Threads of Connection and Illusion of Disconnection are two of my recent paintings. They are currently hanging in the tri-gallery “This is Now’ show at Curated by the Sea, in downtown Santa Cruz. The show is being held in partnership with Arts Council Santa Cruz, and showcasing the artists of the Visual Arts Network. It focuses on works created within the past two years that relate to current issues in our world.

First Friday reception April 1st, 6 pm - 8 pm
with live jazz music

About the Paintings: Although we think of ourselves as individuals, separate from one another, we are all connected through an intricate web of energetic threads. We are like single cells that come together to form the whole organism. Our actions, reactions, thoughts, and beliefs are not isolated within our small piece of the world but emanate out in unseen ripples to all. This was never more apparent to me than at the beginning of the pandemic when the worries and concerns of the collective unconscious seemed to be present in air. Meanwhile, in recent years we’ve seen an increase in a mentality of separation, an exaggeration of our differences, and an avoidance of finding common ground.

So, as soon as I heard the theme for This is Now, I wanted to create a pair of paintings around the concept of our connection to one another and the illusion of separateness we experience.“Threads of Connection” and “Illusion of Disconnection” were painted in tandem, stepping them through the process of development together, side by side. 

In “Threads of Connection,” the cloth cut-outs on the top layer have been connected like a web, with each of the holes tied to all of its adjacent cut-outs. There are two quotes that reference our connections. One is by Martin Luther King and the second is from Mitch Albom.

With “Illusion of Disconnection,” the cut-out squares from the upper layers of painted cloth seem to hang in their separate spaces yet they are still connected, by the red threads, to the whole. I’ve placed the words of Albert Einstein in the painting, present but barely seen under the paint.

Show will be closing on
Saturday, April 9th.

Curated by the Sea:
Address: 703 Front Street, Santa Cruz
Hours: Thursday through Saturday noon - 4 pm