Lori A. McPherson 

Artist Statement

 

 

The sights, sounds and smells of the Ocean are awe-inspiring. Since childhood, the ocean has served as a resource for adventure, discovery and inspiration for me. However, it was not until I migrated west for graduate work and found myself landlocked, that I realized my spirit is forever tangled with the sea kelp, jellyfish and flowing tides of the Atlantic. The collections, memories and experiences I have had with the ocean are tied to a strong environmental ethic, which developed with the guidance of my father. When I was a precocious child, I thought the Atlantic Ocean protected me with its eternal life sustaining beauty. My curiosity was enveloped in waters of pure discovery and I was fearless in my exploration of this giving, selfless ocean. As an adult, I have developed respect for the ocean and its power but now, I fear for the delicate state of survival to which the oceans and its creatures are fated. I find it agonizing to witness the destruction that the ocean endures in the face of human apathy. We are now in the situation where 20 -40 years down the line we are out of fish to consume. The health of the ocean is essential to human survival, yet we are not involved enough in its preservation. It is these issues of ocean conservation that fuel my work. My goal is to create a strong dialog that can visually communicate the negative human impact on the ocean and advocate for solutions to this global issue. My challenge lies in addressing the duality of beauty and destruction in this fragile environment using the strongest visual mode possible. 

 

 

Growing up, I have made many trips to clean the beaches of New England, though now, these trips are research. The collections from research are exhibited as artfully arranged pieces of fishing debris and plastic discarded in the ocean by humans, affected or transformed by its time in the ocean currents, though never fully decomposing. I am in the process of constructing multi-media installations that explore humankind’s effect on the ocean, particularly pollution and overfishing. On paper, I make flowing abstract marine images on transparent rice paper that echo the movement and grace inherent in ocean creatures. Using a technique called trace monotype, images are immediately captured in rice paper and layered with ink or paint, processed to become transparent and luminescent. Reminiscent of sunlight in water, light passes through the prints allowing the color to reflect on the gallery wall. I invite the viewer to become an integral component of the work, provoking an intimate level of examination, emotional involvement and awareness. I present the beauty of endangered marine life juxtaposed with installation pieces comprised of debris collected from in the ocean and on the beach. 

 

 

With my installations, I aim to bring to the surface these issues of beauty and destruction whereby inviting the viewer to experience my environment within the installation so I may inform the viewer by creating an empathetic response within. My relationship with the ocean has grown into a thematic concept for my art that I have only begun to fully investigate. My work delves into the Romantic notion of the human relationship with nature—how man is so insignificant in it—juxtaposed with how exploitation and contemporary culture are controlling the fate of the oceans and all that live in it. As an artist, I speak to the issues of beauty as well as issues of loss and destruction in this fragile ocean environment.