Embracing Imperfection Quartet

Mixed media cyanotype, watercolor crayon, tea bags, salt, cold wax finish on solid wood panel

This quartet collection invokes the Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-sabi or wisdom in natural simplicity; two ideas are combined in this concept, wabi  “subdued, austere beauty” and sabi, "rustic patina.” It highlights the exquisiteness of natural decay and points to the complexity of the human experience. Each piece is a reflection of materials and processes that brought it into being - earth, wood, plants, sunlight, water, salt and wax. 
 I played with abstracted plant forms and textures, soft and hard edges, echoing shapes, shadows and movement. These processes reveal natural weathering, decomposition and delicate botanical structures, life's beautiful bones. 

“Wabi-sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect."
  
- Richard Powell, Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence