Guardian Series Statement

I started this series playing with shapes and emotions. I made sketches and experimented with color and rather quickly the imagery formed. Strong figures in silhouette emerged with animals behind and a subtile background. It became clear early on that the dominant figures were a form of protection and that the animals and animal symbols were vulnerable.

I was seeking an emotional expression and the result was a response to our tragic effect on ecosystems and a climate which is growing unstable. It is as if we are waiting for some magic thing to happen, that we have no part. Much of the work looked back at me as I made it, as if to plea for help.

I studied ecology in college which has an influence on much of my work. I also have a strong interest in culture. Many of the figures and animal symbols have been influenced by other cultures. I can relate some inspiration in this work to visiting ancient burial sites on the island in Denmark where my grandmother was born. The people who lived at these sites grew their own food as a modest form of agriculture. They held focused rituals. They lived with little adverse effect on the land and sea around them. The possible link to people of this region who lived several thousand years ago has stuck with me. I am fully Scandinavian by decent, but like everyone else my past stretches for hundreds of thousands of years of human history, most of it without adverse effects on the natural world.

I have also long revered the work of Northwest Native cultures in their strong distinctive art and for their efforts to curb the effects of human endeavors on nature. Although there are no direct references to art of First Nations peoples there is inspiration which I feel has also given this work a sense of being tied to a deep past. For the most part the imagery in this series comes from outside of the techno-industrial world. Perhaps it is a reaching out to that aspect of us that this work finds a place within and at best inspiration.

The final piece in the series “Guardians” is a look toward the future by those who will face the challenges posed by current and recent generations.

All of the works in this series we're painted digitally. Two pieces have photo images integrated. Digital archival prints will be available after the work is exhibited in its entirety.