September 4, 2019 through May 16, 2020 I will be part of a group show at the Springville Museum of Art. The exhibition is titled SELF: EXPLORATIONS OF IDENTITY. I found, as I pulled together a body of work that represented the theme of this group exhibition, that I had a thread running throughout my work over, at least, the past decade. This thread dealt with issues of duality, a contrast between two concepts of something that either coexist simultaneously, or are actually one whole. Truth often contradicts itself and is multifaceted and complex, making the study of it a lifelong journey. I’ve been making art and searching for identity, exploring my own mind and emotions, to know myself and truth and to be one with it.

This painting was done a decade ago. In a blog post I wrote: This diptych is about a search for balance between the me-self and the mother-self. One side has a drab apron and bright outfit, the other vice versa. Though these two selves are intertwined, I sometimes feel a need to separate them for clarity in sorting out identity.

She values introspection as a means to align the inward and outward aspects of her being. We are born into a culture where so many things are already designated and defined. Finding eternal truth and balance is a lifelong challenge and pursuit. The eyepatch is used as a tool to be a contemplative observer of one’s own mind and emotional process. Emotional intelligence calls for self honesty to align the inner and outer selves. An eye also looks out because interacting within the world is unavoidable and important. And while we look inward and outward simultaneously, we acknowledge that we are not beings of this world, but of a spiritual one, having this physical experience together.