I spent a large part of my life living in Europe, sketching giant stone circles and cairns. Much of the imagery used in my work stems from drawing in Scotland, Great Britain and the South of France. I’m fascinated by the beauty and potency of these ancient, sacred stone formations and the imagery continues to inform my work. Even in newer series, like the pastel and mosaic work I’ve begun in the past few years, I’m still working with themes that evolved from my time in Europe.
Stone Circles and Human Relationships
My drawings use the iconography of these ancient, sacred stones to describe the interdependence of human relationships. Much of the work is figurative – I often look at the drawings as a way to describe the way we lean on each other, support each other, and rely on one another. The fragility and balance of each piece parallels the way we interact in our relationships.
Important is the notion that if one thing changes – one stone were removed from the structure – the whole would be affected. Some of the figures look strong, some seem ready to topple, and some contain a single linchpin stone holding the entire structure together. Small movements over time can drastically change these relationships.
Celebrating Farming Through Art
Recently, I’ve begun work on a series of oil pastels of bell peppers, grown by farmers in Dane County, WI. Inspired by the local food movement, and Edward Weston’s photos of peppers in the 1920’s and 1930’s, I am hoping to draw 100 locally grown peppers to exhibit in 2009. I asked each farmer for the most gnarled, sculptural peppers they had, so while some are clearly still lifes others evolve into quite figurative or abstract works. While a departure from the stone circles, these drawings still deal with many of the same formal issues, including the treatment of light and shadow, color contrast, and balance of foreground and background.
The title of each piece refers to the farm where the pepper was grown and its number in the series’ sequence. The work is part of a group project called SEED, undertaken by the seven artists in the group ArtsTribe (www.arts-tribe.com). We have been working with local farmers to explore the commonalities between growing food and nurturing art. An exhibition of this work was held at the Overture Center in the summer of 2009. New SEED work will be displayed September 26th at the Madison Food For Thought Festival.
Glass Mosaic Boxes
This is a new medium for me, but one that harks back to my origins as a sculptor and love of stained glass windows. Similar to the stone drawings, these works explore the way multiple fragments combine to create a whole image. The stone circles are still in mind, but I’m free to play more with abstract imagery, color and shape. The pieces are also all meant to be practical – boxes for keepsakes, letters, jewelry – a way to integrate artmaking with memory keeping and daily routines. Many of the boxes are old cigar boxes. These have been exhibited at Absolutely Art Gallery and the Alicia Ashman Public Library. New work will be on display at the Overture Center September 21-October 18, 2009.