The Story Behind the Artwork

Gathered, Then Gone grew from watching the squirrels that are such a familiar part of life in Glendale, including the black squirrels the village is particularly known for. I was interested less in creating a traditional wildlife portrait than in capturing that fleeting experience of noticing one—the moment it appears, pauses, and is gone almost before you have fully taken it in.

The squirrel emerges from layers of saturated color and atmospheric marks rather than sitting separately against a background. Its dimensional tail is created with locks from Mike, a Gotland lamb, which I dyed in my Woodland Reverie colorway. The fiber shifts from the painted surface into physical space, changing slightly as you move around the piece.

There is something about that combination of presence and disappearance that continues to interest me: the living world briefly gathering itself into something recognizable before dissolving back into its surroundings.