Ingrained Artist Statement, 2022

The Ingrained series of clear coated wood panel paintings depicts various pollinators paired with succulents and carnivorous plants. These paintings originated from a group show with Alicia Philley, Caroline Walker and Thomas Cook at The Georgetown Art Center in 2020, which featured a variety of works all embracing wood grain. This show challenged me to expand my series of small 8 x 8’’ honeybee paintings into larger and more complex works, and I look forward to continuing to expand this series into even more complex compositions in the future.

 I am interested in exploring and sometimes altering these natural forms so they fit together like puzzle pieces, while maintaining a sense of reflection through symmetry. Aesthetically, ink blot symmetry is satisfying the part of my process that enjoys delving into the subconscious, and that fascination has led to the structure of these pieces. The various pollinators explored, such as hummingbirds, a moth and a bat, allow for a sense of variety while focusing on the growth and birth side of the life cycle. The carnivorous plants on the flip side, allow discovery and contemplation of the decay side of growth, as these highly evolved systems are plants that digest their prey, evolved to succeed in nutrient-poor environments. The two sides of the cycle reflected upon the background of wood grain deepens the meditation with the added layer of visible growth rings, the striations of the substrate itself being a part of the cycle.

The pollinators are depicted larger than life to allow the viewer to contemplate the beauty of their forms in relative safety to the predators they are shown with. Instead of creating an atmosphere of threat, I wanted to keep the paintings focused on the detail of forms, of how they fit together in my imagination to create pleasing compositions, and to allow the viewer a sense of calm to marvel at the intricacies of nature and evolution. The mirror element of these pieces, which I see as meditations, allow me to reflect on the IN (the pollinators, growth part of the cycle)and the OUT (carnivorous plants, decay side of cycle), as the breath cycle is a highly satisfying metaphor that has grown along with my contemplation through creating this series.