'Room to Grow' 2014
I spent a few hours in my garden today, but instead of working on my beets or green onions, I decided to give a little love to my decorative and indoor plants, which they sorely needed. I noticed the dirt getting quite low in a few of their pots and figured the nutrients in the soil had pretty much run its course. Poor little guys!
The dirt had gone down almost an inch!
Much happier with full, fresh, composted soil.
As I was enjoying feeling my hands in the dirt and admiring the intricate geometric patterns and striking colors within these favorite studio companions, I started to remember just what had inspired me to do my grad school thesis project about human bodies juxtaposed with succulents and other plant life. The little fat fingers and petals of these succulents look and feel so much like animalia rather than plant creatures, and working with them today just brought all those energized and full-of-wonder feelings back.
Succulent buddies lined up in front of my big basil bush
These little guys are so otherworldly!
The similarities between us and plantlife are present because we are all connected; the same matter, the same energy is what makes each creature on the planet, and after we expire, we will all become the same dust.
Ready to come back in and cheer up my studio!
'Bell Pepper' 2015
If you want to learn more about any of the paintings pictured here, you can also view the full gallery and artist statement from my Figure & Flora exhibition.
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originally posted: October 19, 2016