JoanDesmond ARTIST STATEMENT

This semester, I went down three rabbit holes regarding my art-making and practice, and I am not sorry I did. The different rabbit holes brought me to places of interest, exploration, and curiosity of materials and ways to have them express what was going on in my psyche at the time. The painting enabled me to see and approach the landscape and its colors in deeper and more simplified ways. The little figures may seem whimsical and colorful; they represent things that are not. These figures are not spirit dolls. The hanging "clothing" is made up of work begun a while ago and undergoes many iterations as it is affected by nature. They are also part of a story that carries the weight of sadness. This semester in the Enso Circle CR brought me to buried truths. Like an archeologist, I carefully dug them up and handled them, laying them out in categories so that I could do further research within my soul.