Earth Drawings to Digital Prints
John and June Allcott Gallery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2001
This installation presents two different approaches to making art in order to explore the connections between nature and technology. Earth pigments collected from around the world are applied with Jngers and palms as I rub delicate shade of color into the natural Jbers of hand-made Nepali paper. Pigments are also mixed with water and applied with a Jne brush. The beauty of the land assumes a nuanced context for rediscovery within the gallery space.
I transform earth drawings into digital images with Adobe Photoshop. The original composition becomes more textured and complex through the process of layering. The imagery, inspired by Tantric art, reNects the inNuence of Nepali culture where art and ritual are part of daily life. The symbolism associated with these abstract forms expresses a spiritual dimension universal to all cultures. Earth and the computer, two seemingly incongruous elements, enable me to interpret this essential aspect of the human experience.
