wEEirdEEr

wEEirdEEr

hApPY bIRtHdAY, 2021

Oil paint, 14 x 14 x 1 in

-700

On display at the Downtown Eugene Public Library

Artist Bio

I am a queer, psychic intuitive, multi-media artist. I currently work primarily in the mediums of sharpie marker and oil paint. I have no formal education as an artist; I received a Bachelor's Degree in Women's Studies in 2009. I have been committed to my goal of working as a full-time independent artist since 2019. Before that, I had been juggling working fulltime in human services and part-time as an artist, primarily in the realms of written and spoken word. The dramatic societal and personal shifts undergone in the summer of 2020 pushed me more deeply into my visual arts practice. I found it to be my most efficient form of communication when words became difficult. In the last two and half years, I've developed my craft immensely and started a small business selling original prints of my works and vending at local markets. This is just the beginning of a long and fulfilling career that I know is deeply aligned with who I am and what I value. My ultimate goal is not to create and sell commodities, but to bring new visions and ideas into the world, to shift the way people see and what they know is possible.

Artist Statement

This particular piece began as practice in the medium of oil paint, from a reference photo with the intention to recreate it. As I was nearing completion of its foundation the "pixelating" began spontaneously. The rest of the painting evolved from an intuitive place. In June of 2021, when it was created, it was my birthday season and I was feeling the isolation of pandemic life. Most of the connection and intimacy in my life was translated through the internet. This piece captures the loving hands of friends lighting birthday candles, presumably for the viewer. But the image, as well as the hands themselves, appear to be "glitching." Forms appear to blend into each other in some places, and in other places appear to be floating away or disintegrating. The joy of celebratory ritual has fractured and shifted dimensions. Material and digital, literal and metaphorical, 2D and 3D, are engaging in unpredictable, interconnected ways.

For more information visit weeirdeer.com