Subterranea draws inspiration from Mother Nature herself, 19th century botanical illustrations, and what grows in the subterranean of the planet, sea creatures, fossils, bones and other organic minutiae.

My mother’s family farm in Fukushima was destroyed by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and the land rendered useless by radiation from the Daiichi nuclear plant. This series of pen-and-ink drawings was created in support of environmental causes and a deeper commitment to rehabilitate planet Earth.

The DNA of Nature fascinates me because of their chaotic yet structured growth patterns that continue to surprise in fresh ways. Much like the uniqueness of every person’s thumbprint, I seek minute peculiarities that make each tree, rock crevice, leaf vein and gnarly root different. This series of line drawings bring attention to the underlying patterns of organic structure and the abstractions derived from organic forms.

Subterranea explores the growth patterns created by plants in search of water and forces of nature which interact with planet Earth. It traces transitions from the observation of recognized patterns to the unrecognizable. I work from direct observations, nature photographs and documentaries, interpreting what I see in an intuitive manner. The final result becomes an inquiry into psychological space, teetering between alien and organic.

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