artist statement for Her Ungulating Earth.

Being totally honest about who we are isn't easy. It's never been easy for me to write artist statements that convey the full breadth of why I create something.  I tried this time...here's my artist statement.

Her Undulating Earth: Recent work by Jane Ryder

The gouache paintings of Her Undulating Earth are meditative creations. Each piece is a deep reflection of who I am and how I express my breadth of emotions.  It’s hard for me to allow an audience to understand my work as anything other than creative interpretations of a Midwestern landscape. I’m over that now. I’m ready to come out and tell my audience that sometimes I’m very sad.  My life is made up of bursts of extreme happiness followed by periods of neutral grey. I’ve learned to not fear those grey moments because they make me who I am. The grey moments encourage me to seek beauty by creating beauty.

Her Undulating Earth is inspired by the complexities of the natural world and the complexities of the human brain and soul.  The paintings were born from a desire to connect with nature and to connect with the feelings I’d prefer to ignore.  It is homage to the symbiosis within our universe and a manifestation of my spirit.

This show is dedicated to Mary Ruth Ginn and Judith Covington

Artist Statement.

I've been working on this artist statement for what feels like forever.  I've spent time thinking about it, dwelling on it, obsessing over it...just not actually writing the damn thing.  Yesterday was spent drinking pots of coffee while multitasking.  This is what I've put together so far.  Most of you readers are familiar with my work and if you are not, check out www.janeryder.com 

Any input is appreciated.  Feel free to email me at fluxbiota @ gmail.com

My paintings are a right-brained approach to observing, dissecting, and recording the objective subject matter found in the lakes, rivers, prairies, and forests of south central Iowa.  As my intimacy with the land surrounding me evolves, so does my approaches for depicting the complexities of varying terrains and the plants and animals that occupy them. 

Each of my gouache painting is a fictitious ecosystem that has been broken down into a series of vignettes.  Each vignette describes the decay, growth, and interaction between the flora and fauna of that imagined place.  Although bold colors, repeating patterns, and flattened space make the paintings appear fantastic in nature, each scene is based off an observation. 

I am constantly inspired by the complexities of the natural world.  My work is an ever evolving narrative about the interconnectedness of all things and the functions of an organism in a community of plants and animals.