After visiting Louise Philbrick in her studio and having her agree to be part of the exhibit I started to think about other artists who might also work in the more abstracted forms.  My dear friend Jessie Lyle fit the bill.  Her drawings on paper evoke an ancient and timeless aesthetic.

Jessie’s Artist Statement for Nature’s Keep:

In these recent drawings my intention has been to embody the beauty I see in the natural world; to capture visible and structural patterns that exist on a grand scale, on a human scale and in the microscopic; all mirroring the continual ebb and flow of the cycles of life. The central element I follow is water. Watching water’s movement through river or pool, through flora or fauna, through cloud or breath, I bear witness to its myriad manifestations, seeing water as a central life force within all forms. The drawings are generated by first taking a photograph, then translating that photograph into a simplified design. That composition is then used to rebuild the complexity of the subject through repetitive mark making, layering pencil and gouache, working the medium until the image begins to take on the quality of woven fabric or a micro-relief, delicately carved into the surface of the paper. Intrinsic to all of my work is a deep, abiding awareness of my spiritual connection to the subjects I depict and a desire to communicate that feeling to the viewer through a sense of resonance or momentary quickening of the senses.

You can see more of Jessie’s work and writings on her Blog

And do not forget to visit her work in person at the Harlow Gallery in Hallowell, Maine.  August 5-27, 2011