Transition | Press Release -- Sense of Place: HERE, Galaudet Gallery

Like for most, post-MFA life has been a constellation of experiences.  The first six months were a rapid fire of exhibition after exhibition, two (incredibly!) life-changing residencies, and a steady stream of publications featuring both my writing and art.  Many of you know that I recently underwent a grueling, cross-country move.  The second six months have been almost fully consumed with the move and adjusting to life on the coast, along with a couple of time-busting curatorial projects...and all of this has left me completely exhausted.

One day at a time, I'm beginning to make new work again.  Little by little, I'm starting to get some rest, and my health is taking incremental steps forward.  Moment by moment, the dust is settling. California is a region that is so rich in diverse landscapes, and being a soul that is very tied (Freudian slip -- I originally typed 'a soul that is very tired') to the land and water, there is so much here to fill an almost dry well.

In this time of transition, I have the good fortune to be a part of Galaudet Gallery's summer exhibition -- Sense of Place: HERE.  Mike Milewski, the gallery co-owner and curator, emailed me earlier this week with the press release.  I am including that here (in downloadable PDF format), along with a couple of the works currently featured in the gallery.  Please take a bit of time to visit the gallery website, Facebook page and read the press release.  Galaudet Gallery has been excellent to work with; they included my work in their summer 2017 exhibition as well. In addition, they consistently offer a wide range of exhibitions with thoughtful themes and foster an atmosphere of kindness and support.  This short and mixed post does not do them justice, so in the coming days, please watch for a more comprehensive post singing Galaudet's praises.  

If you are celebrating the 4th of July today, I wish you peace and rest.

And the work...

East Meets West Exhibition at Galaudet Gallery

I am pleased and honored to be a part of My Medicine: East Meets West, an art exhibition which addresses the critical importance of both Asian and Western traditions, practices and philosophies in medicine and healing.  This exhibition is through Galaudet Gallery's Eau Claire, WI location and will run from June 18th - September 18th, 2017.

Three of my drawings from the Interconnectedness series (2014 - 2015) have been selected for this exhibition.  The following is my statement/narrative regarding this body of work:

"This series of drawings is inspired by Expressiveness of the Body and the Divergence of Greek and Chinese Medicine, written by Shigehisa Kuriyama and originally published in 1999.  These works are created using handmade kozo paper made from traditional Japanese paper-making processes.  With pen and ink, I draw interconnecting lines and shapes that are rooted in both the imagery that comes from from my subconscious mind, as well as abstracted versions of various close-up photographs of foliage and human muscles.  These diverse images merge together to create new, hybridized forms that reference the interconnectedness — not only of the human body and nature — but also an individual’s inextricable relationship to the surrounding environment.  Interconnectedness is further referenced by the hand spun wool fibers which are attached to the back of each drawing to create an all-over network.  Lastly, the entire drawing is coated in a layer of translucent encaustic wax to create a physical “skin” which surrounds the image, conjuring associations of the protective nature of human skin, as well as its fragility."