|
The
Chinese ancients say that poetry "knocks
on silence to make a sound." In my art,
I aspire to stimulate that which is formless
(described as ch'i energy) into visible physical
form, giving structure to what appears chaotic.
Since I must go through an experience, the Tao,
to understand these concepts, I set up situations
and create a process of resolving them. I consider
this experience to be my art and the physical
object that I create at the end of my journey
to be the artifact. This artifact documents
my experience and is a physical representation
of memories that I share with others.
My
work investigates the forces that are the basis
of our everyday world. I am interested in patterns
and natural phenomena in the cosmic order, like
growth and decay: things that are in the movement
of evolving from or devolving toward nothingness.
Through formal qualities such as fractal similarities
and the patterns and structures in all living
things, I attempt to read nature's language
and interpret its meaning. In my sense of materiality,
the importance lives in the obscure and neglected
details. I emphasize that which is hidden, ephemeral,
and subtle and seek to experience and reveal
that extraordinary moment of poetry
and
enlightenment.
This
experimentation leads to the invention of new
technical and conceptual processes, pushing
the boundaries of traditional printmaking, photography,
paper, book, and installation arts. In printmaking,
ink under pressure makes an impression of image,
idea, and memory, like the impressions we make
on the landscape when we walk on earth or on
concrete-- our shared history of markmaking.
My work, based on Taoist thought, concerns how
we relate to and interact with the environment,
both natural and artificial.
|
|