Description
‘Scents of Wonder’ by Edith Waddell
Artist: Edith Waddell
Title: ‘Scents of Wonder’
Medium: Acrylic on Wood Panel
Dimensions: 6″ x 6″
Framing: Unframed
Year of Creation: 2020
About the Artwork:
“Scents of Wonder is a play on the phrase “sense of wonder,” an expression that elicits a feeling of astonishment; in this case a confrontation with an unexpected reality, where the physical presence of someone or something is suddenly withdrawn, leaving only a barely perceptible trace of its scent.
The formation of memories is closely linked to our olfactory sense. In times of social isolation or lack of physical contact, scents can conjure the presence of a loved one, or perhaps evoke a comforting memory.” – Edith Waddell
About the Artist:
(Artist Bio)
Edith Waddell was born and raised in Arequipa, Peru, where her artistic multidisciplinary exploration started. After moving to Los Angeles in 2002, her interest in drawing and painting became her main passion. She graduated from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, CA with a BFA in Illustration. Her fascination with nature and psychology led her towards botanical and biological visual explorations as a means to convey human emotions. Her inkblot-like designs result in a colorful metamorphosis and synthesis of flora and fauna, conveying hints of seduction, sexuality, femininity and spirituality. Currently she lives in Los Angeles, where she works on gallery exhibitions as well as freelance illustration.
(Artist Statement)
My artwork is an exploration into the human psyche. I use elements taken from flora, fauna and my own recurrent dreams to personify internal emotional conflicts on such subjects as phobia, genetic experimentation, maternity, narcissism, seduction and spirituality. Fragments from the exterior natural world, as well as our own internal emotional world, inspire the concepts in my work. This conceptual material offers me a wellspring of symbolic language that allows me to compose anthropomorphic floral arrangements and whimsical hybrid creatures.
My preferred medium is acrylic paint, although at times I have combined digital painting with traditional painting, ink drawings, collage and printmaking. I play with the effects of bold, neon vibrant colors in order to overtly express what is normally unspoken, taboo, or subconscious.
Through my hybrid imagery, I introduce a secret story, sometimes hidden in plain sight within the overall composition. My goal is to make visible that which is overlooked, confronting the public with the dark and mysterious aspects of their own psyches, emotional struggles, and their relationship with the natural environment. My work is an invitation to make an introspective examination and reflection into our own existence, both physical and spiritual.