Light, Color and Shadow

I have a gathering of sculpted characters whose existence has been facilitated by my following their instructions. They are quite pleased with the results and are excited to be part of the February show.

Paintings, especially representational works, require the interaction of three elements (light, color and shadow) to render a three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional surface. Aside from this commonality, my six selected pieces are further united by their incorporation of evidence of human presence or activity.

In addition to my artwork, I am an avid hiker. My works in this show are inspired by photos taken while hiking on the Finger Lakes Trail. Combining found objects and reused wood with those prints and my memories of those hikes, I offer the viewer a taste of my experiences on the trails. This project is made possible, in part, with funding from The Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County.

Painting on a flat surface and constructing mixed media sculpture are different processes for me and I like both. Painting requires less planning, it can be more experimental. I make a drawing, adjust, then begin the painting. I’m relaxed, I know changes can be easily made and I expect a slow pace, it takes several layers to build the color. With sculpture I plan more carefully, sometimes constructing in cardboard first. The first question after the initial flush of inspiration is: Does this idea warrant the work? I love figuring out how to mix materials and how to attach one element to another in order to communicate my idea.

My work is about the transformation of living forms. My work focuses on the preadolescent and adolescent growth of my own children. The time that one grows from childhood to adulthood is fascinating because it is a point of tremendous change for both the body and the mind.

“Spectral Projections” is an array of color patterns projected from prisms hanging in my kitchen window. Every sunny morning they flood the space, covering everything for about twenty minutes. For a moment, I'm dancing around with my iPhone, capturing visual poetry.