Artist’s Statement
My work explores our current, collective, and ongoing relationship with the natural world. More specifically, I consider how landscape and our changing climate affects the human condition. My practice involves the illumination of naturally existing phenomena such as dissolving coastlines, poppies in a minefield, or an ant trapped in water mold, considering them to be visual metaphors for humanity’s relationship to landscape. I combine a variety of image making methods from silkscreen and woodcuts to painting and drawing to photography and video. I often work in collaboration with writers and other artists to flesh out the fullest potential of these discoveries and to create unified works where text and image exist in dialogue. My latest work incorporates pigments and inks derived from found objects and plants in order to create a visual dialogue between material and form. This work blurs the line between objectivity and abstraction allowing the observed landforms to resonate poetically. I also work in close collaboration with my husband, Charles M Pepiton, to create films and immersive installations.
As an art educator, I am dedicated to helping people of all ages find their unique voice and imagine possibilities for their artistic interventions. My concern for the natural world causes my active engagement with questions over the influence of place. As such, my pedagogy invites students to explore how art expands our understanding of a particular place, helping them to see, appreciate, and experience the fullness of our built and natural worlds.
I am based in Spokane, WA, where I teach visual art and am a member of Saranac Art Projects. Watch this website for information on current projects and openings.