ALISSA WARSHAW

My story begins in the Pacific Northwest, growing up surrounded by the shimmering metallic blues and grays of Puget Sound, the endless array of textured evergreens and brilliant flowers.  Nature was and continues to be one of my greatest influences.  Patterns, sounds, colors and textures became the foundation of my drawings.  And drawing in the form of markmaking became a way to process darkness, light, beauty and grief.  It also became a way to tap into a sense of wonder and to embrace the fragility of life.

I work in a variety of mediums;  the unifying factor is that of the line.  At a very young age, I became aware of line quality, preferring my pencils to stay extremely sharp, desiring a line filled with clarity, delicate balance, barely there, but there.  And as I continue my explorations with a quiet curiosity, I note the differences between a line created with a pencil, an ink pen, incised into the surface of an encaustic painting, or felted onto a form;  the latter of which is a re-creation of what my grandmother knowingly called a wishing rock - those rocks you find on beach walks, containing a full circle encompassing the rock, reminding us of the magic of nature at work.

On occasion, I have used flower essences as a form of healing and was moved to include them in the creation of this work, allowing them to act as a subtle integral part of creation and ritual.  Having several essence bottles on hand, I intuitively select one before sitting down to work, taking a drop, and then adding a drop (or more) to the water bowl.  Pausing for a moment to breathe, to listen, and then commence to begin drawing, taking inspiration from the practice of Ensō, a meditative spiritual practice (literally means "circle" in Japanese) which expresses a moment whereby the mind is free to allow the body to create in a state of flow.  As a way to quiet my mind, I set my pen to paper at 6pm and begin drawing a circle in a clockwise direction..this is how every one of these drawings begins, continuing until there is a sense of completion.  And then I allow the watercolor to weave its way throughout the lines, bringing form, color and possibility, watching it move, watching it dry.  I am an observer, a synthesizer, with a deep connection to the intimacy of the quiet.

These works are moments - filtering, imagining, remembering people, places, the movement of the sun, the never-ending ebb and flow of the tides, all of which represent home for me.  Encompassing memory and loss yet reminding us of light and joy, acknowledging home lies in our hearts, always carried with us wherever we go.