Elizabeth Knowles

Lives and works in Norfolk, CT

Artist statement

Natural patterns inspire my work. Some are biological patterns on the cellular level of organisms. Others are geological patterns of the earth's natural landscapes. Through painting, sculpture, and site-specific installation, I explore how dynamic patterns connect landscapes and life forms, physiology and physics, death and detritus, growth and form. Starting with the most simple and building to the more complex, my creative process becomes a recreation of the interaction of different levels of life. One basic component connects with another and another and another until a whole is created. This action is similar to a cell grouping together with other cells to form a more intricate organism. Echoing vibrant rhythms in nature, the work displays the unfolding of life as patterns expand back into each and into themselves. Additionally, the structures reveal a frozen moment in time depicting the transition between order and chaos or life and death. Structural patterns in nature define life's cadences both figuratively and metaphorically. The meandering journey of sperm to egg, a chain of DNA, or the lines on the palm of a hand interpret our lives as a series of non-linear transformations of organic structures unfolding in space. Ranging from the atomistic to larger organizational systems, my visual study of patterns reveals the complex interface between the various levels of life and the mysterious connection between them.

Artwork