Randi Parkhurst & Kathy Gore Fuss
Randi Parkhurst & Kathy Gore Fuss, FLORABUNDANCE
Artist Statement:
This installation is devoted to appreciating the diversity of plant life in and around our community and raising awareness for the important roles that this ecosystem plays in our lives. Randi and Kathy shared “Subconsciously, we develop relationships with local perennial plants. Intuitively they help us to understand the cycles of life, the seasons, and their beauty.”
Their project was inspired by Frederica Bowcutt and Sarah Hamman’s recently published book, Vascular Plants of the South Sound Prairies. Quoting the authors; “Through a collaborative, community based effort we have produced an illustrated guide to nearly 150 vascular plants coupled with text on the natural and cultural history of the glacial outwash prairies and their associated oak woodlands from Tacoma to Rochester, WA.”Randi’s inventive handmade papers combined with Kathy’s beautiful flora imagery were inspired by the illustrations of dozens of students who contributed to this book. Welcoming the Prairies into the downtown core is a reminder of the significance of diversity, restoration and community involvement.
Medium: Hand painted paper
Artist Statements:
Randi Parkhurst:
Randi Parkhurst fell in love with paper as a child and found the media of paper and book arts in her 40s. That was when she realized what she wanted to do for the rest of her life: make structures from paper. Randi lives and works from her home/studio in Olympia WA with her husband and two chihuahuas.She has studied with: Dolph Smith, Hedi Kyle, James Reid-Cunningham, Barbara Mauriello, William Drendell, Jessica Spring, Jenny Craig, Shawn Sheehy, Kelda Martinsen and others.Her work is in the collections of The Evergreen State College, the University of Puget Sound and at Penland School of Crafts in a collection of Instructors’ Miniatures.You can also find her work in 2 publications: 1000 Artists‘ Books: Exploring The Book As Art (Quarry Books, 2012) and 100 Handmade Books, Vol. 2 (Lark Publications, 2013).
Kathy Gore-Fuss:
“Geometry, light and space inform the structural foundation of my plein air painting. I have a lifelong affinity for both the urban and wilderness forests as they offer beauty, solace and a seminal connection with nature. The weather conditions, the seasons, the time of day, the light and the environment – all of these elements shift with such frequency that I work with a certain sense of urgency. The forest challenges me to exist in a constant state of flux, to maintain a connection to the massive ecosystem while I wrestle with the fragile, yet significant place I share amongst all of it.”
Represented by Prographica Gallery, Seattle, WA