating the ink requires several minutes of grinding the ink block on stone. My technique with the charcoal drawings is also very fluid as I fill the paper until it’s almost saturated with the charcoal and I am able to lift the charcoal with eraser. This meditative pause brings a balance to both my work and my life. I do several ink paintings on rice paper until I find something that intrigues me, I then work into the larger silk paintings.
Ink gives a more spontaneous experience as I allow the ink to move where it flows naturally. The patterns or lines of the work often have multiple inferences. The flow of a tree reaching to the sun has the same movement as a river reaching toward the ocean. Water droplets bind together and become fluid just as arctic ice builds up and melts apart. The dichotomy in our natural world of destruction and growth, light and dark, fear and wonder is very important to my work.
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