Stop Fighting, Start Building by Tricia Burmeister
Medium: Collage and acrylic on canvas
Size: 18 x 24 inches
Artist statement: My work explores human psychology, our relationship with the natural world, and the interaction of chaos and control. Reuse and recycling is central to my artistic practice; my collages use vintage print materials, and I work on surfaces found at thrift stores or salvaged curbside on trash night. By recontextualizing discarded objects and images, my work inhabits a space where creative possibilities are inextricably bound to — and built from — the past. In this piece, I experimented with removing sections of the canvas and collaging through the holes from the back, creating almost-sculptural areas in the landscape. Then, I collaged the excised piece of canvas back onto one of the holes, creating a mysterious section of ground that reminds me of a scab or a scar…the trauma to the surface of the canvas is visible, but also healed and connected to the rest of the landscape. This piece represents the process of recovery and rebirth: full of mystery, discovery, dark thresholds, unexpected beauty, and growth from what was dead.
Artist website / social media: http://triciaburmeister.art
Image description: An eerie landscape with a grinning skull in the foreground, with bright green lush foliage growing out of it. In the distance is a geometric box shape with a large purple vase next to it, the proportions of these objects are surreal but give them the sense of being buildings. Part of the ground has been cut out and replaced, forming a mysterious blob that’s only partially camouflaged. In the upper right corner, the sky turns into a window opening into an unknown space.