Gardens I've Known
In my search for inspiration I always return to the natural world. I usually work in series and one of my most recent directions has been to explore gardens and parks.
I want to convey the fleeting nature of gardens by giving just enough information that a general idea comes forward yet with attention to smaller details. By not articulating an exact likeness or specificity I play with how our memory is similar to our peripheral vision. Something is there, we know it and even though we can’t see it clearly, we recognize it, we remember it. I play with color in this way, approximating a flower, a garden, or a pathway.
Humans long for beauty and to bring nature into the built environment. We claim potted plants, and cut flowers. We try to control nature from bonsai trees, topiary shrubs, or hybrid crops, to strategically placed shade trees. In my travels, I look for gardens. And I have found them everywhere, from Central Park, to Topkapi Palace, Boboli Gardens, The Generalife, the patios and hillsides in Italy, Turkey, Spain, and Greece, the roof tops, side walk trees, and fire escapes in every large city.
Gardens were an important element in my childhood. My mother was a Master Gardener, president of her garden club, and a generous spirit. Each spring I ask myself if I want to plant a garden or go on a road trip. Invariably travel has won out. In my studio I take these experiences, my travel sketches, my photographs and memories and form them into an homage to my mother and her love of gardens.