A symbol for nourishment of mind, body, and spirit, Rice has been in my art off and on throughout the years. Embossing rice into the paper creates a new kind of mark.  Mark making is an integral part of my work.  Some marks form letters or words, create texture or patterns, or are formed by stitching. These marks create a structured chaos or uniform sizes and shapes.

After embossing, I work the pastels into the surface of the paper, spraying a clear fixative between the layers.  Often as many as 12 layers of color are built up to create depth and luminosity.

There is an ancient story from China about traps of hollowed-out coconuts filled with cooked rice that were left along a path frequented by monkeys.  There was a hole in each one about the size of a monkey’s open hand.  Once the monkeys fisted the rice, they could not pull their hand out through the now too-small opening.  The monkeys who let go went on to find abundance in the jungle while the monkeys who did not were trapped.  This parable invites us to ask ourselves: what is our rice?  and what are we holding on to?  (adapted from The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepro).

pastel, colored pencil, graphite with thread on paper