Fall 2019 will see a body of my work called "Maps & Legends" presented at GoArt!'s Main Gallery in Batavia, NY. Birds are my primary subject and maps are used as backgrounds. The maps are either vintage maps from the USGS or NOAA that I've downloaded and color manipulated in Photoshop or actual road maps that I've hand-dyed using watercolors. Elements of collage might also be used; watercolor paper with various bits and pieces of maps to serve as background. Radius Gallery in Missoula has categorized my work as assemblage and I like that term over "mixed-media."
Maps can trigger the memory of a place long lost, but still crystal clear; a grandfather's yarn beginning with "I remember when Daddy and I used to go..." Due to habitat loss, birds are experiencing more and more of what would be our version of "remember when there used to be..." As the climate changes and unmanaged development continues, wildlife is pushed to the margins of existence. These paintings might mark an unfortunate place on the map for "remember when we used to see...."
I'm also planning some sort of presentation as well. More storytelling than presentation. My roots are Southern and storytelling is in the blood. Each piece should have its own narrative. There's always more to them than just a well executed painting. I wasn't always this "into" birds, but they've been at the periphery of my experiences waiting for me to notice. It is that story that will be told. Not just the story of me, but the legend of us.
For those that can't attend I want to include you via these blog pages. As each painting is finished I'll post it's story here. Please climb aboard for this ride of Maps & Legends!
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