There are some patterns or motifs that I have been repeating in my work for as long as I can remember. For example in Moon Pollinators the webbing pattern is repeated twice in this detail of the painting as a large structure in light ultramarine blue and then as a small pattern in light violet. Looking at images of tracheid cells in plants originally inspired the motif and you can see it repeated in many of my paintings. It has become part of my visual vocabulary as an artist. Similar to the trachea in the human body, the tracheids transport and distribute important elements like water and salts to all the different parts of the plant. It’s how the plants breathe and live. At first, my heart responded with joy in viewing the tracheids intricate patterns and magnificent color variations. Next I was further drawn to its function as a vessel. I find the subject of a vessel is rich with poetic metaphor and creates content or meaning in the painting. The tracheid pattern draws attention to the subject and is further transformed through the process of painting. I see this pattern in my work like a vessel that holds and transports our vital life essence and also creates a road map for experience as humans.
