Bio:
Maureen has worked and volunteered in the nonprofit sector in Southwest Washington for 20 years. Her focus has been on arts, culture, heritage, and environmentalism. Education is very important to Maureen, and she is a graduate of local public and private schools and is currently working on a graduate degree through Gonzaga University. Maureen has also been a working artist and writer, exhibiting and publishing her work in a variety of settings and online platforms. Recently, Maureen felt called to pursue chaplaincy training, and will continue her education in a residency program this fall.
Artist Statement:
My reasons for doing art are changing as I get older. As a child and young woman, I made art to comfort myself, escape, and develop my voice. Art still comforts me, yet I am finding a new emotional power for my work with maturity. It is a love of nature.
Our environment is the exquisite incubator of humanity, and I feel it is our mission at this time to preserve it. When I feel inspired lately, it is when I am in nature. Artists have a responsibility to help consciousness to evolve using the power of our voices and the beauty in our visions. In every genre, in every aesthetic, in every fashion of art, we creative folks need to inspire a universal desire to save Mother Earth.
Work I’ve finished lately looks at the issue of environmentalism in a number of ways. The first piece I submitted to this jury is of the sea and the sky, both of which are imperiled by climate change. I portray a sea and sky that are turbulent yet stirring in their simplicity and beauty. The essence of what we are and what we need is found in the sea and the sky: we must preserve their integrity or else we will perish.
The second piece I share with the jury is of a sunflower, marbles, and a burning candle. The symbols represent the fierceness of nature, the playfulness and childishness of humans, and a light that slowly dwindles and could soon burn out. There is a window sill framing the symbols which is meant to imply to the viewer that they are inside, longing to be outside. At the end of the summer of human civilization, we must make some choices if we are to see another spring.
In the Pacific Northwest we are nature lovers, and the more of us who get outside to enjoy forests, campsites, and rugged ocean beaches, the more environmental advocates we will have. It is sublime here: an Eden meant for all of us to enjoy and preserve. We must change our lifestyles and more importantly, our consciousness, if we are to sustain this great gift.
