ARTIST STATEMENT
The inspiration for my work lies in the materials: recycled and rough-milled woods, shattered glass; the cast away and the broken. These things form the detritus of our world, and carry the dirt and scars of their history with them. I piece together, and then carve my panels. The layers of paint that follow respond to the carved surface, or to the paint I have already laid down; amending each previous step as the piece slowly reveals itself. I title my work with fragments of poetry; phrases that are an underlying part of our literary history and collective consciousness. These phrases suggest the themes, and add to the resonance created by the simple visuals of the piece. My interest in used or abused materials is central to my work. It is an expression both of the life and beauty that exists in the ordinary, and of notions of reclamation and rebirth. The combination of carved texture, rich color, and sparkle of shattered glass acts as a visual reminder of the spirit and light that flows through each of us. My aim is to capture a glimmer of the beyond, and to transform the destruction and decay in my materials into beauty and triumph.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
K Daphnae Koop creates mixed media paintings on carved wood, often embellished with streams of shattered glass and objects found in nature. Growing up in Minnesota, her grandmother taught her quilting, and her grandfather taught her building and woodworking. A childhood spent wandering Minnesota’s country roads and woods instilled in her a deep love of the land, and her connection to Minnesota’s lakes and rivers offered insight into the flow that embraces all things. Koop has a particular love of Medieval gilded manuscripts, alchemical formulae, reliquaries and objects of devotion and inspiration. These objects are an attempt to render the invisible visible, which is also the deep motivation behind all of her work. Her work combines objects and techniques not traditionally used together, and honors the beauty underlying the basest of materials. Her current body of work brings together the techniques learned from her grandparents, her connection to nature and the earth, and her love of the Medieval world. Koop studied art and literature, earning a BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Her work has been shown in New York, New England and throughout the Midwest, and is included in both private and public collections.
© K Daphnae Koop