Capturing the beauty and complexity of patterns found in nature through artwork inspired by the coast
Can seaweed save our planet? YES!! After all, most of our world's oxygen comes from seaweed. With increasing use of plastic in the world, the ocean is becoming more polluted, and this poses a significant threat to the sea environment. Changes in climate patterns such as rising temperatures, sea levels and ocean acidification are having significant effects on marine biodiversity. Although seaweed has been vastly understudied to date, we do know that the ocean climate is changing and more research is beginning to surface.
Through my art, I want to spark interest in my community and shine light on these unsung heroes that some biologists say can help tame the hazards of the modern era. I am bringing the many different types of seaweed to the foreground, literally and figuratively, by making it my focal point of my work and as part of my mission as an eco-artist. Transforming seaweed and natural materials into creations that speak to nature’s beautiful and mystical landscapes, seascapes and ecology, my artwork often depicts the fragility and delicate nature of these ecosystems and the interdependence of all living things on earth. Hand pressing, printing, drawing and using watercolors with seaweed offers me unlimited inspiration and possibilities for my art. Incorporating a modern style with patterns, colors and layers that push past traditional boundaries and approaches of the medium, my vision is inspired by the Victorian-era tradition of seaweed pressing, while communicating a modern aesthetic that feels very much in the present moment.
In my studio, I explore ways to transfer the textures, colors, and patterns found within the natural landscape. Within each session, I blend artistic expression with scientific curiosity by creating realistic, yet whimsical assemblages of time and place to reveal a unique fingerprint of natural history. While I am immersed in my creative process, I feel a deep sense of purpose, wellbeing and connection. When I work with a wet medium such as seaweed, I can loosen up, surrender to the flow and embrace the changing tides of life. As a visual artist, it is my greatest desire to preserve nature, highlighting its beauty in the face of climate change. This beauty, I believe, has the potential to heal the places of brokenness we often feel in our lives sometimes.
Through my art, I want to spark interest in my community and shine light on these unsung heroes that some biologists say can help tame the hazards of the modern era. I am bringing the many different types of seaweed to the foreground, literally and figuratively, by making it my focal point of my work and as part of my mission as an eco-artist. Transforming seaweed and natural materials into creations that speak to nature’s beautiful and mystical landscapes, seascapes and ecology, my artwork often depicts the fragility and delicate nature of these ecosystems and the interdependence of all living things on earth. Hand pressing, printing, drawing and using watercolors with seaweed offers me unlimited inspiration and possibilities for my art. Incorporating a modern style with patterns, colors and layers that push past traditional boundaries and approaches of the medium, my vision is inspired by the Victorian-era tradition of seaweed pressing, while communicating a modern aesthetic that feels very much in the present moment.
In my studio, I explore ways to transfer the textures, colors, and patterns found within the natural landscape. Within each session, I blend artistic expression with scientific curiosity by creating realistic, yet whimsical assemblages of time and place to reveal a unique fingerprint of natural history. While I am immersed in my creative process, I feel a deep sense of purpose, wellbeing and connection. When I work with a wet medium such as seaweed, I can loosen up, surrender to the flow and embrace the changing tides of life. As a visual artist, it is my greatest desire to preserve nature, highlighting its beauty in the face of climate change. This beauty, I believe, has the potential to heal the places of brokenness we often feel in our lives sometimes.