My work revolves around the relationship between natural and man-made systems, and the creation of stories. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, where II spent much of my life outdoors, learning, pretending, and discovering every inch of the world I knew. This attuned my senses to the living things around me, and helped me to develop a keen scrutiny of the world.
I am fascinated by the minutiae of the everyday: the stories that mundane objects might be able to tell about our lives. Surrounded by high speed transfers, I feel the need to pause to take notice of details that might otherwise be overlooked. A beetle’s wing, the oil swirling on a puddle, an abandoned car: these things share the potential to be beautiful and devastating in their ephemeral nature.
In recent pieces, I examine the life of objects and the way they elicit the emotion of the past. The loneliness of obsolete objects speaks to me: they are shells that call out, singing of what was and what will never be. My work is a personal endeavor, each piece retelling my experiences and memories. Through it, I respond to different facets of the earth, social structures, and our contemporary existence. I strive for a visual translation of feeling; it is a continuing journey to learn to connect with others. I aim to cause the viewer to pause for a moment, caught by the recognition of shared experiences.
Clarissa Plank Art 