suspension #1

Autumn Horne

I've always had a penchant for mythology, folktales, stories passed down through generations; animal tales, gods and spirits, creation... There is an impression I receive from these stories (these fantastic explanations of the natural world, how things work and why, how they relate to the human condition, tragically, comically; life, death!) that compels me to work, to struggle to capture and share the essence of a dream, a journey, or a connection; those tales (and ways of telling) that seem to be fading in the face of our modern lives. It’s a visceral connection. I like it raw and messy and urgent, deconstructed, which is why I frequently paint with my fingers instead of a brush, make spontaneous etchings with bleeding ink and acid and thread, print monotypes with discarded plexiglass and cardboard, create masks and puppets using almost entirely found elements, garbage. I like the surprises and the accidents, the failures and successes, the story, the connection.