Melissa Lashbrook
The Nature of Transcendence
My motivation for creating work is to construct meaning…through making connections, curating an experience, etc. After I experienced a loved one slowly deteriorate from Alzheimer’s I felt a need to preserve. Art was a way to curate perishable memories, feelings, and connections in a tangible form. Since the birth of my children my work has shifted from preserving connections to the past to exploring connections with the present and future.
This collection explores life cycles by using pain and suffering as a source for new beginnings/redemption. Assembling man-made and perishable materials is my way of connecting the past, present, and future and acknowledging change. The act of collecting and fitting things together is a constant life cycle. It is through these cycles I build and rebuild understanding, appreciation, and connection. And ultimately find wholeness.
My passion for visual art is evident in my work and the students I teach. As an artist, I constantly collect ideas and objects. If I am not making I am thinking about making. It is through creating art that I feel most alive…excited, frustrated, confused, certain, scared, and safe. Each piece is unique, deeply emotional, and a part of me. It is through art that I have come to terms with loss, ponder life’s big questions, and find transcendence. My hope is that this collection will open personal and universal pathways for reflection and reconnection.
