Headlands Center for the Arts

Artist Statement

My work is distinctly feminine, coming from my own female experience and from the historical use of women as personifications of nature. Within that context I consider the reciprocal quality of our relationship to the environment. I believe we are shaped by the environment in which we live and as we change it we change ourselves. I imagine what might be our future fossil remains. Oil transformed into long chain molecules that defy the normal decomposition processes nature has evolved, is made into a beautiful translucent form reflecting spring flowers. Who would think that danger would sneak up on us in such a beautiful and optically pleasurable way? My paintings often express this unease with beauty. I wonder about beauty’s perilous message that everything is fine and the dangers it may lead us to ignore.

While at Headlands

I will explore the surrounding landscape gathering reference for a new series of paintings, and continue with current projects in the studio. I am especially excited to research a project inspired by the work of David Milarch. He has been cloning the giant redwoods in a Marin County park, named Roy’s Redwoods.