- Artist Statement -
Each year around my birthday month, I find myself reflecting and innovating more than any other time of the year. I do this as a personal practice to observe where I am today and where I’ve been, including the ups and downs, the lessons, and happy and less than-happy times too. As a part of my new reflection and innovation ritual, I have challenged myself to create a work on paper for each year of my existence. It's a collection I'm calling “Journey Around the Sun.”
The pieces are individual representations of a mind space, time, and place, and together they reflect how we may view time and life overall, through specific memories. Some works on paper have a Journey # to symbolize one year passed, others I titled after a specific date, which felt very spur of the moment for me to represent a day, and the feelings and happenings behind those moments. There are also larger oil on canvas paintings, which can attest to a longer time-lapse throughout months or even years. The works span from moments we experience in childhood through adulthood. Something like a childlike adventure during the early years of life, or as adults reflecting on current times of having to adjust our lives to wear face masks. All these moments matter.
When I'm creating my mixed media works on paper, it's a very different process and a very different experience than when I'm working with oil on canvas... Oil takes a long time to dry, and my paintings tend to have many layers. This means that my works on canvas slowly mold, over many months, into the masterpieces they want to become. They are big investments of time, money, and energy. On the other hand, they teach me how to trust the creative process as it unfolds, and they allow me to create for a long time in my mind's eye before actually bringing my vision to full manifestation in the physical world. As a result of all this, they certainly have great depth.
On the other hand, my works on paper encourage me to be more "in the moment" and childlike. There is a sense of discovery with them that happens quickly. Suddenly, because I give myself more permission to be playful, I discover brand new color combinations I love and entirely new ways of expressing that I hadn't considered in the past. My works on paper encourage me to trust myself in the moment and forgive myself when things don't turn out as planned.
My birthday wish for you is that these artworks give you permission to be more playful in your life, encourage you to be more present with each moment, unlock new discoveries in your world and that they grant you endless grace.
