artist statement

safety, shelter, nests
 

shelter - securing security, rest, and home:

Within every person is a basic desire for lasting security. In every aspect of life, whether physical, spiritual, relational or emotional, we long for lasting guarantees.
Some of these longings are deep and hidden. But they can be simply revealed and known through metaphors of our most basic commodities: food, shelter and clothing.

In almost two decades of art making, I have employed the visual metaphors of food, shelter, and clothing in a variety of media--mostly stone lithography. In my current work, I’m re-visiting the theme of shelter in its various forms.

nesting imagery and wall-less living 

I’m amazed at the fragility and durability of birds. These delicate creatures manage to find food, shelter and warmth enough to endure for generations. More remarkable still are birds that have no nests. Rather, they lay their precious eggs on the ground in open spaces.

And so my current artwork explores the beautiful patterns of these ground-nesting birds that flourish without traditional nests. My intention is to offer my viewers an opportunity to reflect on mysteries of wall-less living and nesting.

stone Impression/lithography mono-prints

I print my nesting images in ink from my drawings on limestone. But I set each print in a different context, either by collage or in mono-print, using litho inks with an etching press. In some of my images I add pencil or gouache elements. And so with print, I am able to layer imagery and vary contexts to investigate many ideas in a theme… even from one initial drawing on a stone printing plate.

stone impressions - the process

Are you wondering how I create my stone impressions?

Click here to read more about stone lithgraphy and even watch a video on the process.

shelter & nesting images completed in February 2011

Images are displayed here on a black background to show each artwork in its entirety including the deckled edge of the cotton paper. 
 

Immersion (above) - stone lithograph mono-print with shell element in pencil - 30 x 22 inches

Light Vent Heat (above) - stone lithograph mono-print with switch-plate element in pencil - 30 x 22 inches

S'uncovered (above) - stone lithograph mono-print with colle print elements and nails in gouache - 18 x 25.5 inches

Shade (above) - stone lithograph mono-print with leaf element in colored pencil - 18 x 25.5 inches

House of Bricks (above) - stone lithograph mono-print - 15 x 18 inches

High Tower (above) - stone lithograph mono-print with colle elements - 18 x 25.5 inches

(above) - stone lithograph mono-print on Rives gray cotton with colle print elements - 17 x 17 inches

(above) - stone lithograph mono-print on Arches natural cotton with colle print elements - 17 x 17 inches

(above) - stone lithograph mono-print on cotton with colle print and acrylic elements - 17 x 17 inches

 
Even So (above) - stone lithograph mono-print with branch element in gouache - 30 x 22 inches