The themes I explore in my work are crepuscular; natural cycles such as birth and death, seasonal change, dawn and dusk bring the transitional forces of nature to the forefront. My work evokes a sense of spaciousness, calm, chaos and mystery– and reflects my process of  transforming grief into creativity. The content of my work exists on the axis of life and death, and revolves around what we can learn from the connections that bind us to the landscapes we inhabit. By holding a lens to the natural cycles of growth, decay and regeneration– a doorway is opened– encouraging the viewer to enter more fully into life. 

 

The medium of printmaking presents an opportunity to explore these concepts physically.  A print is an imprint of a matrix that is no longer there; it is what is left behind, the impact of an event which leaves an impression on the world.  The process of printmaking is one based principally on the concept of loss, and presents unique and sometimes subtle ways to interact with it. Each print becomes an echo—a snapshot of both presence and absence—inviting viewers to engage with the work within the context of their own experiences of loss and transmutation.

 

References to the natural world, both in form and medium, weave their way through the conceptual and material body of the work. The materiality of the work plays an important part in its function. By collecting pigments for some of my paintings from varying natural sources such as shells, metals, oxides, plants, and bone, I immerse the work in the world.  Derived from the earth, each material evokes a visceral connection to the land. The contrast and connection between earth and spirit then becomes evident; mineral, plant and animal, the triangle on which life is hinged, bound by water. Nothing is created, and nothing destroyed. All things– formed and reformed of the same materials–transform each other, into one another. Utilizing a combination of representational and abstracted forms, I draw attention to the interplay between what is and what is perceived. The imagery that emerges  illustrates a story of transformation and renewal.

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Biography

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Sophia Jean Van Dyke (b. 1997) is an artist living and working in west Sonoma County, CA. Born and raised in the area, she draws inspiration from the beauty of the landscapes that surround her. Growing up in a rural area, bearing witness to the cycles of life and death at the interface of humanity and nature has deeply influenced her perspective and artistic voice. She attended Art Quest, a magnet program for the arts at Santa Rosa High School, and later studied printmaking at California College of the Arts in Oakland, CA from 2015-2017, before completing a 3 month residency in Berkeley at Kala Art Institute in 2019, and another in 2024. Her work has been included in multiple group shows throughout the Bay Area at galleries Including Mothbelly, Classic Cars West, and Adobe Books, as well as Heavy Manners Library in Los Angeles, CA.

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