Are you an artist, arts organization or venue?

artist

What town do you live in?

Leverett

In which disciplines do you work or exhibit?

Drawing, Sculpture, Installation

Artist Statement/Bio

My life has always been centered very much in the physical world, the world of the body, of nature, of exerting myself physically through recreational activities and building things. My work practice also starts with the physical, searching with materials. Currently I am using wire, handmade paper, pigment, wax and paper pulp, as their delicacy and translucency lead to forms that reflect the fragility and transience, yet utter resilience, of life. As I work, I make connections between emerging vocabulary and nature, media images, and personal or world events that are affecting me. The pieces in this exhibition show the influence of skeletal structures, and my explorations of the more fragile aspects of living forms such as skin, wing, vessel, breath and fluid. Influenced by my experiences in nature--kayaking, studying birds and insects, living part time on a pond--and my study and practice of Buddhism, I develop forms that touch the poignancy I feel when faced with the startling fragility and toughness inherent in all of us. I intend my work to bridge the worlds of sensuality, pleasure, and beauty as well as those of chaos and violence, while drawing on current events, spirituality, science, magic and the imagination.

Website

http://www.oliviabernard.com