What sorts of stories do bees tell each other when they dance? Do rabbits dream? Do buildings have memories? These fleeting thoughts and others like them are the basis for my recent drawings and prints. The work continues my use of narrative as a means of explaining my fears and anxieties for the natural world as well as trying to determine my place it. This has become especially important over the past year as the world simultaneously became very large and very small.

Intensely layered images are used to create visual depth as well as layers of meaning. The decorative patterns, inspired by traditional Amish and Mennonite quilt stitching patterns, connect the work to my cultural heritage. The process used to create and hand-cut the shapes is similar to the meticulous skill needed for quilting and serves to make the connection even stronger. There is a tension created between traditional forms presented in a contemporary context that forms an important element to the work and to my story.

The use of animals and other images closely tied to the realm of fairy tales continues the connection to the domestic, to a space where it is safe to explore ideas that are dangerous or alarming. The layered meaning and accessible imagery provide the opportunity for conversations about the beauty of traditional folk forms, contemporary interpretations of fairy tales and the impact our actions have on the fragile world around us.

Jodi Hoover is an artist, teacher, and librarian working in Baltimore, Maryland. Her work explores storytelling as a (sometimes unreliable) way to explain the dangerous, beautiful world.

Hoover holds a Master of Fine Art degree from Towson University and a Master of Library Science from University of Maryland, College Park. She teaches book and printmaking workshops and has exhibited work throughout the United States. Recently her work won a Juror’s Choice award in the Art on Paper exhibition at the Maryland Federation of Art in Annapolis and was included in the 32nd Annual National Print and Drawing exhibition at Notre Dame of Maryland University.
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“Intensely layered images are used to create visual depth as well as layers of meaning. The decorative patterns, inspired by traditional Amish and Mennonite quilt stitching patterns, connect the work to my cultural heritage. The process used to create and hand-cut the shapes is similar to the meticulous skill needed for quilting and serves to make the connection even stronger. There is a tension created between traditional forms presented in a contemporary context that forms an important element to the work and to my story.”