What I didn't get to say at the Slide Slam

1.     What materials and methods do you utilize?
As an undergraduate, I concentrated drawing and painting. My methods are currently evolving, and these images follow my progression from drawing/painting toward printmaking. I am exploring different methods; my current focus is on woodcut and gum transfer prints.
2.     Where do you draw inspiration for the production of your work?
I draw inspiration for my work from my own experiences and what I see in nature. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, where I was always close to the land and nature around me. Through art, I react and express concerns, examine memories, and try to translate how I see the world. My art is often quite personal, but I hope to connect to my viewers through a thread of common experience.
3.     What is the desired affect of your work? How does it produce sensation, meaning or transformation?
I am interested in examining how we relate to nature, and breaking down the everyday natural world into fragments for our examination. I enjoy making something aesthetically pleasing, but I also believe art should trigger some thought.
The pest series is specifically targeted toward viewers who may live/have lived in the northeast and have had encounters with the insect subjects. Every person may have a different reaction to the subject based on his/her frame of reference and past experiences. I would like to examine viewers’ initial reactions, whether it is one of pleasure or disgust.
Through this we can examine the connotations a common creature, which we might see every day, can have. Is it disgusting because it is an insect? Why are insects regarded as disgusting? Is it frightening or irritating because it is a pest? Or can it be seen as an attractive or beautiful creature? We see butterflies and ladybugs as beautiful or cute designs to decorate our clothes and accessories – what about these other insects? These pieces use color and repetition to go beyond representation to create a decorative feel. The repetition can be seen as sinister, echoing our fear of being over-run by nature, or simply an element of design.