Collective memory, a sense of place, and hope for tomorrow are What Binds Us Together, an exhibition at ArtReach St. Croix. Jennifer Anderson, K Daphnae Koop, Kat Nottingham and Amy Usdin examine these ties through paintings, textiles and assemblage.
“Using my experiences and the surroundings I inhabit—both permanent and temporary—I create pieces that study the question: How are we connected to nature?” says Jennifer Anderson. “This question is explored and expressed with the joy and beauty of nature and their intricate networks, but also the pain and heartbreak from our impact and demands.”
Anderson’s showcased work is primarily executed in oil paint, collage and mixed media, watercolor and ink.
“My interest in used or ... view more »
“Using my experiences and the surroundings I inhabit—both permanent and temporary—I create pieces that study the question: How are we connected to nature?” says Jennifer Anderson. “This question is explored and expressed with the joy and beauty of nature and their intricate networks, but also the pain and heartbreak from our impact and demands.”
Anderson’s showcased work is primarily executed in oil paint, collage and mixed media, watercolor and ink.
“My interest in used or abused materials is central to my work,” says K. Daphnae Koop. “It is an expression both of the life and beauty that exists in the ordinary, and of notions of reclamation and rebirth. The combination of carved texture, rich color, and sparkle of shattered glass acts as a visual reminder of the spirit and light that flows through each of us.”
Koop’s showcased work is primarily executed in recycled and rough milled woods and shattered glass. “The inspiration for my work lies in the materials: the castaway and the broken. These things form the detritus of our world, and carry the dirt and scars of their history with them,” says Koop.
Kat Nottingham is best known for her waterscape paintings in oil on canvas. Nottingham’s artwork reflects her reverence for the vastness, power, and beauty of nature. “In each of my paintings, I try to celebrate moments of precious beauty: a tree reflecting on water, the crest of a wave just before crashing on the beach, sunlight dancing across a still lake at sunrise,” she says.
Amy Usdin weaves abstract mental and physical landscapes onto aging fishing nets and nets meant to keep insects off horses. “By giving these once-functional nets new volume, I honor the revolving intersections of past and present,” Usdin says. “What began as autobiographical meditation has evolved into work that more broadly speaks to histories, loss and longing, and exists in other realms of interpretive possibilities.”
View less
