Artist Biography
As a child I was most drawn to nature, playing outside with my brothers drew me into my sense of curiosity and wonder. The smell of the pine, the feel of the bark up on the tree tops, and the freeing sensation of my feet as I jumped down onto the dewy summertime grass. It was this play in nature that inspired my art-making with nature-based materials.
My artwork medium includes charcoal drawing, watercolor painting, functional pottery, and creative sculpture; anything that involves texture – I’m in! Thematically, my art calls upon nature and sheds light on my formative childhood memories and my personal grief journey with the loss of my brother in 2020.
My current body of work titled, Fountain, includes a four-foot high, three-tiered clay water fountain. The fountain was curated to include live hanging plants and a fully functioning water pump system to create a multi-sensory experience; one that a viewer could touch, smell, hear, and discover a place of curiosity, wonder, and calm. My hope is for people to engage with the fountain in a way that provides therapeutic benefits similar to the benefits exposure to art-making and nature can promote during childhood development.
Thesis Abstract
This thesis considers the role of clay and nature-based art making as a multi-sensory experience to promote mental wellness and positive social and cognitive development for children. Nature-based play brings integrated mind-body awareness and sensory integration, reducing the risk of many childhood mental health conditions such as hyperactivity, autism, and depression. For children, art-making is intrinsically meaningful to the development of visual-spatial skills, confidence, self-expression, and social skills. For this thesis, a four-foot high, three-tiered clay water fountain was designed and constructed. The fountain was curated to include live hanging plants and a fully functioning water pump system. The foundation and its elements offered a multi-sensory experience; one that a viewer could touch, smell, hear, and hopefully discover a place of curiosity, wonder, and calm. This thesis will contribute to the ongoing discussion of how integrating natural materials into artmaking may bring humans closer to their roots, origins, and ancestors. It promotes the consideration for child art therapists and other professions to integrate nature and art into their clinical toolbox.