Artist's
Statement
Personal
and Cultural Memory, and the power of Story are recurrent themes
in my work. How do we as individuals and as a community reflect
our history? What is the place of the artist in this dance that
connects the past with the present? What is the power of Story and
how can Story help us find out who we are as individuals and as
a culture? How is our history communicated to us?
Working
in clay, I have developed series on the Goddess, Storyteller Pots,
Memory Dolls, the Power of Place, 9/11 and Safety, and Endangered
Animals. These coil built, oxidation fired works with slips and
glazes, represent my investigation of our collective memory, the
power and expressions of that memory.
My
most recent series represented animals on the world endangered list
- the Indian Elephant, the Clouded Leopard, the Whooping Crane,
the Gaur, Przewalski’s Horse. Images reminiscent of prehistoric
cave paintings are carved on the surface of the figures, drawing
a connection between artists and animals of years past, and contemporary
artists and animals. As with shamans of old and today, one of the
tasks of artists is to serve as an intermediary between her people
and the beasts living around the community, connecting her group
to the nature and spirit of the animal.
We
are attracted to and find meaning in stories, whether they are presented
verbally or visually, in linear form, or in an associative manner.
In the past 18 months I have been creating watercolor/collages that
are colorful glimpses of story. The collage elements are pictures
and words from contemporary life and from art - scraps of paper
we encounter daily, portraits found in antique stores, bits of paper
that define how we live and how we frame our lives. These works
have been described as “delightful, frequently humorous jewels”.
These works are small and are packed with images, requiring close
inspection by the viewer. She must stop, look carefully, and discover.
I
have recently been using a third art form to express my interest
in memory and story, the artist’s book. These books are usually
sculptural and somewhat interactive, sometimes containing word,
sometimes not.
For me, art is a process, a process of discovery of myself and what
I believe and who I am, of reflection upon issues that are powerful
and impactful in our world. It is not easy; it is work, but a work
I find extremely gratifying. I love to be in the presence of art
and of art making.
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