My work explores the sublime present in both the natural world and art. I connect the shared ethereal feeling through the healing process of self-portraiture and the meditative process of patternmaking. I take inspiration from inventive poets and artists such as Sylvia Plath, Louise Glück, and Katherine Bradford in the way they are able to create an immersive world within their poems or paintings through written imagery and mark-making. The large-scale charcoal drawings pull between reality and the ethereal through rendered detail moments, rough mark-making, and a flattening of space to create a dreamlike setting. 

 

Throughout my current work the relationship between the body and nature evolves: the plants and insects become more immersive and take on a larger role in enveloping the body. The shift in imagery represents a succumbing to my connection to the earth and letting go of harmful and conflicting inner thoughts. The mindless repetitive patterning depicted in the space surrounding the figure gives me time to process the thoughts that I’m letting go of. The pattern inches closer to the figures as the work evolves in new drawings. As the pattern makes its way onto the figure, the viewer can feel a transition into another more contemplative space. 

 

I process the emotion and meaning of each piece through a written poem. The poem is written once I have already started the drawing or once I’ve finished. The practice of writing allows me to describe metaphors that aren’t explicitly depicted in the visual image. The metaphors give the drawing and the figure within more of an essence. Additionally, the narrative elements of the poems give the still images movement and a read more as a story.