Where do my art materials come from?

Art making is inherently educational. When someone buys or views one of my pieces, they don’t just acquire or experience it, they also learn things, access another perspective, and connect with my values and dreams. Pretty powerful I’d say.

Recently I've been taking a course called Sustainability and the Art Studio taught by Anna Chapman and organized through Ecoartspace.org. After several classes filled with info and presentations by inspirational and visionary artists, we got to come up with our own projects to experiment with sustainable ideas. I could have done anything, like tried a new natural material or medium. But the part that feels most alive right now is communicating what my work really contains. So much of the materials that make up products we use are invisible by design and we don't even consider how to change that.

Enter my new eco tags!

I want my collectors or interested people to see themselves as connected to the timeline of these art works. You are not just getting a single artwork; you're getting a history and knowledge about the plants and the process it took for it to become what it is. How can that not affect us deeply to know that? Everything is connected to a place and network of life. Each print is made of materials that came from somewhere and will someday rejoin this soil and carbon cycle. I’ve been even letting go of the concept of archival or permanent art.

I choose the materials based on their sustainability. When I print a plant, my choice reflects my relationship to the plant and its location, in addition to its color, texture, and shape. The fabric substrate is also not a blank slate. I use vintage or reused fabric that come with history. Who used them before? When were they made? Why were they made? So get ready to learn!