hello Wisconsin

What is better than garden fresh tomatoes in late summer? Not too much! I just got back to Wisconsin from a summer job out East,  what a beautiful sight to come home to.

e g g s

shot of egg forms 

tissue paper, coffee filters, glue, latex, coffee stain

nesting

“ We are all inherently biological “

Vines, Coffee Filters, Glue, Coffee, Liquid Latex, Clay

2010

Also part of the Rotten Orange exhibition, Excerpt from artist statement:

The vessel made of vines is representational of one lifecycle. From the moment we are born- we begin to age. Our biological hourglass begins at day one, in our fresh, full, inexperienced body. The eggs that have dropped from the vessel will never return, yet the vessel still holds a sufficient amount of eggs, or experiences to be had.

This was my first installation piece in a gallery exhibition. Again, turning my interests back to vessel making, I spent many days in my garage modeling bird nesting behaviors to create a wooden vessel. Similarly, spending many nights creating hallowed paper egg forms to fill the vessel to appropriate levels, and emerge onto the gallery floor.

wane

Wane
18 x 24 in
Mixed Media Monotype Collage
2010

Excerpt from my statement from The Rotten Orange exhibition where these prints were shown:

I have been dancing around the concept of aging, yet subconsciously admitting the basic theory into nearly everything I produce. This specific group of work has outlined my interests in lifecycles and aging of the human body.  My initial interests in the aging process of living organisms surfaced as a reaction to tending for a summer garden. As the primary caretaker to the small family of seedlings, I became sensitive to not only their needs, but also the transitions through their short-lived life. As the plants slowly waned in the fall, I found myself interested in comparing these small particles of life, to human life. Observing these organisms through their short lifecycle has humbled me to consider my own lifecycle. I am just another organism, aging everyday.

My commitment to this concept emerged while experimenting with the Monotype process, as an appropriate mode of transportation through its organic qualities. I have since stemmed into mixed media monotypes to illustrate ambiguous stages in a given lifecycle. I reference the skin commonly in my work as our outer shell, exposed to the elements and sensitive to care, consequently offering an honest biography of age. Beyond the influences of skin I have turned my attention to hair for it’s common associations with aging. I admit, I too neglect to fully understand the aging process. Cheers to that, as my studies proceed.

Decaying Plots

Decaying Plots
18 x 24
Mixed Media Monotype Collage

Monotypes

I took a win-term Monotype class last winter, and fell in love with it's process based, unpredictable qualities.  During the course I emphasized my interests in the aging process of living organisms. My interests in the Monotype process carried into the Spring when I did a series of Mixed Media Monotype collages for my senior exhibition, and a few other collaborative university sponsored shows. Here is one print from my series, Origin 18 x 24

cups on cups

Here are a few other cup "test tiles" that I experimented with while  dabbling in glaze recipes during my undergrad. I hope to turn my attention back to ceramic vessels when my situation permits- hopefully sooner rather than later.