Angelina Prestel

Horizon, Expanse.

Land, terrain, red, dirt.

Light, Line, Steady.

This series of work is inspired from living in central Australia along the MacDonnell ranges. The expanse of space, the ruggedness of the outback, the vivid red dirt that gets into everything. The blue sky, the beams of sunlight, the meandering path of the terrain. The topography of the ranges I see daily inspires me.

2022-2024

Trust.

Play.

Intuition.

Marks made by chance.

In this season I am learning how to trust the process of making and remaking. Watching my own children investigate, discover and create I am seeking to playfully approach the medium, process and result. Letting my intuition guide me while I make, I am letting go of the inner voice that says what is allowed or not allowed.

Made during pregnancy, bedrest and postpartum with third and fourth child. Created in sketchbook, canvas, and paper

2020-2022

Nurture: the process of caring for and encouraging the growth or development of someone or something.

The push and pull of growing. The unknown tangles, messes, overlaps, and glimpses of beauty. Beauty that comes out of the unknown - from a seed, to a sprout, to a branch, to a bud. These works focus on growth, the unknown, the unseen. The way plants grow, rebound, and live is a mystery.

The plant cycle inevitably involves decay, but decay leads to compost, which enriches the soil and births something in return. Caring for physical plants has been a personal journey in healing, restoration, a journey in letting go. In 2018, my second child was born at 23 weeks. Processing the traumatic birth of our second child, the four months in the NICU, the days of unknown, whether she would survive, and the unknown of what the future held for her. In 2021 I had a miscarriage at 11 weeks, and the healing process came forefront. The past couple years have been a journey of healing my mental health and relearning how to create.

Overwhelm in the chaos. Beauty in the unknown. Life giving. Growth. Decay. Rebirth.

Assemble, cut, sew, draw, play.

Sewing on watercolor paper

Work made during distance teaching and a return to in person teaching 2021.

2016-2019

Constant attending. Unending time. Periphery. Visceral. Through this work I seek to capture the emotion a parent faces. The never ending sense of time that stands still yet moves at an incredible speed. The labor of a mother is tangible yet so easy to forget. Trace records the movements of my child’s need for me. The paintings show the viscerality of the bodily changes from self to nurturer. 

2017-2018

Visceral, vying for attention -  The chaos of each day rises to the surface. The expectation of motherhood and the constant comparing of what could be done and how much I could give of myself versus what is humanly possible. Using objects I aim to illuminate the delicate balancing act rehearsed on everyday.  The pull in one direction or the other can create a chain reaction and possible collapse. Tall, towering columns of varying heights create a physicality that one is made aware of. Each tower is painted only as high as I can physically reach.  A sense of tactility and chaotic balance are foreground searching to reach that which is unattainable.

On view:

MICA Decker Gallery; 1401 W Mt Royal Ave, Baltimore MD (June 22- July 6)

2015-2016

In this body of work I considered how movements create invisible drawings in space. I created multiple situations of tracks for fluorescent balls to run on. Photographing at a low exposure allowed the drawing to be seen. Overlaying hundreds of images on top of each other I created sequences of these invisible drawings and stop-motion videos. 

2015

The trail that one leaves in space is an interest of mine. Through this work, I tracked people's movement and my own movement through natural and urban spaces. The drawings only appear at the conclusion of the process of recording and tracing. 

2014-2015

I became interested in the presence of daily conversations in my practice. As a teacher I constantly have to converse with multiple individuals. To create these drawings I recorded the length and amount of conversations I had per day. Some used a mathematical equation to configure the plot, others were based on my memory. 

2014

Considering the map, line and the idea of journey. These topographies reference the invisible journey of life. Intricately placed, each string's action affects the next move of the string and the resulting image. 

The outside installation is participatory and invites the viewer to consider the maze and path their body must take to walk through the space.

2009-2014

Displaced. In 2009 I moved to the DC metro. Feelings of displacement and confusion with road systems and cultural systems persisted. Using the flatness of the physical map that I used daily to navigate my surrounding I sought to find a sense of place and belonging in an urban environment. In my apartment there was one lone tree that overlooked a sea of concrete. The presence of the tree remained a constant in the work. 

2008-2010

History, abandoned, worn. Inspired by the beauty of tattered buildings in Italy that showed their layers of history, I sought to recreate a sense of history and time in the work. I used found materials, layering and distressing them. 

Teaching Portfolio

Link to teaching portfolio 

Classroom Website 

used for online student portfolios, AP studio art projects, and resources for high school visual arts students. 

I love capturing real life. As an artist and mom, I realize these are the moments that will become the memories for my family, not the perfectly staged photograph. I have been taking pictures for over a decade, and would love the opportunity to capture a few memories with you. Please contact me if you are interested in photography or videography.