
The Grottoship: Bathtub Mary, 2020, acrylic, natural materials on wood, 16" x 20." Grottoship is an earth mother inspired collage incorporating oceanic material (stones and shells) with forest matter (leaves and branches) with acrylic paint. The composition is based off the Madonna figure in a grotto cave as well as home yard shrines yet abstracted to return to the material and chthonic realm. The form also takes inspiration from low-technology sustainable building practices such as Earthships, homes built using a combination of earth plaster, passive solar energy, and recycled industrial materials. Ultimately, the work is an invocation of the need for slower, feminine, and even sacred, rhythms.

The Being of Light, Landing, 2020, acrylic, mixed media on wood box, dimensions vary.
The work stems from imagery described in near death experiences. The Being of Light is one motif described by people. Comforting, glowing with light, and potentially divine, this figure sometimes shows a person a slideshow of memories from their life. I created my interpretation of this being, but with a plant body and leaves as light rays. Situated near the center of the composition, the being lands upon a stone meditation labyrinth. In a sense, this box is an opening to our own near-death experience as a culture that is destroying the earth as the being is a chance for us to return to life with ecological reverence and active care.

The Aesthetics of Internal Cycles as Shown by Nature, 2020, acrylic, found materials on wood panel, each 6" diameter. These pieces are a combination of local natural materials, acrylic paint, and glue on wood circles layered in an abstract intuitive fashion. Creating this series felt refreshing and introspective, and I was excited to participate in a larger creative community around this theme. I was able to focus on the refuge of nature and my immediate physical environment during the very hectic months of the pandemic in April 2020 while I sheltered in place with my partner and family in East Setauket, Long Island. For this series, I attuned my senses to the delicate distinction between self and environment. I explore this relationship generally in my work but listened to my body and noticed how my cycles translated into visual objects echoing the four seasons. The prompt sent me deeper into physiological and emotional states. I found that the winter piece, Nocturne Flow, was visually dark reflecting my internal experience. This was the most difficult piece as it was not particularly “beautiful,” compositionally with a cracked acorn shell at its center and acknowledged hardship. I added black cohosh herbs in this work as well as sprinkled them in the fall inspired piece Luteal Leaves, since it used for soothing in herbal medicine. The summer phase, Waxing Light, was quiet visually as well as experientially. I used leftover garlic skins in the spring phase, Oceanic Vitality which felt bright and uplifting. This series revealed an aspect of the transitional nature of self and the potential for cyclical transformation in the world.