Statement
It is currently en vogue to create a series of self portraits, repeating an action with the self over and over in the same manner, knowing that time will change the space in how one is seen; here I present myself as birds from multiple perspectives and different angles, seen sometimes through a poem that invokes personal memories.
Over the past three years, I have been working with birds or imagery relating to birds. The birds began in a series about various species of owls: Native Americans believed owls were the spirits of ancestors past. Through choosing the owl to emulate the self, I questioned what I have been, where I am from, and what I will be, even after I potentially become an owl as well.
I began to become attracted to the vibrant colors of other birds, how these colors reflect joy in life. Imagery became more complex and whimsical – I was reminded of one of my favorite books from childhood, Alice in Wonderland, my wonderland being filled with birds have humanistic qualities.
Bird sounds are color; I hear a cardinal’s call and think in a range of orange tones. I create lines on a board and they become intermixed, invoking landscape and the rhythms found within. Lace from doilies bring a unique femininity and introduce the idea of classical British drama and the Romantic period, whether in film or literature.
As I read poets such as Federico Garcia Lorca and Charles Simic, I reflect upon moments from my past and present that their words bring meaning to, later realized through a painting, mixed media drawing, or in clay. Charles Simic wrote a book of poetry about artist Joseph Cornell; Cornell contained and produced in a small space sculptural relics for others. I am creating a painted mixed-media metaphor in a similar way.
Each piece truly becomes a narrative self-portrait: the birds act as main characters and the colors, lines, or representational objects play as a catalyst for memory. The work is an instant reflection of the present and past combined, coming to terms with what is and the potential of what will be; the echo of color resonating in space at a later moment becomes circles or ovals on a surface. I rejoice in the present, even with its subtle sadness, and it is through these works this idea becomes contained and apparent.
