How Much is Enough?

​When I created my Archeology Art series, I chose the subject for each piece on a whim- whatever archeological find happened to strike my fancy.

The Sun's Nocturnal Return ©Leslie Peterson Sapp

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​Throughout the ages, people have used art to express their collective spiritual beliefs. So, of course many of the archeological finds I was inspired by reflected this.

But whenever I made art centered on Northern European artifacts, another layer of intrigue was added.

I became captivated by the idea that one of my ancestors may have actually seen some of these sacred objects. What forms of art and belief might there have been in my ancestral past?

My goal is to research this, and transform what I uncover into a new series, comprised of stand-alone paintings and an artist book, which would emulate the form of an atlas.

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How Much (Research) is Enough?

​Though I had a very general idea about where my people are from, I began some basic genealogical research to get a more precise picture.

Genealogy, I quickly learned, is a rabbit warren of branching paths I could easily lose myself in! Each branch of the tree leads to another, and another, and another. How far and how deep to go has been a real balancing act.
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So far, I have done basic research on the four main branches of my tree. Along the way, I have become obsessed with mapping.

I have even created an interactive Google Map marking each ancestor’s birthplace, which you- yes you, dear reader- can explore yourself below!

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​Having done all this work, I needed to get real about actually producing artwork!

On the one hand, research is a legitimate and necessary aspect of making art with real depth.

One the other hand, when are you researching, and when are you AVOIDING?

Each artist must sense this in their own way, on every step of the journey.