Assemblages

I have a strong connection to my Japanese heritage and the Japanese concept of Wabi Sabi. Wabi Sabi is an appreciation of the beauty of things weathered, worn, torn, old, rusty,, rough, textured and rustic. I believe that if I stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the things hardly noticeable, those things can become just as important as the mountain or ocean. On my walks, I am drawn to rocks, branches, sticks, moss, lichen, fallen leaves… found tokens offered up from nature. I incorporate these tokens from nature into my assemblages, because I believe in the strong relationship between nature and myself. I also use Japanese washi papers and fabrics that have been distressed by age and use. These assemblages help me understand my place in nature and life. Zen teaches that nothing in nature is complete, permanent, or perfect. There is something reassuring in the repeated refrains of nature — the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth — the cycles of the seasons — never ending.