In November and December, the Durham Arts Council is presenting an exhibition titled Material/Process that includes five of my recent pieces. The other artists are Gibby Waitzkin, Holden Richards, Reni Gower and Jackie MacLeod. Rather than choosing a theme like Climate Change to unite the show, the Director, Susan Tierney, organized the show by including artists for whom process is a central part of their art practice. 

Carolina Arts Magazine wrote a long piece with extensive information about the materials and process used by each artist: http://www.carolinaarts.com/1119/1119carolinaarts-sp.pdf

Visitors to the show were able to see environmental work by Gibby Waitzkin incorporating natural fibers, paper pulp and eco prints and work about the environment by large format photographer Holden Richards, who specializes in making Silver Gelatin prints using traditional darkroom skills. Reni Gower’s fascination with geometric patterning from cultures around the world are made with pains-taking paper cut pieces and Jackie MacLeod wowed viewers with her wide spectrum of architectural metal work using a plethora of surface techniques including patinas that require long periods of aging.

Taken together, this was a show that demanded a lot of looking and thinking for  the audience. All of the artists work on many levels, and invite their views to take time enter their worlds and consider the ideas, history, techniques and materials that they use.

I was honored to have my piece Kimono featured on the cover of the December issue of Carolina Arts. http://www.carolinaarts.com/1219/1219carolinaarts-sp.pdf

As you will see in the photos taken from the opening, I included two of my pieces from the Cambodia series, Cambodia and Homeland, which are both based on the map of Cambodia, the last remaining habitat of the Bengal Florican. My most recent piece, Conflagration, was hung in the center of the gallery and got a lot of attention.  This piece is also based on a map of the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi. However,while I was making it this summer, fires were raging in the Brazilian rainforest, putting even more birds and other species at risk of extinction and I decided that the central belt of gold should be textured with golden waxed linen thread and red and gold wire to evoke these destructive fires. 

I also included an earlier piece titled Nest, which is largely black and features a texture of black zip ties. While the circular image and title evoke thoughts of home, the plastic found in this nest reminds us that birds will build their homes with whatever detritus they can find and more and more of it is plastic rather than natural materials.