Artist Statement

As an interdisciplinary visual artist and sacred activist, I work across disciplines to explore the intersection of theology, culture, and ecology. My work is informed by my love for the earth and grief for all that we are losing. Through this lens, I explore many forms of artistic expression that include painting, sculpture, writing, and installation. An avid researcher of historical and contemporary texts, I seek to incorporate and revision my research creating works that reveal the sacredness of the creation and our interconnectedness in the life web, and to raise awareness of endangered species. During this evolutionary time, we are called to co-create a new collective narrative for living in reciprocity with the living earth and with each other if we are to ensure a livable planet for future generations. My work is a contribution toward this transformative vision.

Vision
Emerging from my Master’s research over fifteen years ago, the vision for my work is founded on my belief that the ecological and climate crises are a spiritual crisis. That in the developed world, humanity has become too far removed from our innate interdependence in the web of life and are degrading the land base on which all life is dependent. This way of being has evolved over the millennia with the rise of spiritual traditions that reverence transcendent deities, while rejecting the holiness of the natural world; in addition to the industrial and technological revolutions of the 20th century that further distanced us from Nature.

Alongside our current paradigm, we are also seeing a resurgence of Native American and indigenous ways of knowing that remind us that the earth is sacred and worthy of our reverence. I also believe that each of us has this wisdom within us (our ancestors were all once indigenous to their homeland), it has only been forgotten over thousands of years. Through my work, I am inviting a marriage of these two narratives—a spirituality that is both transcendent and immanent. One need not deny faith in God, Allah, Yahweh, Christ, Krishna, Buddha, or science but we must—for the health of our planet and for the survival of all life on earth—likewise reverence the earth with the same devotion and gratitude.

I believe it is within this landscape that art has the transformative power to open our hearts to the beauty of our world and inspire action on behalf of the living earth and all beings. May we each become committed guardians of the earth and wise ancestors for future generations.