bio – statements

i live in asheville, nc.

i have a dog named miss ginger.

i am trying to stay put.

i compulsively take pictures.

i am currently working on a narrative body of work focusing on themes of gender, voyeurism, and evolutionary layers.

i also do commissions and accept any/all ideas for photo shoots and models. especially non-model-models.

bios/statements:

lydia see is an Asheville, NC based mixed media artist and photographer. Utilizing a combination of found objects, assemblage, ephemera, and photography, she creates art works of all shapes and sizes, from acrylic resin jewelry to wall-size panels, and anything in between that she can get her grubby little hands on. She is also driven by the opportunities of outreach based art, such as Shred Ready’s Because Rocks Hurt project, numerous Auctions to benefit non-profits around the Mountains and Piedmont of NC, and has, most recently, been invited to be one of two resident studio artists at the Historic Grove Arcade Arts+Heritage Gallery in Asheville, NC. Unfortunately, due to the Arts+Heritage Gallery closing a month shy of completing her residency, she has been displaced, and she is currently seeking gallery representation.

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The Majority of my work represents the duality of boxes, portals, and windows as both vessels or conduits, and also as voyeuristic methods of obscuring and skewing of information, light, images, environment, and activity. Bold, expressive lines and shapes carry weight in some pieces, while still allowing for a de-saturated, faded quality in others. Recurring media defines the depth and infinite layering possibilities: acrylic mediums, ephemera, found objects, oils, oil pastels, photography, and paper collage.

I collect found objects which make me happy, from rusty bike chains to abandoned scraps of paper, and photograph them, bring them home with me, assemble them in jars. I have had a relationship with found objects from a very young age; my mother emptied many Osh-Kosh-B-Gosh pockets full of such treasures as insects, marbles, bottle caps, and sea glass. These items which had been discarded or left behind or overlooked have become the basis for my work, paired with photography in the form of gel transfers, prints, and photocopies.

The symbiotic relationship between found objects and their environment mimics the production of my work as the discovery or creation of aesthetic potential within existing circumstance. The rust patterns on a gear, for instance, are by no design other than nature, and yet can be appreciated in another context for being oddly cultivated and alluring.

By incorporating implied and variegated light to demonstrate the effects of layered transparency, aspects of each piece may be illuminated which would otherwise not be visually available. The mood of much of this work, then, can be altered by the lighting around it, allowing for versatility of viewing and experiencing.

Most of my work goes through many stages of distortion before it hits a plateau where I consider it to be successful, at which point it is fully expected to go through more uncertain stages. I find comfort knowing that there are layers upon layers in each piece that contribute to the final product as a whole.

Inspiration becomes most readily available to me through regular exposure to other mediums than my own, allowing a curiosity and respect of the application and construction of similar visions with contrasting methods. I am also drawn to the concept of art with a purpose, whether it is educational, outreach based, or therapeutic, and consistently attempt make my art more accessible and available to those who may not necessarily be exposed to traditional artistic venues.