Melissa West
Complicit:
Linoleum block on paper stained with coffee and tea mounted on wood, with mirror, 20" x 16"
Reverberation Study:
Multiple linoleum blocks on paper, 30" x 22"
Derivatives:
Linoleum block, acrylic paint,ink on paper mounted on wood block, 12" x 12"
Prayer Flags:
Linoleum block prints on cloth, approx. 7" x 72"
Mappa Mundi:
Linoleum blocks and acrylic paint on paper, 30" x 22"
Creation:
Linoleum block print, 8" x 8"
Rustscape #1:
Linoleum block, rust, monoprint on paper mounted on wood, 10" x 8"
Cancer the Crab:
Linoleum block print, 7" x 5"
American Horseshoe Crab:
Linoleum block print, 7" x 5"
My work explores the fine line between comfort and menace in our most common stories and shared experiences. The place where they meet is sometimes fraught with tension, sometimes filled with magic.
While my work has in the past often focused on myths and legends, my current work looks critically at current events. As a society we often tell radically different stories about such things as climate change, immigration, and human rights. Cries of “fake news” add confusion to the picture.
I pull a string and see where the story leads me.