ARTIST STATEMENT
The universe of nature is a constant pulse in my work — its forests, oceans, rivers, and the human figure are living partners in my process. As Odilon Redon wrote, ‘The artist submits to the fatal rhythm of the impulses of the universal world which encloses him.’ That submission is where I begin.
The boundaries between me as an artist and the organic materials—wax, wood, pigments— are porous, allowing colors, shapes, forms, patterns, textures, to interconnect. In the process of fusing, these materials possess and express their own agency.
I lay down the materials and follow their lead as they flow and fracture. Sometimes, I have a design or image in mind and I work to elicit that with the wax; other times, ideas emerge either from the wood, or the interaction of layers. I celebrate the alchemy of chance.
“Red Leaves, a Blue River” traces the patterns of light on water.
My work offers viewers an ecological connection, a grounding moment in our fragmented and fleeting digital life, a moment of stillness in the slow sediment of natural time. I want to make space for the beauty that hides in irregular rhythms, in the folds of decay, in the quiet resilience of nature.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
SP ‘Scotti’ Estes draws on a previous career as scientist and technologist in exploring and experimenting with textures, themes of nature, environment and relationships. Based in Chicago and Virginia.
© SP Scotti Estes