QUINTESSENCE

(Quintessence: /kwɪn.ˈtɛs.əns/ the fifth and highest element in ancient and medieval philosophy that permeates all nature and is the substance composing the celestial bodies.)

supported by (to date): U.S. National Endowment for the Arts (Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Art Gallery / Aronoff Center for the Arts), Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Foundation, Queen City Clay

Crystals are everywhere—in clouds composed of ice, diamonds within a meteorite formed in the solar system's earliest moments, in calcite micro-crystals in the brain's pineal gland, in ephemeral ice converging for a brief moment on a window pane in winter.

I culture crystals with water soluble minerals on supports. The resulting crystals’ patterns depend mainly on my collaborators: the materials' inherent geometric properties, the gravitational pull of the earth, and water's evaporation/cooling process. The work pays homage to minerals and crystals, the essential elements without which our bodies cannot exist. The alchemical process explores a poetic reunion with nature, and expression of the sublime unity and connection between nature and humanity. It manifests nature's power, its ubiquitous presence, and humanity’s intrinsic entwinement.

Cicninnati, OH, 2014


Quintessence #19 | 2019 | Cultured crystals grown on ca. 400-million-year-old coral fossil | 23 x 18 x 18 cm