Sheath Abstractions
Born out of happenstance and the continuing evolution of my creative process, Sheath Abstractions is a collection of mixed-media collages incorporating digital photographic images, paint and cradled gesso board. Each piece is derived from a single source of inspiration - a found royal palm sheath.
Originally, I set out to create a series of works inspired by the might and grace of what nature creates and ultimately discards, however, my intentions shifted as the work progressed.
Spectacular in dimension, wild and varied in its texture, shape and tones, I photographed this unique object where I first encountered it in Florida. Back in my studio as I worked with the source images, utilizing both digital and hands-on manipulation, these collage works began to tell a different story.
Patterns of connections, interactions, and entwinement emerged. Within the woven works, elements of distance, separation and broken connections appeared. I began to see these as human connections. I was creating families, both generational and chosen. Kinships dependent and independent, distanced and tightly-knit.
To me, these works came to represent the might and our grace of human connection.
