 Artist's Statement
Nature is mysterious, powerful, dynamic, fragile and essential to our well-being. The human figure combined with the other natural elements in my work convey the idea that leaves, trees, plants, people, as well as other forms of life, are interrelated and share similar qualities. All living things breathe, grow, move, reproduce, communicate, are recyclable and affect a greater area than they occupy. For example, the pieces “Urban Roots” were made using recycled paper cast over tree roots found in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn after 9/11. The cast paper roots were covered with photo-transfers of people from the community and then painted. The roots had a stabilizing, anchoring, symbolic feeling for me. The diverse groups of people from this neighborhood began a dialog after the tensions of 9/11 and, like the roots, held this small part of the earth together. The natural and urban environments have been integrated in many of my pieces in order to understand more about the relationship between the two. Our natural environment is disappearing, getting pushed into smaller and smaller spaces, often neglected, exploited, underappreciated and overlooked. My artwork attempts to resolve the contradictions that I see between the urban and natural spaces that I inhabit. In addition, I want to raise questions about what we can do to restore nature to a more balanced and important place in our lives. Process and Materials: My pieces are made from recycled paper and other materials including paint, photo-transfers, pastels, graphite, wood and branches. The paper is cast over a natural or artificially constructed mold which creates a three-dimensional relief or a sculpture. The cast paper is flexible, light and strong depending on its thickness. Using recycled paper conveys the regenerative, cyclical quality of life in addition to saving trees. I also work with photographs using a non-toxic photographic transfer technique. Some of my photographic pieces are made from color and black/white prints. These pieces often combine two and three-dimensions as well as other non- traditional photographic techniques such as photo-grams, montage and layers of photographs. |
The artificial environment dominates the natural one in New York City. However, humans and other forms of life are flourishing in what seems like a hostile concrete, metal and asphalt setting filled with acrid air and contaminated soil. My primary interest is to explore this uneasy, complex relationship between nature and the urban/industrial environment.
