Earthly Visions: Watercolor

Artist Statement

My paintings are an exploration of the sacred. I am viscerally drawn to earth-based spirituality, animism, and altered states of consciousness, as well as subject matter that embodies the transitory complexity of nature and the duality of growth and decay. The moon, a symbol of the Goddess in pagan belief, commands our continually shifting natural cycles and is intimately linked to tides, seasons, and the female menstrual cycle, both in science and folklore. The moon is always changing, constantly waning and waxing and thus reminding us of the inevitability of repetition.

I was raised in Christianity, with all the patriarchal overtones that such a belief system entails. It took me years to fully unlearn and consciously oppose the damaging ideas that the major Abrahamic religions use to dominate and marginalize women. I am now agnostic, yet I intentionally channel and create intuitive symbolic imagery of the sacred feminine. Substituting female symbolism in place of male symbolism to conceptualize “God” forces us to reimagine archetypes that are very much ingrained into the collective psyche. Regardless of personal belief, envisioning the divine in female form has potential for creating profound positive change and empowering women and girls to view their lives as sacred and significant.

I primarily work in watercolor and ink; the water as an element itself is significant to my practice. Stylistically, I love the crisp edges and smooth surface texture that watercolor naturally creates and I gravitate to painting calm, balanced, organic compositions.