Golden Hour Series

This series of work was first created for my solo show, Golden Hour, held in Beacon, NY in August of 2019. Most people have a general understanding that The Golden Hour is that lovely time of day when the setting sun casts a warm glow over the world. For me, it is certainly about the magnificent pink-gold light but much more than that, it is a collection of hundreds of memories, and feelings. It represents a time in childhood when the existence of magic wasn’t questioned, and making potions from dirt, twigs, and flower petals was an important skill. Running barefoot in the grass with my sister, collecting tiny tree frogs and fireflies meant summertime was in full bloom. The freedoms that came along with it were savored so intensely that it felt like they would last forever. There was a vague understanding that I would grow up someday but couldn’t really fathom exactly what that meant. Life was dressed up in an enchanting, rosy warmth.

I have been inspired by Art Nouveau and Art Deco since my first visit to Paris. I fell in love with the elegant meandering lines of Art Nouveau and the way nature was the muse, while incorporating decorative symmetry. The fusing of organic and ornamental has always played a role in my aesthetic and has been a major contributor to the sparking of the series, Golden Hour. The combination of my love for organic forms in nature, botanical illustration, personal experiences, and decorative arts are key features and the soul within this body of work. Through the use of gouache, watercolor, graphite and occasionally dried flowers, harmony and balance can be found. I have continued this series into 2020 and will continue exploring these ideas, as I feel they are a direct reflection of myself embodied in art.