My work explores the potential and limitations of materials to create a sense of spaciousness and light. I think about both breaking and honoring boundaries. My work touches on aspects of unravelling, disintegration, and the breakdown of structures and explores essences in an abstract way. Although my creative process usually begins with a formal structure such as a some type of grid, I also seek an anchor amidst instability, whether personal or global, so I am exploring the boundaries of structure. My exploration of the grid format offers poetic interpretations of formal elements such as line, shape, space, and color.
My art practice is experimental in nature and has been influenced by some of the Bauhaus principles, especially Josef Albers’ color interaction studies and his experimental approach to materials. Working in a series has allowed me to understand the strengths and limitations of the materials I am working with. My process combines intentionality and happenstance, control and surrender, and often leads me to discover and embrace the unexpected. All of my work involves the creation of a unique color palette, whether through the use of natural dyes, the use of pigment on round reed, or the mixing and application of acrylic paint to tree branches. In my reed series, I applied pastel pigments to the wood using makeup sponges in multiple passes to mix colors. In the willow branch grid series, I mixed a variety of colors from the 3 primary colors, using my fingers to apply the paint to the branches, which produced some unexpected results. My work with natural dyes on linen involves what I call a “Mad Scientist” approach: Although I chart out the different colors and variations I want to achieve, once I start the dyeing process, I start improvising by mixing several hues, by overdyeing, or by using additives to change colors, sometimes producing unexpected but exciting results. My interest in exploring different materials and in embracing unexpected results is what propels my art practice.