In my work, I celebrate presence. I address the fragility of nature,
spirituality and humanity. These themes are often combined to speak to the
viewer on several levels. The patterned background represents unexamined aspects
of our cultures, as well as the many layers of self, accumulated from growth
and evolution. It conveys the message that “what is underneath is part of the
whole”.
Growing up in rural Appalachia, I played outside in my special, wooded
place. Birds were such a part of my life, they could have been family. At
night, my sister and I would lie in the grass, on a quilt and see who could
call a Bob White closer.
The need to earn a living took me out of that place and into a much more
populated one. The birds were ghosts. This new habitat could not support what it
should have. For the first time, I saw the conflict between the need for a tree
versus the greed for pavement.
I am not sure that a painting will call someone’s attention to the need
to preserve land. I believe that telling a story re-animates the subject. My
hope is that I can bring focus back to simple pleasures that cost us nothing
but consideration and wiser choices.
