About the Artist Artist's Statement When I reflect on my completed work, I note the overwhelming power of visual patterns to engage my audience on multiple levels. From initial development until end result, pattern serves as the uniting force behind every new creation. I articulate my ideas by coupling unique marks, forms, and characters to a larger idea through reproductive configurations. As a whole, this presents a glossary of original images that continues to evolve even after the work is complete. The relationship between motif and color creates a cohesion that gives my work the power of speaking to the individual and collective simultaneously. The patterns I choose form tangible connections between the most intricate details and the larger scope of the work. These details strive to express themselves beyond the limitations of the medium. They call on the meditative, inert qualities we all share and seek recognition and expression through the essential pattern that ties them, and us, together. The driving force behind the creation of my recent work stems from a need to escape our fast-paced society and reconnect with the power and meaning of natural life. As society becomes ever-dependent on the advances of virtual technology, a cultural disconnect from our natural environment continues to develop. As a consumer in this expanding global society I recognize the changes the rapidity of communication and commerce bring to the very core of my own life. My current work is directly influenced by my need to escape this virtual world, find refuge in my studio, pick up a pencil and simply draw. These evolving forms begin as collections of microscopic imagery - cells and patterns viewed in natural environments. The slow and steady process of creating living imagery allows me to reconnect with myself as well as my surroundings. The natural elements depicted in my work are meant to serve as a subtle reminder of the connections between ourselves, our environment, and the microcosmic forces that have a very tangible effect on our day-to-day interactions. A past residency in Japan influenced the aesthetics of my imagery by introducing me to the details of Japanese textile design. The technical prowess combined with the quiet, aesthetic complexity of the design is something I try to replicate in my latest series. My recent work draws on this influence and my intent is to present my compositions in an orderly, vibrant, and optical way that appeals to human sentimentalities. - Amelia Hankin, 2010