Artist Statement: Jean Hess
Message
Water is a precious resource that is threatened in so many ways. Pollution, diversion,
waste -- the water of the earth needs protection. We all know that large communities
like the Anasazi of the Southwest left their homes because water sources disappeared.
The "Remote Sensing" series of collage paintings references the trope of aerial imaging
-- used in archeology to identify traces of ancient habitations -- to create patterns
suggesting ancient settlements abandoned because of lost water resources.
I like the idea of a remote vantage point -- removed, impartial -- from which to view
very emotional issues. That and the overall haze of filtered light suggest my own
personal preference for viewing from a distance. This is a very oblique way of making a
political statement, and that suits me because I would prefer to make attractive,
compelling images rather than depict negative things.
This show, "Where Water Used to Be," continues the "Remote Sensing" work and
expands upon it with small sculptures, assdemblages and collections of detritus from
the imagined settlements that were abandoned when water ran out. These are
whimsical, hard to explain fully, as though they are the sorts of things archeologists
refer to as "problematic forms." I like to imagine that some of them are sympathetic
magic implements for conjuring water, or holding on to water resources that may be
dwindling.
Method
For my collage paintings I experiment with various techniques and materials to create a
compelling surface, looking for simplicity and a hazy overall atmosphere. Imagery
typically appears to float on the surface. I use multiple [often 30-40] layers of clear
resin in between thin scrims of paint with collage elements, graphite lines or pressed
flowers; this creates a refractive surface that lets light enter and bounce back. I work
in series that address particular issues and feelings, and yet most of my paintings end
up looking like aerial landscapes or else water surfaces. Sometimes one melds into the
other and that is meaningful because if the work is "about" anything at all it is about
the beauty and vulnerability of the natural world.
The artifacts are all constructed from found objects that I have been hoarding for a
long time. They have in common a connection to water, if only in my imagination.
Jean Hess
Knoxville, Tennessee
August 26, 2014
Image List
Remote Sensing 34. 2014. Acrylic, graphite, dry metallic pigment, collage, resin on
wood panel. 31x31x3"
Remote Sensing 35. 2014. Acrylic, graphite, dry metallic pigment, collage, resin on
wood panel. 31x31x3"
Remote Sensing 9. 2013. Acrylic, graphite, dry metallic pigment, collage, resin on
wood panel. 12x17x4"
Remote Sensing 10. 2013. Acrylic, graphite, dry metallic pigment, collage, resin on
wood panel. 12x12x3"
Remote Sensing 11. 2013. Acrylic, graphite, dry metallic pigment, collage, resin on
wood panel. 12x12x3"
Remote Sensing 6.
canvas. 18x18x2"
2012. Acrylic, graphite, dry metallic pigment, collage, resin on
Thunder Conjure Case. 2014. Glass and metal lenses, stone thunderbird/arrow head,
carved Inuit ivory, costume jewelry, cardboard box in wooden box. 8x3x2.5"
Stream Spirit Bundle. 2014. Found objects in elk hide. Dimensions variable.
Align. 2014. Multiple panes of beveled glass, scratchboard, acrylic, phosphorescent
glue, cardboard roller, collage in wood frame. 9x9x4"
Plankton Collar. 2014. Costume jewelry, collage, acrylic, wire in wood box. 8x8x3"
Mapscope. 2014. Metal bank, glass lenses, microscope mirror, costume jewelry, paper.
5x6x2"+ 20" map scroll
Random Dam Site Selector: Corps of Engineers. 2013. Paper, mylar, metal in found
wood box with plastic insert. 8.5x7.75x8.25"