Essence of Process

The canvas is young and new.

In order for it to grow and mature, it needs a history. This history is personal to me because I create the sense of depth with mark making and layering of materials. These aspects have become a personal language in my art - allowing me to write about and physically process my experiences in nature. The young canvas is a space on which I am able to communicate these experiences. The more layering of materials that I provide, the stronger the historical presence - similar to the recorded history of nature and humanity. Nature tells its story of process through the history that is subtly hidden within itself - the water eroding away the sediments of cliffs and then freezing them for safe keeping or the trees remembering their ages through the rings of growth hidden under their textured bark. The history is beautiful, but it takes time to see and discover because the primary attraction of nature is its breath of life…the texture of the evergreen needles, the rushing of the wind, and the crashing of the waves. Nature has a history that is told through layers, similar to humanity and its relationship with languages. We began with only pictures for a means of communication, but then written language evolved. We were able to read, write, record, and make historical and cultural connections. Languages have continued to evolve, but - even through these evolutionary differences - they can be culturally connected to a mother language. Nature and languages have unique detailing, but the layering of the details create a larger scene with a unique, historical depth. My large scale mixed media pieces have their own unique, historical depths that create a whole experiential piece.