I use a variety of mediums and techniques including photographs, ceramics, and plaster to articulate my ideas. My work strives to communicate that life and nature are both messy. I seek to inspire others to take a moment to admire the outside world in any environment and to realize that there is more to life than the here and now. Life can be a whirlwind at times; however, if we take a moment to look outside, we can find beauty and order in the most estranged places.
I am fascinated by the relationship between life and nature because they are both predictable, yet chaotic; stable, yet unsteady; unchanging, but never the same. One can go on the same hike on different days, and it will never be the same. The constructed trails and trail signs will all be in place. But the trees have grown, the plants have died, new ones are growing, and the birds have made new nests. I have seen a beautiful living tree standing one day and fallen down the next. I have found beauty in abandoned places. In the same way, life can messy and unorganized. No matter how much effort we put into organizing, we often fail. It is easy to get bogged down with everyday routines, often missing the natural beauty around us. My life has gone from having everything planned out to seeming like it is not going to slow down. Humans attempt to create order out of a natural world that we often do not really understand. This idea of simplistic, yet complex, reality of nature and life together is something that has had an impact on my artwork. Before I began this body of work, I felt trapped inside dull fabricated buildings. I always thought that art had to be created inside in a studio and that all the great artists of our time spend hours in a building making art. I have learned that four white walls do not inspire me. So I took a hike with some clay. I added camera and plaster. Sometimes I took a journal. My life can be stressful, and I sometimes need to take the time to be alone. My experiences outside are often spiritual. The beauty of God’s creation in my eyes is often amplified in places where the manufactured world is irrelevant. The places that inspire these works are just as important as the art itself. This work was created in times when I needed to get away from the world. I found remote locations without cell service and away from most forms of civilization. I observed the wonderful creation that surrounded me. I would examine different trees, plants, creeks and so much more. The way I chose what natural element to capture was by finding organic elements that show the life of the environment surrounding it. |