Stacie Birky Greene

Artist Bio

Originally from Colorado, Stacie Birky Greene received degrees in Art and Art History from the University of Kentucky. She has also studied in Florence, Italy, and at the Chicago Art Institute. While painting was the focus of her training, she has explored her art in a wide variety of media, including drawing, performance, photography, and video.

The central focus of Stacie's recent work has been to explore nature through a combination of materials and techniques. One often finds in her work a surprising interplay between light and material, as the use of wood, metal, and encaustics twists a subject's identity in favor of revealing a textural undercurrent. Sometimes she makes a similar statement by juxtaposing seemingly disparate images. In either case, the parallels she draws between subject and material forms a poetic that transcends media boundaries.

Birky Greene lives in San Diego where she exhibits locally and nationally. She has taught art to children and adults since 1996. For a teaching schedule or more information click here.

Statement

From the earliest part of my career nature has been the central focus of my work. I find myself drawn to its many parallels of form and texture, and its paradoxical strength and fragility. The former is a lens through which I draw together elements that appear in disparate environments – such as corals and cacti – as a means of making unexpected connections. Here, the artwork acts as common ground. One often finds that removing a plant or other aspect of nature from its usual context requires the viewer to consider it anew, thus many of my pieces are about the experience of reconsidering.

Paradoxes have a somewhat broader place in creating a framework for my project, although they too direct my eye to certain details. A tree’s roots breaking through a sidewalk or flowers emerging from cracked concrete – these are evidence of the persistence and power of nature in the face of man-made constraints. However, as I contemplate a place for my art I am compelled by nature’s fragility, particularly as habitat destruction and environmental disasters take a broader and irrevocable toll on the natural world. This has an impact on the subject matter I choose, such as my current work cataloguing endangered birds, insects, and flowers. It also affects my use of media. A recent installation project consisted of 1,000 origami cranes made using junk mail that had been delivered to my home. The project is, among other things, a commentary on waste.

Along with more traditional media, such as paints and encaustic, I am looking into ways of incorporating recycled materials into my work. As I collect shreds of paper to recycle, dryer lint, and plant materials to make homemade paper I think about a bird building its nest using its own collection of random materials. Of course, once the sheet of paper is ready, I will draw on it.

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