Energy forces within the psyche and physical body are as temperamental as the elements in oceans and mountains. Transformation, transcendence and pattern are rich and inherent in both territories. I investigate the relationships between different states of consciousness, self and other, loss and gain, imbalance and balance. I am especially interested in the interconnected relationship between mind, body, spirit and place.

Much of my work is devotional in character and appropriates elements from Spanish colonial art, Mexican folk art and ceremonial masks. Dogs and other animal spirits pervade my vivid dreams, and provide metaphorical and symbolic material. The natural references incorporated into my narratives are inspired by my travels to the American southwest and coastal areas of the Mid-Atlantic region. Landscape is both an internal and external place; I am essentially exploring the tension between them.

Janet Mathias