Dimensions: 26 x 21 x 9 Media: fire branded salvaged oak wood Artist Statement : Before it was felled by a winter storm, the Boundary Oak in Walnut Creek, California grew for 325 years in a world increasingly harmed by the actions of man. Proliferating atmospheric carbon has triggered a global climate change, the local impact of which is a West that burns out of control every summer. I chose three simple words - “Man,” “Fire” and “Death” - and using branding irons I burn each word into one of the three usable sides of my piece of the Boundary Oak. Man is the cause, fire is the method, and death is inevitable.
Dimensions: 6.5 x 3.25 x 3.25 Media: Multi-Axis Spalted Cherry with a wax finish Artist Statement : The fires this year make us all want to run! I strive to create pleasing, fictional, and sometimes surprising objects from wood, along with having fun in the process. Acquiring knowledge about the different kinds of wood and the skills needed to use wood turning tools is rewarding. I search for wood that engages one’s imagination upon viewing the turned results. The intriguing shapes of multi-axis items are especially gratifying to make and invite speculation on how they were crafted.
Dimensions: 4.5 x 4 x 4 Media: wood - Maple Burl Tea Light with a walnut oil and wax finish Artist Statement : I strive to create pleasing, fictional, and sometimes surprising objects from wood, along with having fun in the process. Acquiring knowledge about the different kinds of wood and the skills needed to use wood turning tools is rewarding. I search for wood that engages one’s imagination upon viewing the turned results. The intriguing shapes of multi-axis items are especially gratifying to make and invite speculation on how they were crafted.
Dimensions: 20 x 16 x 0.75 Media: Oil Artist Statement : This piece was created through listening to an original musical composition. Singing The Blues came to mind while painting. Hence the predominantly blue hue.
Dimensions: 18 x 24 x 1 Media: Digital print on Epson paper with Claria Inks Artist Statement : The dawn sun lights the earth and the sustenance that grows from it in a field with yellows and oranges contrasted against the still dark green and still misty sky in the distance..
Dimensions: 17 x 22 Media: Photomontage Artist Statement : Unless it involves us directly, how many of us ignore the destruction of our planet through climate change. These images show how much more many of us are interested consumerism, fashion, celebrity than what may affect us the most.
Dimensions: 20 x 10 Media: oil Artist Statement : My artistic inspiration comes from the vibrancy of the natural landscape, whether painting en plein air or in my studio. Striving to achieve a painterly realism one brush stroke at a time, using abundant color, and supporting textural tools is my artistic goal. I love to find and capture the unique moment in time, such awe-inspiring sunrises and sunsets, when the subject matter comes to life; that fleeting moment when the magical effects of the sun cause dramatic play between lights and darks. When accomplished, I believe that artistic tension is at its best, revealing a painting Alive with Color, which evokes thoughtful emotion and allows the viewer to complete the story.
Dimensions: 87 x 33 x 268 Media: Steel rod, base coat plaster, spray paint, and preserved moss Artist Statement : I planned to expose the truth behind therapy because many people believe it to be a one-and-done kind of system. However, that is not the case. At ten years old, I was assigned my first therapist, and the numbers have only grown. As time passed, so did the different therapists because they were not the right fit, transferred, retired, or I had outgrown their system. Although, I don't regret a thing because even if they did not stay with me, I still grew and learned a bit from each.
Dimensions: 44 x 40 x 5 Media: Mixed media (found paper, cardboard) on wooden grid. Artist Statement : This piece incorporates paper and cardboard, including labels and packaging, that have been left to weather in rain and dirt for several months. Exposure to the elements has given these materials a distinctive character--random patterns and textures--that would not have been achievable using conventional artists' media. At the same time, the process has revealed the ways in which human behavior--placing manufactured materials where they can be subject to the elements--interacts with nature, indicating that it is not an autonomous force in itself.
Dimensions: 16 x 20 Media: digital collage Artist Statement : These are my photographs arranged in the composition. I try to make the feeling of alone more universal so the the viewer can relate to the image.
