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Statement

The subjectivity of reality is the main concern behind my creative research. The way people perceive and react to similar stimuli in extremely different ways is evident throughout history and contemporary society. These different
perceptions can be attributed to the effect of genetic predispositions, past experiences, modeled and learned behavior, and the nature of the environment. It is important that I use variability, sequence, and re-presentation in my artwork; therefore, I utilize printmaking. Printmaking helps me create variables that grow organically into a larger body of work, including sequential print series and installations. It also allows me to combine and alter visual elements using a wide variety of media. This layering, warping, and re-presenting information reflects my research in how people process what they see and experience.

Sigmund Freud’s theories of defense mechanisms, along with more current theories of coping strategies, inform my most recent body of work. People employ both maladaptive and adaptive coping skills depending on their background and how they perceive their environment. Maladaptive coping skills such as avoidance and denial are usually the easiest way to avoid a stressor, but are rarely effective in the long term. It is not until the person confronts the stressor through adaptive coping skills that its effect can be lessened.

Imagery of chaotic landscapes becomes a metaphor for the unreliable circumstances of life. In stark contrast, the
shelters are geometric forms which portray a sense of order. These structures are places of safety and sometimes
embodiments of the inhabitants in these landscapes. Throughout this series of prints, these structures embody the many different ways people cope with chaos. Faced with similar conflict, the populace has acted in different ways: some communities have given-up, while others have improved their defenses. Some are in denial; others are just making the most of it. Often, the shelters are frozen in a moment of precarious balance where the outcome cannot be predicted. This vulnerability is underscored by the shelters’ translucency.

Although the subjects of psychology and anxiety might be considered dark territory, the details, surfaces, and playful colors of the prints lure the viewer into accessing the work and subsequently contemplating its message. Utilizing a
combination of painterly screenprint techniques, cyanotype, and woodcut, unpredictable backgrounds are created. Frosted mylar is screenprinted on both sides to create the illusion of dimension in the structures. Responding to
unexpected elements, the structures are arranged to create a narrative and resolve the composition. Sewn collage unites the processes while creating detail and leaving evidence of the process. Asian paper is used as the substrate in order to communicate a sense of fragility. This work speaks about survival, both physically and psychologically and on both the micro and macro levels of society. The hope is, if we confront and effectively cope with our circumstances, we will become stronger and more resilient as individuals and as a society.