Artist Statement

In her work, Grace Dines explores the visual perception of nature around us, altering the observational experience. Her process started with her intrigue of out- of-focus photography. She was drawn to the soft, obscure forms that were created from the lens and they became the inspiration for her work. She creates abstract botanical works by brushing powder pigment on paper.

Grace began to view perspective and our understanding of perception in her work. Making viewers question and create a new appreciating for how they observe nature around them. By obscuring her subject, she shifts value to its bare form, redirecting focus from it’s literal representation. She encourages an embrace of the subjects ambiguous forms and what new visual exploration can come from it.

In contrast to more traditional photography, which visual details become important in identification of a subject, Grace uses the lens as a tool to discover composition and abstract her subject. The subject is framed through the lens and altered by experimenting with depth of field, shutter speed, and focus to capture a new sense of perception. Transforming how we experience nature around us.


The work extends beyond photography when Grace transfers the images from photo to paper using powder pigments. After exploring various mediums and techniques, she found how to achieve the unfocused effects accomplished in photography. Through this process the work becomes more intimate and the textural nature of the materials encourage a tactile awareness. Using many layers of powder built upon the surface, the delicate process of translating the imagery to paper prompts thoughtful care. The aesthetic quality of the paper and powder pigment allow for a more intricate surface, and the tone of the paper becomes an illumines element.

Whether her pieces are paintings or drawings is an unresolved declaration. Her work lives between the two, neither completely one or the other.