Jae Sullivan

Jae Sullivan

Statement

I am interested in understanding pattern. By "pattern" I do not mean design or motif or mere imitation. Patterns, for me, structure experience and reflect both time and space. They are homing devices that trigger memories of places in my inner emotional and outer, physical worlds.

Currently I am working with a variety of plates which I call the "grass plate," the "water plate," the "rock plate," the "cloud plate," etc. I find patterns in sensations associated with places where I have lived or worked and overlay them with rhythmic gestures onto floor plans of the locations. The resulting plates and prints capture the experience and geometry of places that have been important to me. The underpinning of this particular exploration--i.e., observing a pattern, cutting a plate, and printing--informs a constant re-conceiving of my inner and outer worlds.

As a child, I spent my summers close to the ocean (Cape Cod) where the smell of huckleberry and blueberry bushes mingled with low scrub pine. There I gathered shells and mollusks; now I gather patterns from such memories of my surroundings and of myself. These patterns help me find meaning in my past, and enable me to face the future with courage and curiosity.