marrow, moss sign

I’m busy getting everything ready for marrow, moss, my solo art show that’s opening this Saturday evening at Custom Cranium in Eugene, OR! This is the artist’s statement/bio that will accompany the show; I’ve printed it and framed it in a vintage wooden frame I found at a thrift shop. Here’s the text: 

marrow, moss: New Works by Lupa

The American ideal is one of a sanitized, neat world. It’s made of germ-free surfaces and cleanly wrapped cuts of meat, carefully pruned flowering plants and adorable house pets. And it’s entirely artificial.

 Through my work, I reintroduce the viewer to the earthy, organic—and frankly dirty—reality we live in. I close the distance between us and the many living beings we kill every day for food, shelter, medicine, and pleasure. Animals, plants, fungi and minerals blend with human-made detritus, endlessly entangled in these microcosmic pieces as they are in the world at large.

 Most importantly, marrow, moss asks us: what is natural? Even the plastic netting and toys incorporated into some of the pieces derived from oil, itself the remains of millions of tiny prehistoric sea creatures long since gone extinct. We can’t escape nature—we are nature—we feel it in the marrow of our own bones, and the moss that persists in every damp corner of our cities, no matter how modern and new.

 About the Artist

 You know that kid who spent all her free time outdoors, turning over rocks, catching garter snakes, and learning the names of the trees? I’m that kid, all grown up. I currently reside in Portland, Oregon, though I am frequently found in the wilderness areas infusing and surrounding the metro area. I also garden, create kitchen alchemy (also known as “cooking”), and read as much as I’m able to make time for. My website is www.thegreenwolf.com