Artist Statement:
Naomi Gray
Painting is visual poetry for sharing my adventures. I enjoy telling stories through painting, about my desire to fly like the birds, and my adventures that have been inspired by this dream. I paint birds and landscapes as an allegory of my experiences and interests.
As a hang glider pilot, I have grown attached to the wild birds that share the sky with us. Sometimes they circle in thermals just under my wings. Coming from Tokyo, the proximity to nature and the diversity of birds in the northwestern United States fascinates me. Having migrated to the Pacific Northwest through my marriage, I identify my personal transplantation with the lives of migrating birds, in contrast with the year-round resident birds.
In my pictorial narratives these avian characters become metaphors for my perspectives on the ground and from the sky. I try to convey mood through the use of color, form, and perspective. I like to emphasize spatiality in order to explore concepts of distance and intimacy.