Collections

Several years ago through Flickr I encountered the powerful work of Jay Carrier and have followed his work every since. He wrote something recently that really resonated with me in regards to why he is compelled to create. He wrote:

I would guess for me it’s about this passionate compulsive behavior that I some how received, whether that be genetically or learned. This passion became the catalyst that literally saved my life. I found that I could heal, I could center myself and I could fully accept who I was. Making objects gave me a place of being and a centering to rest.
Some people need religion or a group or other people to feel whole. I’ve always mostly needed a space to create and feel the freedom of thought to be closer to being human.

Page 11, Collections, Nature Journal
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It was the last sentence that really hit me in the gut as to how I feel about my own purpose and reason for making the things that I do. I used to think of my artworks as my own prayers of thanks and gratitude. I thought of the process of making art as a way to connect to my God, my Higher Power, the Universe, whatever one wants to call it. I call it God.

Page 3, Collections, Nature Journal
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And while I do still think along those ways, the past few months of making and making for the shows I have had this year, my thoughts on that has expanded. Or narrowed. Still working it out. I actually have been thinking that making art for me is more about what it means to be human. How since the beginning of time until the recent few decades, humans are of this earth, have been tied to the earth. In our modern life with all the wonderful conveniences it can be easy to forget that. I have been thinking that being human is about creation. Not just art making, but relationship making, community making, etc. What will we create during our short time on this planet? What do we leave behind? How do we leave our marks? The desire to leave our mark, evidence of our existence, goes back to those ancient cave paintings. Those handprints on the cave walls, so simple and so powerful.

Page 7, Collections, Nature Journal
encaustic mixed media, 6×4 inches
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For my recent show I made 12 of these small paintings that I called Pages, Collections from a Nature Journal. My life and my family’s life revolves around the outdoors as much as we are able to in our suburban existence. I am in constant awe of nature and the creations that spring up from the dirt. My daughter has picked up this fascination and she and I are constantly adding to our collection of earthy things that delight us. We find beauty in the overlooked and weathered.

There are many ways to attach things when one works this way. I use a variety of ways, glue, wax, etc. But my favorite way, and has been for years, is with the humble needle and thread. I want my pieces to have the evidence of the human hand and handiwork. Perhaps it’s my silent revolt to our world of plastic and manufacturing. I know for sure that it is an ode to the beauty and the imperfection of the handmade. The imperfection of being human.

Page 10, Collections, Nature Journal
encaustic mixed media, 6×4 inches
$120

Page 1, Collections, Nature Journal
encaustic mixed mediaa, 6×4 inches
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