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. Her recent works focus on the effects of climate change with native and invasive plants in the woodlands of northern New Jersey. She had her first solo show, “Transcendent Faces”, at Borghi Fine Art Gallery and has exhibited at Site: Brooklyn Gallery, NYC, Monmouth Museum, Lincroft, NJ, Long Beach Island Foundation, NJ, Alfa Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ, Historic Walnford, Monmouth County Park, and at the Cultural Alliance of Western CT. She was the Artist-in-Residence 2021-22 for Oyster Point, Red Bank, NJ.
Maureen has been awarded numerous grants to use art as a transformative force for social change locally and internationally, including the Puffin Foundation, The Center for Arts Education, NYC, Bronx Council on the Arts, and Susan K. Black Foundation. She was the creator of the global art project, Peace by Piece, involving thousands of participants and with 50+ traveling exhibitions, including one at the United Nations.
As an activist for the arts in underserved communities, Maureen has created global projects with communities in Israel, Pakistan, Ghana, Kenya, Ireland, Peru and Honduras. She has held multiple residencies in NYC and NJ public and private schools and currently leads art workshops for adults, children and teenagers with special needs about the environment, emotional well-being, peace and community. In 2008 she was the recipient of the NYC Circle of Mercy Award.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Our entire well-being is dependent on the natural world. I hang these words on my studio wall to keep me in the immediate and urgent moment of that statement.
As an artist, my recent works are inspired by the natural world from my backyard and woodlands in northern New Jersey. 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, such as Japanese knotweed, honeysuckle and barberry, have caused significant damage to the biodiversity. The invasive insect, emerald ash borer, has taken hundreds of millions of ash trees throughout the US. I witnessed the taking down of several ash trees that were over 100 feet tall. 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 with all its patterns, in the hope of raising awareness and a call to action. The adaptation of nature propels me to 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
