Studio Explorations/Beach as Studio - I make art and seek connection to place through plant life. My first summer in Victoria, 2018 as graduate student, I explored the rich environments of sea and garden seeking plant life to use as material for artmaking. Each environment has unique characters that attract me and arouse in me creative impulses. At the seashore I feel energized and invigorated by the sounds of endless waves, the salty air and the wind. I feel connected to my Celtic roots and am fascinated by the plant and animal life beneath the water’s surface. I found myself attracted to strange bulb-shaped kelp plants and spent hours in exploration of kelp as art material. I sat on the beach twisting, winding and running my hands across the smooth wet surface of kelp to wrap found drift wood sticks. My physical engagement with kelp as art material is performative in nature and concerned with materiality. The material’s “thing-power” (Bennet, 2004) influenced my exploration and making. The resulting coiled curvy green sculptures are reminiscent of snakes and reminded me of a story about mistaking a stick for a snake.
Beach exploration 2018 - Kelp seaweed is an incredible sea plant. Strong and flexible like leather. I wrapped found beach driftwood to create green snake-like sculptural works.
Found Paper at the Frog Pond, 2019 - During the second summer cohort session in Victoria I was prompted by fellow graduate student, Crystal Loszchuk, pictured above during a pond scum harvest, to investigate found paper as art medium. The paper is formed by scooping matted masses of algae scum from the surface of a pond and then letting it dry on a cement or rock surface. The unique, wild and textural paper inspired me to create costumes that I eventually wore for exploratory photo sessions building on my art practice’s performative trajectory (see short film Running With Paper). By wearing my materials (my art creations) I become a mythic character that is part of nature creating a new story.