statement
In my work as an artist, I explore views on life, death and rebirth using archetypes that have been around since prehistory. In the nordic regions of the world, one of the unifying aspects they all share is the reverence of the bear. Indigenous societies in Northern Eurasia and in Northern America share the belief that the bear is a mediator between worlds, and attribute to them supernatural qualities. Because of bears ability to hibernate, disappearing in the fall and reappearing in the spring, they have become an universal symbol for resurrection and renewal.
My work is highly influenced by early Christian icons, Mughal miniatures and textbook science diagrams. All of these influences lend to my work being highly detailed, precise and intricate. I want to create a sense of quiet spiritual and meditative contemplation, to force the viewer to get close and stay, becoming lost in all of the details. My color pallet is based in nature, but increased in saturation, creating a sense of dreamlike or higher conscious state.
Using gouache, I paint beautiful realistically rendered bears, with openings on their sides. Inside of the bears I paint honey bees, for just as the bear has been used as a symbol for rebirth for millennia, so have bees been used as a symbol for the eternal and the divine. In the Aegean and in the Ancient Near East, bees were also thought to be a holy insect that was the bridge from the natural world to the underworld, just as bears were thought to be in arctic regions. By placing honey bees within the bears, I illustrate the eternal forces that exists within the temporary body.
My work is highly influenced by early Christian icons, Mughal miniatures and textbook science diagrams. All of these influences lend to my work being highly detailed, precise and intricate. I want to create a sense of quiet spiritual and meditative contemplation, to force the viewer to get close and stay, becoming lost in all of the details. My color pallet is based in nature, but increased in saturation, creating a sense of dreamlike or higher conscious state.
Using gouache, I paint beautiful realistically rendered bears, with openings on their sides. Inside of the bears I paint honey bees, for just as the bear has been used as a symbol for rebirth for millennia, so have bees been used as a symbol for the eternal and the divine. In the Aegean and in the Ancient Near East, bees were also thought to be a holy insect that was the bridge from the natural world to the underworld, just as bears were thought to be in arctic regions. By placing honey bees within the bears, I illustrate the eternal forces that exists within the temporary body.
