The dyed fabric compositions are journal page expressions about time and place. The textile paintings that I produce are tributes, poems, love letters, prayers, and meditations. Creating this work provides peace, helps to heal hurts, and feeds my energy. The subject’s intention is always one of honor and gratitude.
My plein air and oil painting practice was initially provoked by the desire to grow artistically. This activity was also inspired by the need to feel closer to family. Working in the elements seems to make time stand still. Although I find it terribly challenging, painting in the field heightens all senses and strengthens visceral memory. The imprint of experience is then used as an intuitive tool (in conjunction with formal photo documentation, color studies, and notes) to create textile paintings and installations.
Studying the colors, textures and diversity of the Sonoran Desert has been my daily joy for the past eleven years. All of the work for Rediscovering the Desert was created within the past two years and celebrates the natural world where I resided in Southern Arizona. The Tucson Mountain/Saguaro National Park West area is especially dear to me and is often the subject of my landscapes. My work is also informed by multiple trips to San Carlos/Guaymas, Sonora and Cabo Pulmo National Park in Baja California Sur in Mexico.
Although I anticipate creating art about my beloved desert for the rest of my life, I just relocated to the Southernmost part of Texas to research for a new body of work. During this self-imposed, temporary residency I will shift from “Where the Desert Meets the Sea”, to “Where River meets the Sea”. Living and learning in the sub-tropical climate and remaining natural habitat by the Rio Grande River by the Gulf of Mexico. I look forward to seeing how my work will be affected by this new adventure.
Bio
Born in Wisconsin and then raised in Bettendorf, Iowa, Holly holds her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kansas City Art Institute and is an Ewing Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurship graduate. Holly has exhibited her textile paintings in numerous group and solo exhibitions. Holly currently lives in the Rio Grande Valley with her husband.
