Bridget Walsh

Patterns of Growth

When I was little, I wanted to be an artist, but I wasn't good at it.In art class, I was messy. My paper ripped, my paint spilled, the ink bled though my paper onto my desk. Marker and glue got onto my hands and clothes. The other kids were better at it; they had tidy drawings with yellow suns. Somehow, I felt like an artist anyway. I am still messy. The energy and untidiness is still in my paintings.I use bits of paper, lists of things to do, old paperback books, the kind of stuff that fills your purse or pocket, as collage material. I layer paint, collage, and lines over other until balance comes through the clutter.I am currently working on a series called Patterns of Growth. As time passes, we grow. We embrace our scribbles and work them into a thing of beauty. Layers of experience and knowledge cover and reveal what was before. Appearances change on faces like the surface of a painting. I paint in a way that demonstrates the constant change and growth around me, finding beauty in the mess.

Collection of NIH