Habitats

Habitats
Stephanie Chefas Projects, Portland, Oregon — June 18–July 16, 2022

In Habitats, I created a series of paintings that merge the microscopic and the cosmic—worlds within worlds unfolding through pattern, color, and rhythm. Each work serves as an imagined ecosystem, where roots, clouds, and cellular forms coexist in a state of slow transformation. Inspired by the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, the sea’s hidden geometries, and the inner terrain of thought and feeling, these compositions trace the delicate relationships between bodies, weather, and time.

Paintings such as Cloud Forest and Sea Vent present layered environments teeming with abstracted life—fronds, anemones, and luminous spores that echo both coral reefs and mountain slopes. Others, like Celestial Garden and Milky Way Simulation, extend this exploration into the cosmos, suggesting a universe that mirrors the biology of Earth itself. Across these works, I used acrylic and gouache to build translucent veils of color, creating a visual language that feels both intimate and expansive.

At its heart, Habitats reflects an ongoing meditation on care, interdependence, and belonging. These places are less about geography than about emotional and spiritual terrain—a way of picturing coexistence and renewal in times of disconnection. Every surface is alive with quiet relationships, revealing how even the smallest gestures of attention can become acts of tending and transformation.