Tallmadge Doyle

Artist statement, New work 2014-15

Last winter two rare snow storms battered my home region of the Willamette Valley in Western Oregon. Trees cracked internally and were brought down by the weight of snow and ice. All night long I listen to snapping and cracking noises and woke up to see a blanket of white upon downed trees, and a scattering of plant debris. Since that time I have spent my daily walks among the trees, retrieving fallen branches and plant matter that become my subjects.

Employing layers of etched plates and woodblocks, this botanical imagery is re-contextualized into images that peruse the contrasting effects of delicately etched line, coupled with solid boundaries of silhouettes, emblematic of organic shapes. The line-work reflects upon the beauty of infinite detail within the natural world, while the intense graphic quality reveals a sense of strength or force of nature.

The work moving forward is activated by observation of weather effects, found botanical matter, and my continuing interest in the fractal structures of divergent ecosystems: from star charts to leaf patterns, bird feathers, migratory paths and shoreline erosion. These arrangements reveal closely related systems of visual structure that inform my images.

Ultimately I am interested in the web of rhythms and patterns, both visible and invisible, which organically weave together to create the fabric and quality of the natural world.