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Soul of the Land - Artist Statement

In the still and in the storm, there exists the quiet landscape. Let me listen to the earth and return to the land, of which I am part. Let the landscape speak as a visual metaphor and reveal my connection to the earth and to all of my experiences, emotions, and people of my past. Much like these landscapes have been manipulated by humanity, I have been shaped and manipulated by the people of my past. Sometimes this refelction of my past is dark and depressing, yet I always find an escape. While in the landscape, I am healing; while making art, I am healing When crafting an object by hand, from a subject loved,
I am healing.

Although Soul of the Land is first recognized as landscapes, there is evidence of something more. Symbolism, metaphor and subtle hints of lyrical conversations exist between subjects and titles, viewer and artists. Each piece has the ability to get the viewers to interact with the subjects, sometimes the subjects themselves- these are symbolic beacons for viewers to relate to and walk away from the work with a sense of peace, wonderment, nostalgia or longing. Juxtaposition, magical moments, anthropomorphism of the inatimate subjects, illustrative aesthetic, dreamlike tonality and poetic titles all add to the chance that a viewer might pause and ask, "why?"

Soul of the Land has many layers of meaning. On my side of the work, it is a cathartic journey of connecting to the landscape, crafting my image and making the art objects by hand. To the viewer, it is a presentation of the landscape and a reflection of myself that acts as a way to evoke an emotion in the viewer similar to what I feel when I am in the landscape making the work. These hand-made art objects are to be experienced and felt, physically and emotionally.