Aren't we all... the moments that make us
Clouds | Oil on Panel | 3x4' | 2024
Looking Towards the Light | Pictorico Photo-Weaving | 16x20" | 2024
Bristlecone | Oil on Panel | 2x3' | 2024
History | Pictorico Photo-Weaving | 16x20" | 2024
Water | Oil on Panel | 2x3' | 2024
Almost Under | Pictorico Photo-Weaving | 16x20" | 2024
Artist Statement
Growing up, I spent my days either hiking or kayaking on the East coast. It is the moments that I have spent in nature that have guided me and my practice as an artist. My work is a reflection of the natural world and what it means to be a part of it. Through captivating oil paintings and intricate weavings, I capture the beauty and fragility of our environment. In my current work I am exploring themes of reciprocity, deep ecology and the complexity of nature vs technology. While I essentially believe that nature cannot be controlled, I also cannot ignore the fact that technology as a tool for climate mitigation is needed for a sustainable future. We must not rely on one approach alone.
After losing my uncle Dave Malinsky in a hiking accident my work became a deeper exploration of our connection to the natural world and the human condition that comes with being a part of it. Malinsky was a prolific writer and photographer who captured bristlecone pine trees high up on Mt Charleston in Nevada. “It is only the soles of the feet that touch the earth, but that is not meant to limit us, it instead provides the foundation for what it means to be a living part of the natural world, and a reminder of our common humanity. It is our higher soul that can soar from that foundation - the sky is not what we look up at, it is where we live, an unending invitation to dream the highest of dreams, and to pursue them.” I am so grateful to have access to his brilliant work that I take inspiration from in my life and practice.
Being a multimedia artist using contrasting materials is one way that I can further push the message of my work. I have been exploring the contrast between the control humans attempt on nature versus the power it has over us. The large paintings are created with oil on hand built wood panels. They capture a glimpse of nature, turning them into microcosms that evoke memory. The impact of these pieces represent ecocentrism and the understanding of the limitations humans are bound to by nature. The weavings are made of images printed on pictorico paper, a transparent film that is made of polyester. I combined self-portraits with the same elements that I capture in my paintings: clouds, water, and wood. These weavings began as a way to recreate the experience I had hiking on Mt Charleston. They soon developed into a beautiful opposition to my paintings as they became more than just a memory. I wove these natural images in with the body to represent anthropocentrism and the role humans have in the future of our environment.