artist's statement
Inspired by the elaborate imaginative worlds found in comics and Indian narrative art and the equally strange and stunning biodiversity discovered by natural historians, I create animals, plants, landscapes, patterns and forms that exist outside of linear narrative. My study of the separation of colors required by print processes and the accumulated layering of line and color involved in drawing comics prompt me to understand my image-based work as research into form. I am fascinated with exploring how the different properties of ink, paint, and brush can be used to delineate shape and structure—the ways that the contrast between black ink and bright color or thick outlines and delicate details engages the eye.
Layers of meaning accrue as images are further altered and shaped by the choice of substrate, whether cloth, paper, glass,
or found object. In addition to informing my use of materials,
an extensive background in textile design and history and an appreciation for handcrafted work plays a major role in my
image making, particularly the repetition of detail and decorative
elements found in pattern design. Most recently, my focus has shifted from subject to border as I draw inspiration from the ornamental patterns that encircle the picture plane in Indian narrative textiles and paintings. Using found materials and discarded objects, I transform the peripheral into the subject
by filling the picture plane with meticulously detailed repetitive pattern, asking viewers to focus on what is often overlooked or undervalued.
June 2010
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