I recently completed a new series of indigo paintings inspired by the phrase “as above, so below” and several of the pieces will be in my show on May 14th at Modfellows Gallery with Lynx Nguyen! I am honored to be sharing this new series alongside Lynx. We met while I was at SCAD in 2015 and he has been an inspiration ever since. Lynx’s work is comprised of one million tally marks with ballpoint pen on paper using a drill and sitting for extended periods of time. Each tally mark represents a breath and the discipline of making the work is a matter of focusing on how to make each breath count. I see so many parallels in our work - be it the connection between the spiritual and physical planes, the minimal color palettes or our journeys towards staying present.
I dive deeper into the meaning behind each of my series below , but if you are interested in learning more, please contact Modfellows Gallery for information and pricing.
“As Above, So Below”
That Which Has Been, 2022, Framed: 63.5” x 49.5” | Unframed: 58” x 44”, Indigo on paper with gold embroidery thread
Everything in the universe comes from the same source - there is a harmony, agreement, and correspondence between our spiritual and physical planes that transcends into all facets of being. "As above, so it is below. That which has been, will return again. As in heaven, so on earth."
I started dyeing paper with indigo to cope with my grandmother’s decline from Alzheimer’s disease. While I watched her mental state fade away, her spark would emerge when she sang the Army Air Corps chant, “Off we go into the wild blue yonder”. I felt a calling to paint that blue yonder and create a refuge not only for her, but for my psyche as well.
As in Heaven, So on Earth, 2022, Framed: 63.5” x 49.5” | Unframed: 58” x 44”, Indigo, rain water and dirt on paper with gold embroidery thread
Detail image
Detail image
A New Take
My new body of work holds true to this sentiment, but looks more at resisting change and how anxiety shifts your environment. I recently moved to Seattle and have been struggling with the volatile weather (the physical plane). While making this series, I felt angry and powerless to nature as the rain, wind and cold often “destroyed” what I was making. I realized that these anxieties were only becoming more apparent as the season progressed and everything I was projecting was manifesting before me in the work. Once I embraced the elements as part of the process, I became more at peace.
Return Again, 2022, Unframed: 58” x 44”, Indigo on paper with gold embroidery thread
Fera Space LXIV, 2022, 44” x 30”, Indigo on paper with bookbinding thread
Fera Space LXV, 2022, 30” x 22”, Indigo on paper
Red & Black
The red flashe “Automatic” series and white “Untitled Spaces” are from different periods in my life, but pull from these same emotions. The “Automatic” pieces address the environmental stress of California’s wildfires and ties it with female vulnerability. I drew the parallel while I was running along a trail and became panic-stricken as I reimagined all the warnings of what can happen to a girl who runs alone or at night. As I realized I was projecting my fears onto the landscape, I became aware of the reality of this same landscape surrendering to the wildfires ravaging California.
Glacier Series
The black and white drawings are also inspired by climate change and are derived from images of glaciers combined in Photoshop and then translated on paper. When a glacier melts, it buckles, heaves and cries. Their cries remind me of places I have visited in my own despair and reminded me of how everything is, and always will be, connected.
The yonder my grandmother would sing about is the same yonder I can construct within myself or out in nature. These planes all exist as one and when we find harmony within ourselves, the universe sings in unison with us.
