Mixed Media Drawings
The name of the ancient Greek earth goddess, Gaia, which came to mean Earth, evolved to the idea that all aspects of our planet work together and affect each other like one organism. With the planet fully immersed in the Anthropocene period, I choose to create abstract art images that can be considered visually at either micro or macro levels.
I respond to what captivates my waking thoughts regarding humans’ impact upon the earth, while continuing my longstanding practice of beginning works with pre-existing materials. What is happening to our planet? Can beauty come from decay, dis-ease, internally, externally?
My "Gaia" series began from vestiges of mixed media drawing and painting demos that I did for a course I was teaching. As happened with these, I sometimes work further into my in-class experiments and end up liking the results as new works. Drawing into my scattering of copier toner dust upon paper after fusing it with heat became an expanded way of working with one of my favorite materials. In the process of my art making I use any techniques from among the great many that I teach and use, freely mixing whichever ones seem most appropriate at the time in my continual attempt to transform scrappy beginnings into imagery I find to be aesthetically beautiful.
