“Quercus Alba Specimen Study”

10” H x 7” W. 

2020

Materials: Watercolor, number stamps, ink. 

Stamped numbers represent the 342 bird and butterfly species that could be found in the immediate vicinity of a single White Oak on the shore of Lake Ontario. This study reimagines place as a single oak tree, as a group of living species, and as an integrated community existing in a composite of moments in time. 

“Study Desk”

2024

Materials: Porcelain shards, collected from the shores of Onondaga Lake, colored pencil, handspun wool yarn, antique cotton yarn, wood, vintage lantern, native plants and seeds, turtle shell. 

My practice and artwork reflect aspects of the lake’s intertwined ecosystem of nature, people, and varied the activities and histories of Onondaga Lake. Originally, the Haudenosaunee cared for Onondaga Lake, their ancestral land, sacred site, and birthplace of democracy. Their reciprocal relationship with the lake is represented by the turtle shell, native flora, and images of bird species. When settlers arrived, they exploited and abused the once pristine land and water, leaving legacies of injustice and significant pollution. This work also acknowledges these histories, contrasting sustainable materials with industrial waste: Syracuse China shards. The porcelain shards symbolize the environmental legacy of colonization, white privilege, and industrialization and are physical evidence of the material history of the site. They were acquired through site stewardship, and made precious through caring activities: collecting, washing, and artmaking. Hand-drawn images of birds represent species supported by the lake’s ecosystem. Lace doilies, often a sign of privilege, represent human touch through women’s work. They present the shards and local biodiversity as a present, fragile, revered treasure. The irregular organic forms of the lace reject the perfection of the machine-made aesthetic, presenting and celebrating biodiversity, inspiring the viewer to appreciate and protect their local ecosystems. Native plants and seeds were harvested from my home garden and will be sown on the shores of the lake following the exhibition. 

“Ruddy Turnstone with Fishing Line”

Single print 30” H x 40” W. 2019

Materials: Serigraph, Plate and Stone Lithography, Chine-colle, on Arches. Varied Edition of 15.

Ruddy Turnstone and contemporary map of Syracuse and Onondaga Lake. Prints establish a relationship between an individual bird and specific place while also showing a relationship between the natural and human made materials and built world.  The map captures a specific point in time and human impact on the environment, while celebrating biodiversity and restoration of local habitats.