Inevitable forces deciphering the environment /

by Stoneking-Stewart, Jennifer L.

My work is a response to my surroundings, the relationship between man and nature, and my perception of human impact on the environment. I compare the sprawl of cities that overtake the surrounding countryside to the spreading of microscopic bacteria and disease. My observation of the destruction of the environment and other uncontrollable events that perpetuate fear, such as passage of time, death, and growth, is visualized through the combination of two opposing forces: structure (controlled) and organic (uncontrolled). My use of printmaking processes parallels these concepts of control or lack of control. Lithography, intaglio, silkscreen and relief are closely linked to the use of hand-drawn elements and the hand of the artist. The use of the artist’s hand directs the work back to my futile individual attempts to structure and control aspects of nature (both micro and macroscopic) that provoke apprehension. iii iv