The moment my eyes set sight on a blank canvas I am immediately drawn to the magnitude of possible ways in which the medium may be manipulated. For me, drawing is an instinctual act, taking form in intricate doodles and shapes, which have an organic, freely perpetuating quality. These informal drawings have evolved over time into a style I have incorporated into more intentional work. This body of work is based on these small line drawings, which have developed into imagined landscapes through the combination of different materials and processes.
These landscapes begin with a layer of tissue paper as texture and basis for the emerging environment. The tissue creates a translucent, hazy atmosphere, while the layered paper hole punches and eye cutouts unite to create more tangible forms. I apply the drawn details in a similar manner, in which the microcosms of small lines combine to create a whole. The landscapes are presented on small scale 7”x7” and 11”x11” wood panels, allowing the minute details to become the focus of the composition. The small size of the work is meant to invite the viewer into the unusual space while showcasing the obsessive nature with which they are created. Each piece is composed of five separate panels, which can be viewed as singular or continuous pieces. This reflects the nature of my process in which small beginnings form larger visions.
Through my intuitive exploration and application of organic shapes, I initially created images that grew into the foundations for abstract environments. I reacted to these forms, and began to organize these elements into imagined landscapes. These invented landscapes act as a vehicle for my natural impulse to work obsessively, and provide a physical environment in which these mental and tactile processes can exist. As I am characteristically meticulous, it is only natural for my work to reflect my tendency towards perfectionism and detailed organization.
The origin of the word meticulous comes from the Latin word Meticulosus, which means “fearful” or “timid.” The process of layering miniscule shapes is meticulous in itself, and I have come to question why I find the need to work in such a tedious manner. Perhaps there is some unconscious fear within me that compels me to attempt perfection in everything that I do. Meticulosus sounds like the name of a place or the term for a creeping disease. It refers to the imaginary places I have conjured up, and implies the diseased, growth-like quality of the organic shapes and the anatomical nature of the collaged eyes.
My inspirations include the unusual imaginings of the painter Odilon Redon, the fantasy landscapes of Anna Fidler, and the collaged images of Wangechi Mutu. There is an unsettling and fantastical quality to each of these artists’ work and Meticulosus is meant to reside in this somewhat darker realm. I am especially drawn to the art of Fidler and Mutu, who work in collage and mixed media. I am constantly enhancing my own visual language and am inspired by the different ways in which to work with material. By habit, I begin my process exploring the organic nature of my small doodles and drawings, but it is through the combination of different materials and processes that my work truly takes hold.