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Artist Statement
“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it” - Lao Tsu, from Tao Te Ching “In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.” - Kahlil Gibran, from The Prophet Water has long been used to metaphorically describe conditions of human life. Our relationship with water is that of dependency and struggle. Our human bodies consist of sixty percent water, and are in constant need of replenishment. Yet our daily confrontations with water are often overlooked. My work focuses on one such experience: the intimate, every-day experience of bathing. During the course of a bath, we continuously affect the water, creating water distortions that are both visually intriguing and fleeting. Our human senses cannot fully digest all the delicate nuances of a single ripple of water that results from one simple splash. We are essentially blind to these beautiful milliseconds save through the use of a camera. In studying my photographic references, I have been able to discern different types of water formations, creating my own unique shorthand through paint, pastel and charcoal. The complexity of rendering water is its own struggle. More than a few paintings have failed; the water distortion, no matter how exact it is photographically, is still a huge challenge to translate believably into paint. I predominately use two mediums: oil paint and pastel. The ephemeral nature of a splash translates well in pastel, with its thin layers of dusty pigment sitting precariously on the paper’s surface. The properties of oil paint are also incredibly well suited for the subject matter. Its viscous properties are ideal for rendering flesh, and the use of wet media to portray wetness has its own metaphoric appeal. My work places private intimate scenes in a public setting. I give the viewer permission to publicly take a voyeuristic look into private act of bathing. Yet the visual language that describes this act can also allude to alternative concepts beyond the bathing ritual. The markings I make that signal water often take on other associations. Water distortions can become more than water over a surface; they can merge with the bather’s flesh to create deformities. Water streaks along the body can become scars or tattoos. In works that rely on grids and multiples, images from separate scenes are placed together, leading to different readings as a whole than each individual piece would warrant alone. |