The Geometry of Resilience
Artist Statement
I create pattern-based sculptures, public art, and immersive installations that explore narrative through metaphor rather than literal depiction. This body of work—shaped by my experiences at the Willapa Bay (2022) and Vashon (2023) Artist Residencies—physically embodies my responses to today’s political and environmental challenges. At Willapa Bay, a visit to Beard’s Hollow at Cape Disappointment, with its tide pools teeming with sea anemones, barnacles, starfish, and other marine sessile creatures, sparked my fascination with the natural patterns of immobile marine life. The coastal atmosphere at Vashon allowed me to deepen this exploration, translating nature’s quiet resilience into my art.
My work is often modular and reconfigurable, integrating sound and light to create site-specific, immersive experiences. I work primarily with Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF), an engineered wood recycled from sawdust. Each cut, initiated by a carefully drilled pilot hole, is a laborintensive, meditative act that transforms a humble material into intricate, organic patterns, celebrating resourcefulness and creative repurposing.
Many sculptures in this show are radiating forms, a continuation of my interest in mandalas as a healing, spiritual, meditative tool. I have combined the individual pieces into a larger, flowing installation with varying depths and layers. Inspired by the natural symmetry of sessile tidepool creatures and the enduring strength suggested by Ernst Haeckel’s drawings of radiolarians, I explore how even the most delicate forms can embody quiet resilience in an ever-changing world.
During the difficult time we have all experienced with the global pandemic and political divisiveness, my hope for us is Ganbatte, a Japanese word for stick-to-it-ness, resilience, and perseverance, using radiolarians as a metaphor for this concept. Their evolved ability to thrive amid ever-changing marine conditions embodies a quiet resilience that mirrors the enduring spirit I strive to capture in my work. As I made the art for this show and processed its meaning, I realized I was focusing on my own resilience, and the Ganbatte that I wish for young people and their future.