There are plenty of reasons to worry about our future.
And yet,
There are things we can do in this life that sustain us, nurture and soothe us, bring us alive, remind us to care for others, and give us hope.
I’ve spent many hours worrying.
I’ve spent many more hours walking the woods of Mt. Tabor and along the Metolius River, my eyes and ears attuned to the sights and sounds of birds communicating, raptors soaring overhead, seasons changing, life manifesting in all its various forms.
It is a gift to have the opportunity to immerse myself in a wild ecosystem and notice the dramas unfolding all around me. There is so much to marvel at and learn. It takes my breath away.
Making art comes from the deep. Creating a painting is mysterious and emotional and revealing (not my most comfortable states to put on display). I keep coming back to the same subjects - birds of prey, wild landscapes and creatures, rivers and geographies that hold memories. I believe this is so because I’ve always found solace and connection in nature, and it gives me courage. I can’t not paint the Peregrine Falcon who paid me a long visit more than a decade ago, or the Red-tail mother who let me know she was done being photographed. Though I can’t imagine ever succeeding in creating a painting that matches the feeling of the moment, I keep striving to make paintings that evoke the poetry of those moments.
The paintings in this exhibition come from the well of memories, moments of connection – a stretch of river where the Ospreys fish, or the meanderings of a Red-tail hawk in a wild urban wonderland. Or the sad discovery of the Great Horned owlet who didn’t make it. Like the fleeting nature of a memory that can feel both amorphous and have elements of clarity, the paintings might convey an emotional experience of the wind or the fleeting moment of clarity in meeting a raptor’s gaze. I want to share my experiences of being present to something so ordinary and yet so profound to witness and ponder.
It is a testament to what time and attention can do to enlarge our appreciation and perspective and sense of wonder.
It feels more important than ever to bring attention to the plight of wild lands and creatures in our rapidly changing world. I hope my paintings are a testament to the value of fighting for preservation of wild habitats and accessibility for all to experience.
