Skimming the Surface — Deborah Farquharson

skimming the surface

“So much of life is spent moving quickly through space, barely noticing the surface of things, let alone the details. When I wander the earth’s skin during the spring thaw, I witness the grass emerge like a quilt of sleeping browns, a monochromatic torpor, sometimes telling a story of early winter winds. I find myself admiring her post winter ‘do, flattened by run-off and sweeping left to right. I notice a tuft here, or there, a steadfast tent, resistant to heavy snow and rain. I trust my work encourages the viewer to pause and observe the surface underfoot.”

Two-dimensional studies of trees, created by continual and over lapping silhouette line drawings or carvings, brings to mind the expression “One can’t see the forest for the trees”. This body of work attempts to speak about an all-encompassing, overarching, bird’s eye view. Like a photographer deciding her depth of field, we have the choice to shift focus and change our perspective.

“At moments of wonder, it is easy to avoid small thinking, to entertain thoughts that span the universe, that capture both thunder and tinkle, thick and thin, the near and the far.” -Yann Martel, Life of Pi

Skimming the Surface