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BIOPHILIA

I create flexible and adaptive “Biophilia” wall-sculptures/ installations out of acorn tops filled with paint and other material, mounted on brass rods. Appearing as bouncing dots of color, projected at different depths on the wall, these multi-dimensional “paintings” play with shape, color theory, microscopic and macroscopic perspectives—and transform with light and shadow.

 

Biophilia wall-sculptures are the result of my journey to take my paintings out of the confines of traditional square and rectangular canvases. I found paint filled acorn tops to be the perfect vehicle to transcend the omnipresent dot patterns in my paintings, indicative of space and time—and transform them into expansive, multi-dimensional murmurations of color and shadow—like coordinates on a three-dimensional grid.

 

The combination of the natural, familiar acorn tops filled with synthetic materials feels simultaneously familiar yet mysterious, and reminds of an engineered symbiosis or connectedness of nature and the artificial. I like using fluorescent and intense colors because it feels like I am reanimating the “dead” shells that nature has discarded, into new seductive organisms which appear to glow from within. Nature informs the palettes and biomorphic patterns of each installation—from the microscopic world of bioluminescent organisms on a beach to the macrocosm of star galaxies above.

"Wyoming" commission, Jackson, WY

800+ individual pieces inspired by Wyoming landscapes traverses the 16' living room wall of this private residence. Photos by Dona Laurita

Biophilia is a metaphor for interconnectedness. I use the symbol of the acorn as a reminder of our interconnectedness with nature and to our larger community and world. While each individual Biophilia is beautiful and complete on its own, they are more beautiful and synergistic as a group. 

 

Acorns, as seeds, are symbols of growth and unlimited potential. Just as one seed can grow into a massive oak that can plant a whole forest, the acorn teaches us about our own potential and what/ how/ who we share with the world. Through this metaphor, Biophilia provides a reminder of this relationship and our interconnectedness with our larger community and world.

"Winter" commission, Aspen, CO

Commission through 212Gallery, Aspen. CO

An atmospheric palette of 900+ individual pieces wraps the fireplace of this private residence. Photos by Dona Laurita 

Walker Fine Art, Denver, CO

"Biophilia" debuted at Walker Fine Art's "Mark Makers" group exhibition, May 11 - July 7, 2018. Photos by Karl Uschold.

"Floating Garden" commission, Truckee, CA

Commission through Walker Fine Art and Ann Benson Reidy + Associates

A colorful palette of 600+ individual pieces, a signature wall sculpture for this private residence. Photos by Constantin Diehl 

Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, Texas

"As Above, So Below," Two-person exhibition with Julia Lucey, December 2020. Photos by Bruce Malone