In this work, I am interested in how our individual relationship with the landscape and natural phenomena can lead us to think about time, place, memory, and the interconnectivity of our relationships with one another and creation. The work is driven by an experience in the American Southwest. I combine practices of painting, printmaking, and graphic design to create a visual language that can communicate the complexity of my encounters. Images sharpen, fragment, overlap, and completely dissolve, much like human perception, memory, and existence.
I draw upon the history of landscape painting and abstraction, together with ecotheology*, to communicate spiritual ideas in relation to the natural world. I use a combination of representation and abstraction to convey the euphoric, transcendental sensation of my initial encounter with the subject matter. Together, the imagery and the colors revive not only the visual senses, but also the psyche. I hope the references to creation will invite viewers in, while the abstraction will challenge viewers to perceive in a way that goes beyond the surface of the painting, so they can explore their own thoughts and beliefs.
* Celia Deane-Drummond, A Primer in Ecotheology: Theology for a Fragile Earth (Oregon: Cascade Books, 2017), 131. “Ecotheology . . . is concerned with people and creatures as part of the wondrous gift of God the Creator.”
