Hints of Gladness, 2024
This 3-dimensional wall piece incorporates the artist’s interest in a sense of place and belonging. She uses humble traditional crafts such as knitting and paper mache to achieve a rich texture that mimics the curious textures of the natural environment like moss, vines, and mushrooms. From her hikes through the Appalachian mountains, she gathers ideas from the flora and fauna and attempts to mimic the surroundings that give her a sense of peace and connection to the world. Through inherited objects including maps from her grandfather’s travels as a boilermaker and textiles from her grandmothers, she combines and manipulates these humble materials. She connects with her past and fosters a sense of belonging through these methods and materials. Tying together her interest of ancestry, motherhood, nature, and home, she explores the theme of beauty in the mundane and mystery in the overlooked.
Symbiosis, 2025
Symbiosis is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the living together in more or less intimate association or close union of two dissimilar organisms.” As the artist explores the forest, the mutually beneficial relationship between organisms, a symbiotic relationship known as mutualism, is apparent in species in nature, especially the varied species of lichen in the Great Smoky Mountains. This interaction is to the advantage of both components of lichen, algae and fungi. In this piece, the “seed pods” created with paper mache, paint, and ink are living in a mutualistic relationship with the textured fabric. Symbiosis is celebrated with the eruption of colorful textiles from the pods and growing over the piece.
