A few years ago I became discouraged by the amount of waste and pollution created by the manufacturing and disposal of paints, as well as many other creative endeavors I was involved in. I decided to take a step back create a series of vignettes made purely from things found in nature. During this pursuit I discovered the work of Andy Goldsworthy, whom inspired much of my process.
I have recurrent dreams about tsunamis and a fascination with the ocean. I used to work near a beach and spent much time practicing a meditation technique of staring at a single point in the ocean, letting the waves flow through my point of vision, but never losing my focus. I found an intricate pattern of waves within waves. I painted this with the intricacy of waves in mind, while also paying tribute to The Great Wave by Hokusai.
In April of 2020, shortly after Governor Inslee had announced Shelter-in- Place lockdown, I decided I wanted to put up an installation on our property that would instill some sense of community and lightheartedness to our neighbors. This shrub stands at about 30 ft tall. I made giant eyes from cardboard and a mask out of a shower curtain. We gave it the hashtag #ShrubInScrub, and it has since gained public recognition. It was recently featured in The National Geographic, and I was awarded a 4Culture Grant for contributing to Seattle culture during the pandemic.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/2020/05/how-creativity-fueled-seattle-resilience-during-coronavirus/
