Above: “There are moments that keep themselves in our memories” (For Ernestine Hayes), 8” x3”, Paper, gauze, silver leaf, and encaustic on hand-cut scrap metal, 2017.
available for us to break down, understand, and make accessible. The more we learn about the place we live, the land that supports us, the importance and functionality of ice, the more we develop a stronger will to protect our life support systems.
What is the hardest part about being an artist? Most days it’s easy since it is what I feel most comfortable doing. What is difficult is making art about reality. I read, listen to the news, and pay attention as much as I can to what’s happening in my local world, as well as worldwide. I’m writing this while reading about recent events Puerto Rico and Las Vegas.
So often the only way I can stay sane is to create, partially as a personal response, partially as a political statement, and partially because there are so many things in this world that can become debilitating if there isn’t an outlet. As an artist trying to decipher these changes, it can become a lonely, depressing place. The more I know, the easier it is to want to give up and say, “why bother, my art doesn’t make any difference.” Death and destruction are scary; the unknown can be terrifying. We lose, we grieve, we rebound, we adapt, we become stronger. We are capable of global change, of making special the things we hold dear, of
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