chiaroscuro

source: virginiakistler
With a background designing exhibitry for children’s museums and science centers both nationally and internationally, I am an interdisciplinary artist who focuses on large interior and exterior sculpture. In 2012, I graduated with a MFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design.

Much of my work explores the growth of urban spaces and the consequences of this growth on the human psyche. I investigate the ubiquity of urban landscapes and the absence of biodiverse spaces in our lives. Inspired by satellite photos of contemporary cities taken at night, I create light maps or light impressions of urban spaces. Using these light impressions, I project the darkened maps and cut away what remains to create sculptural forms and two-dimensional work. The darkened light maps symbolize the fluctuating presence and absence of urban and natural spaces.

Recently, I completed a sculpture commissioned by the Lincoln Motor Company for the North American International Auto Show. This site-specific piece was based on a previous work, Chiaroscuro. On June 15, 2013, I was awarded Best in Show for a piece of outdoor sculpture as one of ten juried artists in the Sculpt EVV show in Evansville, Indiana. The outdoor sculpture is based on a light map of Indianapolis, Indiana. Additionally, I am currently working collaboratively with MKSK Studios, an urban planning and landscape architecture firm, to design a gateway sculpture for a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio.
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source: artprizeorg

Like a moth to a flame, we are drawn to light. The seductive lights of a city’s skyline are enticing but belie the dark underbelly of urban life. Inspired by satellite photos of contemporary cities taken at night, I created a light map impression of Columbus, Ohio. Using this light impression, I project the darkened map and cut away what remains. My work draws parallels between the growth of urban spaces and the consequences of this growth on the human psyche. The darkened light map symbolizes the fluctuating presence and absence of urban and biodiverse spaces in our lives. My work questions this unchecked development and asks the observer to imagine the repercussions.