|
deedra ludwig bio
|
| bio statement |
My work is a visual document, a reminder and a journal.
I paint with encaustic, dry pigments, plant materials, ground stone, graphite, gold and copper leaf, soil and other non-tradition materials. The soil, stone and plants are collected from many places around the world. The materials are blended together to create a “sense of place” within the work. The wax is scraped away, melted and another layer applied thus each layer contains a past and a present. The surface is scuffed, scratched and marred with a grid underneath the layers; stories of the place and a text describing the mood of the day. Sometimes only a shadow of this layer remains. The metaphors are that of flora, elements of landscapes, ancient places, traces of a place sometimes lost or forgotten. I distort some of the images as if they are fading away, becoming a distant memory as I record an ever-changing environment.
I work in diverse locations of the world carrying canvas and paper to sites, recording each visit with a layer of pigment, a mark, an image, or nothing. Sometimes I simply let the paper or canvas absorb the energy of the place.
Primarily I work in an abstract style, guided by intuition developing the paintings’ story through texture and illuminated surfaces, with the belief that minimal completes a complex story. I invite the viewer to contemplate the subtle essence of nature and discover the “secret stories” which are not so obvious in the life cycle of all species. The fragility of our ecosystems and the balance between man and nature faces us each day.
Deedra Ludwig
2006
|
|
| |
|