Louise Kames, BVM Artist Statement

The drawings are part of an on-going body of work picturing organic imagery: cabbages, roots or leaves arranged in an iconic manner. In many cases the still life material has been reclaimed from compost piles and roadside clippings. Discarded plant forms taken from the compost pile are transformed by the artist's gaze and hand. The paradox that the natural decay of form can be beautiful suggests a universal yet everyday cycle of death and resurrection. This action is ritualized by the artist¹s choice of object, the act of seeing and drawing and the viewer¹s response. The extraordinary or sacred is revealed.

The prevalence of root structures and nest images relate to three generations of family moves. The unearthed root symbolizes the pain of change and transplanting of family traditions. Unearthed Nest, was drawn from a sculpture created from hundreds of thin tree roots, recovered from a construction site. Here the roots are transformed into a nest or home while at the same time suggesting a tornado or destructive force. The sculpture and drawing are the same scale as the artist's body, a metaphor for the human person in the world.

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