QUARANTINE BACKYARD MANDALAS
The Quarantine Backyard Mandala series are created in my backyard and woodlands in northern NJ during the covid-19 pandemic. The genesis of the mixed media prints comes from placing my paintings, pastels and mixed media works with nature in situ and photographing them together.
The essential elements that inspire me are color, movement and light. In the final stage some of the archival prints are hand colored with pastels or metallic paints. Whether the patterns are extreme
or sublime, I want the compositions to give pause for beauty, balance, unity and wellness.
QUARANTINE BACKYARD MANDALAS
The Quarantine Backyard Mandala series are created in my backyard and woodlands in northern NJ during the covid-19 pandemic. The genesis of the mixed media prints comes from placing my paintings, pastels and mixed media works with nature in situ and photographing them together.
The essential elements that inspire me are color, movement and light. In the final stage some of the archival prints are hand colored with pastels or metallic paints. Whether the patterns are extreme
or sublime, I want the compositions to give pause for beauty, balance, unity and wellness.
BACKYARD CRISIS
On a micro level my backyard reflects a greater macro concern of our changing world. I've been photographing invasive plants to focus on the effects of increasing storms and massive tree loss. I've combined two vantage points: shooting above into the sky and shooting below the low-lying plants. Many non-native plants are harmful since they crowd out the natives which have thrived for millennia. They are better at adapting to the accelerating climate change and beat the native species to the new fields, mountains and valleys that would be able to support them. They also damage the diverse ecosystem that much of nature depends on. As plants and trees are forced to adapt, they must, in effect, make some sort of order out of chaos.
INTERTWINED
The act of drawing is an homage to the wabi sabi of my woods whether with a singular fallen branch or a composition of intertwined vines and trees in situ. There is beauty in the interconnectedness
and decay. Sometimes my lines are fluid and fast and other times there is a meditative quality to intentionally slowing down. The spirit of the watercolor combines with the graphite to capture opposing forces of movement and stillness.
INTERTWINED
The act of drawing is an homage to the wabi sabi of my woods whether with a singular fallen branch or a composition of intertwined vines and trees in situ. There is beauty in the interconnectedness
and decay. Sometimes my lines are fluid and fast and other times there is a meditative quality to intentionally slowing down. The spirit of the watercolor combines with the graphite to capture opposing forces of movement and stillness.
Maureen Bennett
CURRENT SHOWS + GRANTS
MONMOUTH MUSEUM 43rd ANNUAL JURIED EXHIBITION January - March 2023
https://www.monmouthmuseum.org/
SKB FOUNDATION GRANT 2023
Recipient of an art education grant with The Deron School, Montclair, NJ, titled Special Portrait Project: Empowering High School Students with Special Needs Through Art.
THRIVE EXHIBITION at HISTORIC WALNFORD
July 2022 - July 2023
The Monmouth County Park System presents an
interdisciplinary exhibition "Thrive", an exploration
of the cyclical nature of the world.
https://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/page.aspx?Id=2541
PUFFIN FOUNDATION FINE ARTS GRANT 2022
https://www.puffinfoundation.org/grantees/beauty-imbalance-quarantine-backyard-mandalas/
"THE ART OF HEALING" EXHIBITION
September 2022 - August 2023
The Art School at Old Church and Englewood Hospital, Englewood, NJ
FEATURED ARTIST FOR 2023
https://www.thisartfulhome.com/new-project
HUMANA OBSCURA FALL/WINTER 2022
Selected for he current spring/summer issue of
Humana Obscura, an independent literary magazine with nature-focused poetry, prose, and art by artists from around the world.
Follow Maureen on Instagram @maureenbennettoc
