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Sunken Gardens Abstract Series

January 14th, 2015

Sunken Gardens Abstract Series

The Sunken Gardens Abstract series evolved like much of my digitally altered photography. It starts with something that catches my eye in nature. I am always inspired by texture. Thankfully, nature is bountiful in its inspiration especially in Florida. This series is in my Florida gallery of images. This piece is now a memory of a wonderful journey walking on the paths of the Sunken Gardens in St. Pete's with my husband and mother. We had a lovely afternoon together. This abstract with it's textured panels of bamboo that weave into each other while retaining their own distinctive colors and texture manage to create a whole that made me think of how family and friends blend when they come together. Life like the weather or elements over long periods of time leave their mark on the surface. The woven places show lines of red that... in this life metaphor of mine... symbolize the blood of life and what connects us. I have always been attracted to making art because I enjoy what it makes me think about. This reminds me of part of a scene in the movie, Sideways, where Maya describes the life of wine. In much the same way it is why I make art. Cut and paste the following address into your browser for the scene Sideways "Maya on Wine"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvFCtaWj6HA&list=PLGb1MALJf0oTtEH5pfJMwDL0ndgVZFDCC&index=1

Lemons, Ladders and the Space Between Rungs

December 13th, 2014

Lemons, Ladders and the Space Between Rungs

This Lemon series...no pun intended or perhaps a Freudian slip...evolved out of this first piece of the series. The color scheme is so satisfying to me and if I'm honest...I am definitely into art for that satisfaction factor! Abstract elements begin to repeat and suggest symbols whose meaning reveals itself as I make the work. I do not start it with anything conscious in mind. In Lemons, Ladders and the Space Between Rungs and after making more work in the series... I see Lemons as representing both mistakes and a cleansing agent. Perceiving them this way neutralizes the traditional negative association to mistakes since mistakes cleanse the way to a solution. I guess the lemon shapes could also be eggs, pods...I am a woman after all and I guess I am not immune to all the egg and pod love out there with female artists. The Ladders or perhaps an aeriel view of old railroad tracks suggest a representation of a climb or travel... and the blue color of course has water associations for me. The space between rungs is the part of the journey that is more important than the destination in so many ways. These are some of the thoughts that occur mostly after I finish the piece or am close to finishing. In the beginning and while I am making it I am probably more consciously aware of the feeling of balancing and unifying things like texture, line, shape/form and color. The layers of texture and transparent vs. opaque qualities of color add dimension to the symbols of vision...what we can see is on the surface and what lies deeper or may be hidden. Always. A. Metaphor. For. Life.

Elements of Manifestation

December 13th, 2014

Elements of Manifestation

Collage is one of my favorite techniques for making art. The meaning for me when making collages is mostly in the process itself. First, I make the textured papers to create the collages. It is all about color and texture layers at this stage which I love. The second stage is sifting through mounds of papers and placing them together until something just fits. Then comes the trimming of papers to blocks of various sizes and forms. When I trim papers the edges of the papers become as important as the texture within...how the edge lines up with the paper next to it...whether it goes on top or underneath...how it best complements itself and the whole. It is a process of integration and individuation both psychologically and philosophically. All this is absolutely a metaphor for life. Then I draw onto the laid out papers repeating some of the cut forms and helping to create a balance with my own mark making. In Elements of Manifestation it felt like the shapes could be in different sections or realms as solid textured forms on top of the background or simply an outline spirit like form containing the background. Repetition of the same forms both solid and outlined suggests movement between both realms. Whenever I work with collage it is a process of making choices and I am always amazed at how there just comes a point when it feels right. I am always surprised at how satisfying that moment of completion feels...of course, it passes and I am inspired to do it again!

Trinity Passages

December 13th, 2014

Trinity Passages

What to say about my art (especially abstract) is difficult for me as my attraction to the language of visual images does not reside in the written or spoken word...that said I will endeavor to comment on some of the thoughts I have about the art I make and while making it. Layering textures is big for me and certain shapes especially circles move me and the attraction has never faded. Making art from intuition as in Trinity Passages is a process of "Don't think...do!" in order to move my mind into letting information emerge from an instinctive place. It doesn't mean my mind isn't working...it just gets it to flow from a deeper place. Making art is a type of meditation for me. Trinity Passages and this series of acrylics on paper seem to embody a sense of the universe and deep space and at the same time they seem like atoms and molecules to me, expanding and contracting. I am reminded of one of my favorite movies, "Mindwalk" starring Liv Ullman. A poet and politician meet a physicist, Sonia, (Liv Ullman) and carry on a discussion while touring the Abbey of Mont St. Michel in France. It is often criticized as a slow and cerebral film that comes off to some as a lecture but I find Sonia's method of weaving science, history, philosophy...etc together fascinating. It also reminds me of many timeless conversations while traveling where I've met people willing to go deep into a subject like this without necessarily resolving anything...just exploring. I've learned so much from those experiences. The more I make pieces like Trinity Passages I am reminded of Sonia's descriptions of 'worlds within worlds, organisms within organisms, systems within systems and that everything is connected' and how not enough of us think this way even though a 'macro sensitive vision of the world' is essential to our survival. My favorite line of Sonia's is that we are suffering from a 'crisis of perception'. Making this art helps me with that and brings me to the present moment of connecting with something larger than myself. That in turn brings me joy.