featured exhibitions
Views from the two-person exhibition, Infinite Forms: Facets, Fabric, and Fiber, at the The Museum of Mathematics, New York, NY and the group exhibition Margins of Memory, at the Crown Gallery, Bridgeport, CT.
statement
I create woodblock prints and fiber sculptures, in which botanical representation mingles with principles of geometry, symmetry, and pattern. I abstract flora and fauna and re-composite these elements into patterns, symbols, and anthropomorphic guardians. In nature, patterned markings on prey ward off predators. These markings are opulent signals- warning of poison. I am inspired by the seemingly contradictory dynamic of attention-seeking and defense, and my work includes beguiling decoration as a protective element.
I delve into the psychological complexity of decorative language and use an expansive set of techniques, including woodblock printing, digital printing, embroidery, and quilting. My art includes monumental hand-carved woodblock prints, panels of repeating botanical patterns, and geometric sculptures made from embellished, folded, and sewn fabric and paper. Large, multifaceted columns flicker and pulse, and small seed forms are poised with sharp wings, prepared for a journey. Muscular and visceral woodblock prints portray anthropomorphic guardians or guides. Flowers turn into insects in fantastic, yet dangerous ornamentation. The pieces exist in an enigmatic realm—both familiar and uncanny—evoking a twilight space that eludes full comprehension.
In my creative practice, I challenge the notion that ornamentation is secondary or additive, and I consider visual patterns a form of visual language. I design my surface patterns and symbols as my primary activity, which then generates sculptures, wallpapers, and symbolic prints. My research explores pattern design in textile embellishment, biological patterning, and the mathematics of symmetry and patterning. I am interested in the physical mechanisms of pattern expression, how patterns are activated across species, and how human design employs, mimics, and reactivates patterns for psychological and spiritual expression and social communication. The algorithmic nature of surface design is a continuous source of joy; new surprises arise from formulas of reflections and repetitions.
Growing up on a small family-owned farm is the foundation for my connection to patterns, cycles, and systems. My childhood included close intimacy with the natural world and a connection between land and memory. My interest in ornamentation and symbolism originated in the stained-glass windows and brass mythic beasts at my childhood church, which seeped into my imagination. Later in life, I became a mother and turned to patterns to imbue my art with protective force.