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ARTIST STATEMENT

Joan Desmond

This semester, I went down three rabbit holes regarding my art-making

and practice, and I am not sorry I did. The different rabbit holes brought
me to places of interest, exploration, and curiosity of materials and ways to

have them express what was going on in my psyche at the time. The
painting enabled me to see and approach the landscape and its colors in

deeper and more simplified ways. The little figures may seem whimsical

and colorful; they represent things that are not. These figures are not spirit
dolls. The hanging "clothing" is made up of work begun a while ago and

undergoes many iterations as it is affected by nature. They are also part of

a story that carries the weight of sadness. This semester in the Enso Circle
CR brought me to buried truths. Like an archeologist, I carefully dug them

up and handled them, laying them out in categories so that I could do
further research within my soul.