My Senior Degree Project

Just remain in the center watching and then forget that you are there  

--Lao Tzu

I have no doubt that I stand here at the very center of creation. Every fir tree, each of its needles, the movement of wind, all that I perceive and even more that I don't, all resonate with a vital hum. It is the hum of the universe, what the Chinese call the ten thousand things, all of them speaking out, saying precisely nothing. Each is its own center, the exact place where the world begins. The center is where you are standing, ...and the other center is where I am standing.

---Joseph Campbell

Costa Rica

I had the pleasure of going to David and Julia White Artists Colony in Ciadad Colon Costa Rica with Ellie Hollinshead for the month of January this year.  It opened many doors in my artwork and was a wonderful inspiring place to paint and draw.  There is not much better than being immersed in the environment and foliage you are painting.

Prima Materia

(inspired by a papaya tree)

Parthenogenesis

Passifloraceae

Interstellar Communication by Way of Bamboo

Excrescence

Influx of Profane Illuminations

The first plant I was captivated with...a beautiful banana tree

Following are other preliminary drawings of banana trees 

whalicious

etching

Little Outlaws

Up in Freedom New Hampshire on Loon Lake sits a wonderful little house my mom grew up in.  We take family trips in the summer to hike and relax and trips in the winter to ski (King Pine!)  This summer past ended up being a very rainy week and little hiking got done, only Black Cap in Maine.  I did however take long walks through the damp woods and became entranced by the glorious array of fungi I encountered!  Lurking under the carpet of needles, sneaky fellows, I have yet to encounter such a large variety of mushrooms anywhere else.  These walks through the woods have feed into a huge fascination and theme of my thoughts and artwork.

Loon Lake on an autumn morning

Loon Lake in the summer

photographs of mushrooms from my walk

Muludhara

Preliminary woodblock print

 

Why Did You Eat Us?

(detail)

Oceanic Fan

Here is an array of some of my sea life work.  I just love those fish and octopus!!!!

ink on vellum

my first litho at CCA with the wondrous Jack Ford and beautiful heavy limestone

my first (well technically second) relief print from my time at CCA with Jeanne Lorenz

screen print

The Legend of Mummichug

This myth was written and illustrated to display the importance of marshes in our ecosystems.  Saltwater marshes are an often overlooked ecosystem due to their apparent quietude, however looking closely they are area essential for filtration, nutrient recycling and attract a wide array of unique creatures.  Creatures such as the Mummichug, a Rhode Island local.  This piece carries on my the themes of the circular, and then moon, and reverence for nature which appear through out much of my artwork.

Enjoy the read!

From Algae to Zooxanthellae

I made this handmade this single edition book at Blattner Print Studio at California College of the Arts.  I had an exceptional exploratory semester out in the bay area.  I met wonderful teachers such as Jack Ford (a funky dude who shared my love of the sea and sushi, introduced me to the wonderful world of lithography, in fact printing hasnt been the same since I left CCA), Greg Piatt and Jeanne Lorenz.  I had a blast learning and combining different printmaking techniques then stitching it all together!  It was a final project for a bookmaking class, with the structure of the book reflecting the content.

From Algae to Zooxanthellae

ABCs of Life on the Coral Reef

A is for Achilles tang...

B is for Blue-ringed octopus...

C is for Clown triggerfish...

D is for Dugong...

E is for Eggshell cowry...

F is for Flame scallop...

G is for Giant clam...

H is for Hawksbill turtle...

I is for Iguana...

J is for Jeweled Damselfish...