Dimensions: 14 x 10 Media: Digital Painting (iPad with ArtRage app) Artist Statement : This ongoing series of digital paintings, titled Sea/Shore, was begun during an artist residency on Cuttyhunk Island in September 2023. I have always loved walking the intertidal zone - a place that is neither ocean nor dry land, but a little of both. As I traverse this ever-changing land/sea scape, I experience its breadth as a continuous littoral band, and its depth as a physically narrow but incredibly rich and diverse environment. The resulting paintings are my declaration of love for this endlessly fascinating subject. Each piece is printed on acid-free paper in an edition of ten.
Dimensions: 14 x 10 Media: Digital Painting (iPad with ArtRage app) Artist Statement : This ongoing series of digital paintings, titled Sea/Shore, was begun during an artist residency on Cuttyhunk Island in September 2023. I have always loved walking the intertidal zone - a place that is neither ocean nor dry land, but a little of both. As I traverse this ever-changing land/sea scape, I experience its breadth as a continuous littoral band, and its depth as a physically narrow but incredibly rich and diverse environment. The resulting paintings are my declaration of love for this endlessly fascinating subject. Each piece is printed on acid-free paper in an edition of ten.
Dimensions: 40 x 20 x 4 Media: Wet Felted wool and silk on stretched cotton Artist Statement : Water and stone are elemental materials found in the places that give me peace. Beauty can be found in a single stone or a water view.
Water, our life source, is necessary for survival but can also be a source of destruction. Flooding, changing coastlines, aridification, soil degradation and contamination are exacerbated by climate change. These issues inform my work.
Stones are shaped by water over thousands of years. Humans have stacked and gathered stones to acknowledge death and the solstice, to create shelter, markers, boundaries and lines of defense. Individual stones serve as seats and talismans.
Sheep wool is a sustainable material. Sheared wool, soap and water, manually agitated, forms felt. The tactile practice of using wool to simultaneously create surface and 3-dimensional form is what draws me to this medium.
Dimensions: 47 x 30 x 0.3 Media: Digital manipulated interpretations of a single photograph, created by melding the photograph with a photo of painted fabric in photo shop for each segment and printed with an Epson 2400 on a variety of inkjet prepared fabrics. The digital fiber photographs are mounted on free sections using stabilizer. Segments are creatively stitched and held together with a hand-tied bookbinding method using dyed pearl cotton. Edges and top are sealed with UV medium and paint. Artist Statement : Spending time in nature is a large part of my art making. The photograph of an island where the cormorants perch brings me great pleasure on my kayak rides around the lake. It takes me on a journey inside, when I’m outside.
Nothing But Blueskies for Maryland Federation of Art
Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe
Media: Original digital prints of actual blueskies on different dates:
http://www.instagram.com/nothingbutblueskiesfromnowon Artist Statement : Digital prints of nothing but blue skies.
Each photo is taken on a specific day.
The sky the open portal to the universe!
A gateway to peace, freedom, and infinite potential. In the context of the "Elementals" show, these blue expanses represent not just the literal vastness of the universe but also metaphorical openings to clarity, creativity, and introspection. The digital print has a date captured and invites viewers to transcend their immediate surroundings, offering a visual escape that prompts reflection on our inner worlds and the boundless opportunities that lie ahead. What was that date like for you? Through the serene blue, we are reminded of the limitless possibilities for transcendence, both within ourselves and in the universe at large.
I document days here:
http://www.facebook.com/nothingbutblueskiesfromnowon
www.instagram.com/nothingbutblueskiesfromnowon
Dimensions: 24 x 24 x 1 Media: digital photography Artist Statement : The rain forest is nurtured by small streams and constant rains, nourishing a profusion of plant life.
Dimensions: 6 x 12 x 0.25 Media: Oil on Triple Primed MDF Panel Artist Statement : There are many things you can see in the big puddle after heavy rain...
Dimensions: 22 x 26 x 0.25 Media: Oil on Linen Gatorboard Artist Statement : Water is my favorite subject to depict on canvas. Water in any condition - clouds or fog, ice or snow, flat surface of the lake, or ocean waves. Water is never the same...
