As many of my paintings (which include the East Hampton, Southern Swamp, and Arctic series) developed, it became more apparent to me that in my search for the essence of the experience of nature, I was using Nature As Metaphor more and more consciously. Thus the Leaf as Metaphor Series emerged. In earlier paintings I had used nature as metaphors for my interest in the strong and much maligned women in the Old Testament. Several of the large diptychs, including LILITH, NIGHTVISION-DAYDREAM, and the paintings SWAMP LILIM RISE, and HAGAR are vehicles for my female identification with these “bad” Biblical women.

In the LEAF AS METAPHOR series, several of the paintings were even more directly involved in Woman as Nature statements. The watercolor BIRTHING (the LEAF AS METAPHOR series) especially deals with these associations with its womb-like interior.

My ecological concerns are also implicit in these paintings of nature. The sense of terror and fear of loss along with the affirmation of re-birth and belonging, being a part of nature, are among the experiences of nature that I am attempting to convey.

It is finally, the coming to terms with the awesome sexuality of nature that I would like to address.

Berenice D'Vorzon