The two prints below were inspired by Leeks, a poem by Abbot Cutler, published in the March/April 2011 edition of Orion Magazine. The imagery embodies concepts from my current body of creative work.

I take what I have learned from living with a chronic illness, and translate it into a more universal language through the use of metaphor. I communicate how natural cycles of the world around us correspond to our life experiences and focus on capturing different stages of growth and renewal within an environment that exhibits elements of decomposition and decay. Ambiguous landscape and flower imagery serve as metaphors for human experience – the elusiveness of life, of illness, wellness, and of death.

Cutler’s poem speaks of dormancy and renewal. It evokes images from my father’s garden. It resonates with my belief in a person’s interconnectedness with nature, resiliency, and ability to heal.

 

Leeks (above) is a 30” x 22,” intaglio print with chine colle. 

 

 

Leeks II (above) is a 15” x 17” multiple-color intaglio print on Japanese paper using chine colle. This is a three color-plate image. A  separate plate is used for print each color. The plates are printed together to achieve the final image. In my work, multiple color imagery allows for spatial shifts and layering of planes that is not possible in the single plate images.

 

The finished series achieves the right balance of dormancy and renewal. The images have a mysterious, underwater quality, yet retain a sense of beauty and resiliency of life.