Andrea Peterson
Artist Statement
My day does not feel complete unless I have fully embraced my natural world.
watching the sunrise and seeing the first light hit the dewy grass
the dirt from my garden sticking to my arms as the midday
heat downpours
the whipping wind across the meadow
glistening ice crystals
catching fire flies at dusk with my sons
hearing their laughter with a backdrop of frogs belching their song
As romantic as this sounds it is true. I feel one should be flooded with one's own senses to understand and be able to merge with the environment around us. We as humans are a part of this natural cycle of energy and if we attempt to control it we truly lose out on the beauty and the essence that is being shared. During all seasons but especially summer, I draw the plants in my garden, the meadow, woods and flowers I have let grow and have filled on our land. As I sit and observe and draw I am able to see, hear, touch and sense the plants environment - my environment. When I come back to that drawing at a later date I can remember and see the sensual experience that took place. This is the experience I would like to pass onto my viewer through symbolic imagery and sensual nuances.
Currently the idea of regeneration is running through the work. Our family has a large garden so we have a direct relationship with regeneration which is a different kind than that which is naturally occurring. The research for my work is direct experiences with nature. I frequently visit farms/farmers in the area to understand how they understand seasonal changes, wildlife, domesticated animals and the theories they create within their world. This information I find curious, fascinating and definitely filled with moments of extreme emotion. Within the life cycles that are occurring patterns develop - a spiraling form of repetition can occur. These thoughts and processes strike me as very profound functions of our world that are places to meditate and further one's development as a critical thinker and profoundly connect with the natural environment.
People ask if my work is political - since my family and I strive for a symbiosis with the natural world. The work is not overtly political, but environmental considerations are ever present in my thinking and making of the work. The work really symbolically focuses are the relationships of plants, animals, and humans with each other.
Artist Statement
My day does not feel complete unless I have fully embraced my natural world.
watching the sunrise and seeing the first light hit the dewy grass
the dirt from my garden sticking to my arms as the midday
heat downpours
the whipping wind across the meadow
glistening ice crystals
catching fire flies at dusk with my sons
hearing their laughter with a backdrop of frogs belching their song
As romantic as this sounds it is true. I feel one should be flooded with one's own senses to understand and be able to merge with the environment around us. We as humans are a part of this natural cycle of energy and if we attempt to control it we truly lose out on the beauty and the essence that is being shared. During all seasons but especially summer, I draw the plants in my garden, the meadow, woods and flowers I have let grow and have filled on our land. As I sit and observe and draw I am able to see, hear, touch and sense the plants environment - my environment. When I come back to that drawing at a later date I can remember and see the sensual experience that took place. This is the experience I would like to pass onto my viewer through symbolic imagery and sensual nuances.
Currently the idea of regeneration is running through the work. Our family has a large garden so we have a direct relationship with regeneration which is a different kind than that which is naturally occurring. The research for my work is direct experiences with nature. I frequently visit farms/farmers in the area to understand how they understand seasonal changes, wildlife, domesticated animals and the theories they create within their world. This information I find curious, fascinating and definitely filled with moments of extreme emotion. Within the life cycles that are occurring patterns develop - a spiraling form of repetition can occur. These thoughts and processes strike me as very profound functions of our world that are places to meditate and further one's development as a critical thinker and profoundly connect with the natural environment.
People ask if my work is political - since my family and I strive for a symbiosis with the natural world. The work is not overtly political, but environmental considerations are ever present in my thinking and making of the work. The work really symbolically focuses are the relationships of plants, animals, and humans with each other.
