ARTIST STATEMENT
A Symbiosis Between
Imagery & Intimacy
in Nature
Symmagery is my living inquiry into how we see, how we feel, and how we remember ourselves as nature. It is a lens of alignment—an invitation to feel closer to our true nature and at home in our unique place within the greater body of life.
At the heart of Symmagery is the camera as a metaphor. The lens is an aperture of attention to focus, capture and expose ways for us to nourish our true nature.
Bringing the imagery into mirrored layers, the abstract patterns centered in balance and harmony, contours and textures echoing one another like an infinity mirror. Patterns become pathways. Shapes become portals. In these reflections we encounter both the personal self and the universal Self. Like ripples across water or echoes through air, the same pulse reverberates through microcosm and macrocosm.
Through magnification and abstraction, I explore the undulating interplay between inner and outer worlds—between intricate details and expansive mystery. Seeing becomes a sacred act. We are not only observers of life; we are seers into the nature of our being here, alive.
I AM ALIVE
You see, I am alive, I am alive
I stand in good relation to the earth
I stand in good relation to the gods
I stand in good relation to all that is beautiful
Excerpt from The Delight Song of Tsoai-talee
by N. Scott Momaday
Central to Symmagery is my deep appreciation for mutual, synergistic relationships—forms of symbiosis where distinct beings thrive through one another. Sources of inspiration include lichens, where algae and fungi—two very different life forms—coexist as a single organism; frogs, whose amphibians that live in two worlds, land and water, for different stages of their life cycle; and, on a landscape level, my undergraduate thesis on edge effects between forests and clearings and their influence on hypogeous fungi. Each of these reveals how the coalescing of distinct worlds can elevate one another, allowing life to flourish in new ways.
This mirrors our own shared existence: human and more-than-human life, animate and inanimate forms, each uniquely expressing a common source. Diversity is not division—it is a cornucopia of expressions of one life force.
UPHOLD
Love of frogs: I grew up with a pond playing with frogs, salamanders and array of pond life
My wish is to uphold a new platform for raising awareness of our “play”ce in nature.
The creative process itself is an adventure of inquiry and exploration. Through imagination and embodied presence, I engage in a playful practice of noticing —spirals, ripples, the elliptical eye-shapes formed within undulating lines, patterns of breath - life force- in motion. This somatic inquiry is deeply informed by my practice of Embodyoga®, where feeling becomes the first language of awareness. Before analysis, there is sensation. Before concept, there is contact. In this way, art becomes an embodied experience rather than a purely visual one.
Gardening is another living teacher within Symmagery. For me to garden is to consciously cultivate habitat where diverse organisms can thrive together. It is the practice of tending ecotones, those fertile meeting places between two worlds. Like the semi-permeable membrane of a cell, healthy boundaries create resilience and buffering capacity. In both garden and artwork, relationship is the medium. Reciprocity is the design principle.
Symmagery Design is an expression of appreciation—an adornment that celebrates our adoration for this vast range of life. Each piece is a reminder of the reflective interplay between our bodies and the greater patterns of nature. As we look closely, we see ourselves. As we soften our gaze, we see the whole. The apparent contrasts across the spectrum—light and dark, detail and abstraction, individuality and unity—are simultaneous expressions of the same shared source.
Through Symmagery, I invite an upscaling toward our essential nature—toward joy, vitality, and intimacy with life. May these images serve as mirrors, reminding us that we belong to one another and to the living earth. May they help us consciously see what has always been true: that the beauty and brilliance of our designs are reflections of a common life force pulsing through us all, together.
MOTHEring with Mother Nature
My children & I exploring the abundance of Mother Nature
Tara Gordon is a naturalist and artist whose work celebrates the intricate, symbiotic relationships found in nature.
Through her lens, Tara explores the patterns that connect all living things—both organic and inorganic—by capturing the raw beauty of the natural world and transforming it into kaleidoscopic, bi-symmetrical designs. These patterns mirror the interconnectedness of life, where even the smallest details reflect the larger harmony of the universe.
Her creations range from photographic art to functional designs, including yoga mats, clothing, and architectural installations. With each piece, Tara invites the viewer to experience nature’s patterns in a new light, offering a visual celebration of our shared humanity, vitality, and the timeless rhythms of the earth. By merging imagery with intimacy, Tara’s work serves as a reminder of the profound relationships that exist between us and the world around us.
