Tamara Poff
"Red White and Through" Oil Collage
Behind the Scenes
Spotted Leopard Frog
Leaf Wing Butterfly
Silver Springs I
Bursting Florets
Mystic
Denial
On the River
Deep Within
Paper Dolls
TIME goes, you say? Ah no!
Alas, Time stays, we go;
Or else, were this not so,
What need to chain the hours,
For Youth were always ours?
Time goes, you say?-ah no!…
From “The Paradox of Time” by Henry Austin Dobson
An obsession with time finds its way into my work. How very odd are our lives as we come into being, evolve, and pass; as those we love or have known, enter, change, and depart; as our environment transforms through time. From an environmentally conscious perspective, my current work searches for an up-close relationship with the natural spaces in Florida’s state preserves. Depicting the wild flora and fauna in various stages of growth and decline, I paint the pond scum – not the pond.
I employ oil paint, pastel, and pencil, pushing eco-friendly materials and processes, to explore life on its infinite journey. A basic principle of our physical world: that matter is neither created nor destroyed; it simply changes form, is at the heart of this journey. So too memory as, for a brief moment, I attempt to capture this fleeting essence of life, living, and meaning.
These pieces draw from photographic as well as live reference, pulling together organic, textual, and figurative elements. I sometimes employ textured surfaces with juxtaposed imagery and words to convey messages both public and personal with thought given to semiotic and neo-symbolist ideology. The viewer is invited to look deeper into the layers of these compositions to explore their content.