Pamela Crockett – Sub-Cortical 2

Description

DANCE OF DECAY: SO IMPOTENT OUR WISDOM In a poem about the limits of language, Emily Dickinson says, “Nature is what we know/ Yet have no art to say/So Impotent our Wisdom is/ To her simplicity.” The poet’s words strike me as more relevant than ever, as we face daily climate crises on global a scale. A delicate balance between our environment and our interaction with it informs my image-making. I find that the patterns of decay seem to echo the invisible forces controlling their movement. Paradoxically these delicate remains of life reflect both the fragility and the vitality of the earth and its oceans. These images contain my fears and my hopes in response to our current climate crisis. The earth we have always depended on is undergoing dramatic change. Although I use watchmakers’ lenses for close observation, these paintings are not strictly representational. My tendency is to amplify minute details, to pump up color saturation, and to intensify contrast to the point where the image becomes something altogether different. Observation of dead, inanimate objects offers me the challenge to imbue them with movement and activity. Constantly surprised by seeds, decomposition, and the powers of regeneration, I find my work displays the Dickinsonian human conundrum.