Artist Statement
I’m learning to sit still in nature,
to let it surround me, calm me,
and speak to me.
My Cherokee step-grandfather taught me that every living thing has a spirit and is connected. He taught me that plants have healing powers and all animals played a role in our creation: turtles, swans, coyotes, wolves, deer, owls, hummingbirds-- even the tiny ants, bees, and spiders were involved in bringing forth life and continue to provide for us. My grandfather no longer walks on the earth; he has been absorbed by it. Now, every time I sit in the woods, I hear his voice and remember his stories. He is in the trees and the wind and the water. He is the deer and the acorns.
Humans have universally used myth and metaphor to explore the meaning of our existence. Ancient fertility figures and origin stories of many cultures illustrate this instinctive awe for abundance, creation, and the act of nurturing.
My art is a reflection of what I witness in the woods: natural cycles of growth, decay, and regeneration.
Artist Statement
I’m learning to sit still in nature,
to let it surround me, calm me,
and speak to me.
My Cherokee step-grandfather taught me that every living thing has a spirit and is connected. He taught me that plants have healing powers and all animals played a role in our creation: turtles, swans, coyotes, wolves, deer, owls, hummingbirds-- even the tiny ants, bees, and spiders were involved in bringing forth life and continue to provide for us. My grandfather no longer walks on the earth; he has been absorbed by it. Now, every time I sit in the woods, I hear his voice and remember his stories. He is in the trees and the wind and the water. He is the deer and the acorns.
Humans have universally used myth and metaphor to explore the meaning of our existence. Ancient fertility figures and origin stories of many cultures illustrate this instinctive awe for abundance, creation, and the act of nurturing.
My art is a reflection of what I witness in the woods: natural cycles of growth, decay, and regeneration.