Handmade watercolor on paper, pigmented handmade paper, pigments from near Chattanooga, TN
8 x 6 inches

Earth pigments lend their substance my work. I sift pigments from rocks and clays gathered nearby to make paint and paper. I use studio scraps and plant fibers - often including iris leaves from my grandmother - for papermaking, drawing upon quilt patterns and a posture of resourcefulness as I join pieces together.

The patterned marks of bird sonograms (visual expressions of bird vocalizations) also inform my visual language. I’m learning to identify certain birds and their calls while walking in my neighborhood and spending time in forests, waterways, and urban places around Chattanooga. These paintings are my record of listening.

The marks and materials of my work are meditations on the rhythms of the place I call home.