FERTILE GROUND....A COLLECTION OF PAINTINGS

“Fertile - affording abundant possibilities for growth or development.”

The following paintings are from my show, Fertile Ground, which contains work I created between 2004 and 2010. I decided to call this show Fertile Ground because something that is fertile is rich and nourishing. It has the potential to produce, whether it is a thought or something physical. The work that I’m showing explores themes that represent energy and the myriad of ways it shows itself. Circles are a recurrent theme, from the round head of the African fertility goddess - Akua Mma, to mysterious glowing orbs, to the somewhat representational images of the sun and moon, to a seed and it’s potential. The circle represents the spirit of energy within everything as well as a symbol of constant change. The sun sets, the day ends, the seed is planted, the flower blooms then withers away and falls back to the earth, fruit ripens, a snowflake falls onto a muddy road then quickly disappears and the cycle repeats. Also, I am interested in expressing the magical time of twilight when light and color heighten against a backdrop of silhouettes and shadows. A day’s end can give us a last gasp of exquisite beauty and pleasure as we transition to night’s blanket of darkness and stars. The circle continues to turn. With my art work I invite the viewer to stop, take a deep breath and look around. See the magic in everyday events and the raw potential every passing moment holds.