Introduction/Conclusion
Visual art emerges from a chain of discontinuous ideas – areas of interest that cannot always be cognitively linked but that function together to create cohesive representations of scattered thoughts. In my work, considerations of chemistry, alchemy, geology, music, family history, spirituality, environmentalism, materiality, and domesticity merge into painting/textile/object combinations. Like a collection of discarded remnants, the various themes exist incompletely, perhaps out of context, but are recombined with other ideas to make a patchwork of visual expression. Old and familiar topics take on different meanings in their new iterations.
Textile work, particularly hand-stitching crafts like needlepoint or counted cross-stitch, results in the emergence of a distinct frontside and backside. The front is the presentation; it hangs on walls and is admired by visiting friends. The backside, however, is what wins awards, as the level of meticulous attention to detail determines the overall quality of the handicraft. In writing about my artwork, I found this distinction to be a useful framework for organizing my thoughts. The “frontside” describes the actual work I have completed and often references other artists who have been influential. In the “backside” section, I provide the background themes and information that I think about in relation to my work. Occasionally, the background thoughts are a jumbled mass of knotted threads that I struggle to untangle; other times I am able to produce a beautiful arrangement of ideas to complement the visual work that emerges.
Just as my work demonstrates an inherent rearrangeability and fluidity of structure, so the format of my writing allows for an interchange of ideas as the sections can be read in any order. Four overarching themes emerge as central elements of my artwork, although each theme is itself a combination of several concepts that can be reshuffled into new configurations. In the section “Liquids, Molecular Structure, and the Manifestation of the Formless,” I consider the importance of the particle-void relationship and the implications of absences in visual work. “Snappy Musical Rhythms and Subtlety Geological Time” looks at underlying rhythmic structures and elements of time. In “Remnants, Alchemy, and DJ Sampling,” I explore the ethical re-purposing of discarded or familiar materials and the importance of material memory. “Disturbed Domesticity and the Informe” examines the bending of rules and unexpected uses of materials and techniques.
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