Irene Wood, were do we come from, what are we, where are we going?, Sumi, tempera and polyurethane on canvas, 20" x 24"

American, b. 1981, playing from New York City, NY, USA

Irene Wood is a painter and jewelry designer based in Brooklyn, NY. From an early age, Irene has been captivated by objects and the stories they inspire. Her fascination began while surrounded by the heirloom collection of porcelain, textiles, paintings and jewelry from her Chinese grandparents and grew as her family traveled extensively around the globe. These artifacts led young Irene to craft her own objects, from jewelry to pottery and eventually paintings at Whitman College, where she received a B.A. in studio art. In the years following, Irene split her time between jewelry-making and painting. Her bright, fantastical abstract landscapes have been featured throughout the NW. The paintings depict dream-like ecological utopias that explore themes of interconnectivity, binary opposition and counterbalance.

Thoughts on the Telephone process

It was interesting translating a piece that was so stylistically different. It encouraged me to focus on the visceral quality of both the piece I was trying to translate and my own work.

The process also made me more aware of the viewer since I knew someone else would be going through the same dissection process. I rarely reflect on audience interaction in the process of producing work. I had to ask myself new questions and see this painting within a larger context.