Friday, September 11, 2009

I have been working on a set of new eggs as a result of one of the holiday art shows I have applied to. I had to write an artist's statement this time around and it actually helped me figure out a new direction for my artwork.  I have been feeling stale and bored with what I have been doing lately, so it was a nice change.  What I came up with was a series of "fetish" eggs with stylized animal imagery in a universe of stars/flowers.  Maybe not the most earthshaking decision, but it was good for me to try to clarify some of the ideas that have been floating around my head for a while.  Here is the final statement:
Artist Statement
     I create my artwork using a centuries-old technique called Pysanky.  This is a batik-type process using beeswax, a small heated funnel, and aniline dyes on eggshells that results in intricately layered patterns of color, geometry and two-dimensional line on a three-dimensional surface. 
     Currently, I am combining elements of traditional Pysanky design, Native American forms, and Japanese textile patterns, exploring the depiction of flora and fauna combined into fantastic shapes and stylized fetish creatures. The challenge is to loosen or even set free the pattern from the traditionally rigid framework without losing the rhythm that gives it a heartbeat.  All this must happen within the enclosed frame of the eggshell without feeling cramped or limited in scope.
     I believe that the art of the past can teach us patience, explore culture and forgotten beliefs, and communicate what is otherwise hidden.  With my Pysanky, I hope to not only keep the technique alive, but also the meditative and spiritual aspect that is necessary to create and view such an art form, an exercise for both the artist and the viewer. Using traditional symbols and techniques combined with my own more contemporary ideas, I hope to combine past and present in a heterogeneous and lively form.

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