Danielle Ray

Reseed II

Inspired by: Harvey Sadow, Fire and Flood/Sacred Sites Laura McPhee, The Blue Lagoon Esther Solondz, Untitled (Rust Portrait)

found metal, ceramic tile, catalpa seed pods

32.5″ x 22″ x 6.5″

2022

Nature offers us extraordinary examples of growth and decay. This cyclical process has always fascinated me, Reseed II is a work that encapsulates our human response to this paradox. This piece incorporates three aspects, human trash, our ability to manipulate natural material, and ephemeral organic debris. The use of a piece of corroded found metal from a trash pit in the woods provides the framework. Ceramic tiles made from clay, a malleable organic material that can be manipulated, fired, and preserved forever, are matched with catalpa seed pods that have already split and shed their seeds. Together these elements are transformed into a new creation, one that celebrates growth and acknowledges decay– I see this juxtaposition as crucial to our evolving existence.

@danielleraystudios

Danielle Ray

Layers

Found metal, queen Anne’s lace

23″ x 5″ x 7.5″

2022

The work I create hovers between abstraction and reality. My compositions are gestural, colorful explorations of memory and place. I am interested in the energy of a person, place or thing. Capturing that element is what inspires me to create a piece of work. I enjoy the questions and problem solving that comes with the improvisational process I work in. It’s a dance between me and the canvas and responding to what the painting is telling me to do. Playing with color, form and line changes the perspective and meaning of the work which creates depth and curiosity.

@danielleraystudios

Danielle Ray

Floral Echos

found metal, Queen Anne’s Lace

10″ x 10″ x 3 1/2″

2023

@danielleraystudios

Reseed III

found metal, wallpaper, Japanese maple leaves, catalpa seed pods

21″ x 12″ x 36″

2023

Reseed IV

found metal, ceramic tiles, catalpa seed pods

22″ x 23″ x 5″

2024

The Forest at Dusk

found metal, iron oxide, wood ash, organic material, wallpaper

31 ½” x 16″ x 4 ½”

2024

Petals of Patina

found metal, root mass, wisteria pods, Queen Anne’s lace

23″ x 12″ x 10″

2024

Rustic Remnants

found metal, organic material, wallpaper, bible pages, gel medium

14 1/2″ x 9″ x 7 1/2″

2024

Splintered Awakening

found metal, hydrangea flowers, driftwood

63″ x 81/2″ x 9″

2024

Fleeting Fragments

found metal, drift wood, wallpaper, iron oxide

16″ x 13″ x 9″

2024

Danielle Ray

The Maze in the Woods

found metal, lichen, wallpaper, organic material, iron oxide, bark

26″ x 12″ x 6″

2022

@danielleraystudios

Danielle Ray

Attics of our Lives

found metal, wood, wallpaper, tomatillo husks, Queen’s Anne’s lace, iron oxide, wood ash, spray paint

38″ x 14 ½” x 5″

2022

“Attics of Our Lives” is a flux between the past and present and our human grappling with loss and hope for the future.

@danielleraystudios