Poetics of Becoming Art: Surface and the process of mark making within my work observes moments of beauty and discontent, and is a means of reimagining what could be. My amalgamations of photography, painting and drawing explore the influence of diverse perspectives, contemplative moments and the liminal threshold between two states of being. The educational programs celebrating diversity, tolerance and understanding in the face of fear and bigotry that imbued my childhood and the social landscape of the 60’s and 70’s were foundational in my understanding of how cultural variations exist in the world. Even now, as in rural Oregon where I live, or in small villages in The Gambia, West Africa, and elsewhere, I wonder how these moments of discovery can gather together components of diversity to make a sense of wholeness of the human family and a sense of belonging. As such, my art process also includes the reflexivity of learning and teaching as a social practice, one that incorporates travel and conversations with people near and far, and questions how people develop a sense of kinship. I feel that these influences continue to inform my work.

Low Residency MFA in Visual Studies (LRVS)