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.
ABOUT
Maureen Bennett is a visual artist who explores the natural world with drawing, painting, mixed media and photography. She had her first solo show, “Transcendent Faces”, at Borghi Fine Art Gallery. She has exhibited at Site: Brooklyn Gallery, NYC, Monmouth Museum, Lincroft, NJ, Alfa Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ, Long Beach Island Foundation, NJ, Historic Walnford, Monmouth County Park, and at the Cultural Alliance of Western CT. She was the Artist-in-Residence 2021 for Oyster Point Hotel, Red Bank, NJ.
Maureen, as an advocate for the arts, makes connections between global communities. She was the creator of the global traveling art project “Peace by Piece”, involving thousands of participants creating paintings and writings of personal expression about peace. She was the recipient of the NYC Circle of Mercy Award and has been awarded grants from the Puffin Foundation, the Bronx Council on the Arts,
The Center for Arts Education, NYC, and Susan K. Black Foundation, to support art as a transformative force for social change in some of the poorest areas of the country. She leads art workshops in NYC and NJ about social change and connection, climate crisis, nonviolence, wellness, peace and special needs. Maureen started her career in NYC as an Art Director in the retail, music and non-profit industries.
ARTIST STATEMENT
As an artist, my recent works are inspired by the natural world from my backyard and woodlands. Drawn to the beauty of this ecosystem,
I feel it’s magical and sacred. The stillness of the woodlands belies a system of constant change, an ebb and flow of nature’s rhythms. I’ve been deeply concerned about climate change and its effects, some subtle and others monumental. Utility companies have been mandated to clear trees from powerlines and proliferation of invasive plants and insects, such as Japanese knotweed, barberry and the emerald ash borer, have caused significant damage to the biodiversity. The environmental changes are real, but what’s so alarming is the speed.
I want my work to honor all of this.
When I was a child, there was a sole pine tree behind my home. I remember the adventuresome feeling of climbing that tree. When I’d jump down, I was left with a sticky golden sap on my hands. I didn’t have words for it then, but the vantage points were thrilling, magical and expansive. Now, I continue to explore new vantage points by experimenting with mediums and techniques. I choose to draw attention to the beauty of nature, in the hope of raising awareness and a call to action.
I create with a consciousness; all living things have a continuous, connected thread to each other.
Maureen’s CV - click here, or download as a PDF
