Sheila
Metcalf Tobin
sametcalf@earthlink.net
www.sheilametcalftobin.com
Artist’s
Statement
Drawing from observation is the fundamental process I use
to create my work. I rely on a
connection, communication between my eyes and my hand. I try to surrender my literal self to
the process and trust the physical experience and information. I am attracted
to the perfect and imperfect forms of fruit and flower. I am drawn closer,
caught by their beauty, amazed by their audacity, reverent of their simplicity
and complexity. I wander over them leaf by leaf, petal by petal, studying and
learning, trying to capture the essence if not the whole of what each form
is. Alone and in combination they
represent beauty and desire, abundance and diversity.
I use the
principles and techniques of drawing and composition and attempt to create a
new place, a new space, and a new interaction between the forms. A delicate line describes a contour. A
bold color fills an interesting shape. Opacity gives way to transparency to create
ambiguous relationships between the forms and the space around them. Wild, exotic and domesticated versions
of botanical forms converge with and emerge from each other. I am challenged
each time I create a new piece, to create something that both satisfies and
satiates a physical desire to explore and understand the complexity and
richness of botanical forms and a mental desire to create a compelling image
which exemplifies the experience of discovery and observation.
My life,
and work are enriched through becoming more familiar with the natural world and
its’ never ending capability to produce new forms. Although I explore a rather specific
and narrow portion of natural forms, I am convinced of the planets wealth, and
the earth’s ability to produce abundant and fertile forms of life in the
face of extreme adversity.