When people find out I’m an artist, they often ask, “What do you do?” That is a hard question for someone who experiments. I love photography, papier-mâché, hand-stitching, mixed media, and artist’s books. You could throw a kitchen sink at me and I would take it as a challenge. Why not?
Processes are irresistible. I like verbs. I want to carry the action out to the end. I find process art without a point annoying. It is like a subject and verb without an object; it feels like an incomplete sentence. Process art can be beautiful, even exciting. I find that I love the innovation. I am thrilled by the creativity. But I walk away dissatisfied because I find myself wondering, “What is the point?”
I adore well-defined points. I like the beauty of truth and reality even when it isn’t perfect. Yet, I can also find myself frustrated when I view purpose-driven art. The purpose moves me, but if the process doesn’t support that purpose or if the process isn’t well-executed, I leave unfulfilled because I wonder “What happened to the art?”
My art pulls process and purpose together. It is diverse. My themes–the points that I make–are focused. Yet, my media are not. I explore facts, solutions, and processes, combining them in well-executed, intricate wholes that tell beautiful truths and finds ways to redeem ugly ones.
Melissa Marie 