I was honored to be asked to participate in the art show for TEDxBend again this year. This year we were each given a wooden post to create a piece of art with for the stage. A totem if you will for this year's theme of "US Humans" I created a milepost marker with a map on it - a part of my Map Series. Below is the statement from the show.
Local contemporary artist, MaryLea Harris, specializes in mixed media and painting.
Her abstract work features brightly colored backgrounds created by layering paint and
scraping it away with plastic gift cards. These cards are wonderful tools not only for
scraping paint but also serve as a reminder of our consumer-driven society and how
quickly we replace nature with man-made materials. Her latest Map Series is meant to
explore our relationships between physical place, connection, belonging, and our
collective personal journeys. Authenticity > Perfection. The layers in her work
analogize the interplay between positives and negatives in space and life. She focuses
on the interplay of space as she reflects on her own positive and negative growth
experiences in the past few years.
“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in” – Leonard Cohen
“This Place Called Home” explores what the concept of home means to you.
Is it the structure in which you sleep? Where you grew up? This Town? Our planet?
We are all connected as global citizens with shared experiences.
The maps of our lives are one of the many ways we are joined together as humans.
This post serves as a mile marker. A pause on your map.
A reminder to reflect on your journey, where you’ve been and where you are headed next.