On view until August 31 at Second Chance Inc. 1700 Ridgely Street,
Baltimore, MD 21230
My goal for this series of artworks was to create new possibilities for old artworks & used window screens to give them a second chance by repurposing them into unique mixed media artworks for the Second Chance Community Spotlight Festival.
The Bird Portraits I cut out to make these artworks were painted on canvas with acrylic paints in 2015 while participating in No Boundaries International Art Colony in Bald Head Island, North Carolina. The birds selected as the subjects of my paintings are Osprey, Piping Plover, Painted Bunting, Northern Cardinal, and Carolina Chickadee.
Birds play an important role in maintaining balance in our ecosystem and add enjoyment to our lives with their beauty - both in plumage colors and distinct songs. In an ever-changing ecosystem, they represent adaptation, resilience, and the continuation of life. However, it is well known that when they lose food supplies and places to live & breed because of human activities, the bird population dynamics and abundance are affected. Even though birds are built for survival, many species are heading toward extinction.
I admit, like many people, I consume and use many products that may contribute to the problems in our environment. But, I also try to be a part of the solutions since I believe that individual effort is crucial in making positive changes to our environmental problems. One of my participation in the solutions is repurposing used materials to create artworks.
I also love creating site specific artworks. When I visited the Second Chance Inc. site to prepare for artworks for the festival, I had the opportunity to tour the entire store. It was inspiring. I could feel the amount of history the place held from all of the used materials in the store. That’s when I found these 5 window screens and I felt they would be perfect for my artworks for the festival. These window screens serve 3 purposes in my artworks: reusing materials, connecting my artwork to the site and celebrating Baltimore’s tradition of making arts with window screens.
I created my initial bird project, B'more Birds, in Baltimore in 2014. The bird murals created during the B'more Birds project are located on York Road in Govans neighborhood. Since the B'more Birds project, I have created various bird themed artworks and this series of artworks is the most recent addition.
Through these artworks, I'd like to invite viewers to enjoy different ways to reuse used materials and make an awareness of the important roles birds play for our environment.