RECENT WORK

Two Triptychs and Tribeca

“Wall” followed a recent trip to Israel that left me feeling conflicted. There were vivid contrasts that left my head spinning. What was a constant was the evocative quality of the ancient stones. I took photo after photo, knowing that I would do something with them when I got home. Because I came upon a call for submissions from an upcoming show in Poland, “Breaching Borders,” I slightly altered my concept and condensed my working time to meet the deadline and requirements.

I racked up crazy hours to finish this piece, like a woman possessed. I printed my photos on cotton, silk, and organza, building up the surface like the strata in an archaeological site. I had to alter existing photos of other walls: Hadrian’s Wall, the Great Wall of China, and the Berlin Wall in order to comment on the very nature of walls. I combined photos and created free-form abstract ideas of stones in order to construct the walls piece by piece. 

Because I listened to news shows while I was working, I became angry and more and more distraught. This fueled the political content of this piece. I had to “borrow” and “alter” images from media sites to create the emotional impact. 

I would like this piece to be seen… especially while the concept of “Wall” is being used to manipulate opinions and promote fear of the “other.” We were all “others” at one time. 

“Losing Green” follows in the wake of two other environmentally-based projects: “Going Green” and “Gone Green.” I made it while watching the leaves change color, which never fails to excite. I read about the biological processes and discovered such wonderful names of pigments and hormones as anthocyanin and gibberellin. Searching for just the right mounting was a big part of the process.

“Tribeca” came as a result of a series of photos I took last spring. I was was struck by the mysterious language of everyday street markings and by the beauty of rusting metal. I fell in love with ochre even though it seemed to have become an “it” color. This piece relates to an earlier piece called “Arimatsu,” reminiscent of a 2016 trip to Japan.