The violence of nature and its increasing extremes, arbitrariness and changeability is a constant metaphor for me of the fragility of life. Whether it is natural or man-made or the interaction of the two, I am drawn to address this in my work. My subject matter is a response to the environmental degradation I see and read about while also conveying my deep attachment to this natural environment; it’s ever-changing pattern, color, and shape. This tension between these oppositional forces is important in my work.
In my artmaking I stress recycling – older work, print proofs, fragments of paintings. When relocating to Portugal I had to make the difficult decision of what to do with older work. Much of it was cut up and now is used for new work, creating collages that are a timeline of my artistic process.
© Cynthia Back
Cynthia Back 