FOR THE NOTETAKERS

Abstract

“…for the notetakers…” was a favorite and oft used phrase of a beloved teacher of mine. It was his cue to his serious students that this was one of the really juicy, important bits to capture. The way he said it called to something beyond fierce scribbling, and I was struck by the sweet notion of the notetakers as tribe of people, united not by the speed of their pens but rather by their thirst for meaning. I conceive of notetaking as extending beyond the page – a way of mining our attention for the layers of meaning afforded by the world around us. This body of work is both a product of and an invitation to this type of engagement, rooted in presence and reflection.

Recognizing beauty in physical voids – particularly in the complex interiors of sand dollar fragments revealed by fracture, erosion, and weathering – facilitated a shift in how I think about internal sense of void. This perceptual shift underpins this body of work, celebrating void not as the absence of something, but rather as holding space for opening and transformation. The relationship between space and structure in the fragments that serve as my inspiration offered me a visual language with which to explore the experience of vulnerability in abstract form.

I utilize forming and fabrication techniques in sheet steel for the production of these objects. The balance and interplay between structure and void is a driving concern in the work, bringing forward the relationship between the tangible and the unseen. Surface is developed with enamel and patina, guiding the eye over form and into void. The intimate scale of the work affords an opportunity for the pieces to be handled and turned over, with the intent of facilitating contemplation and cultivating an embrace of what is.