My recent series, "New Works: Embryogenesis" is a colorful exploration of the visible and invisible physical manifestations of growth and development.  It encompasses  mixed media on canvas, specifically, acrylic paints, monotypes, collographs and collage. The use of color and texture is very deliberate and  exaggerated;  the edges are rough and organic. The viewer is invited into this world of shape, form, rhythm, color and movement. Some of the images may seem   ambiguous, some may seem familiar. I am now an observer; waiting for a new life to emerge this year. I find extreme interest in each detail and alteration over time.  Change and growth are  the only constants.   As a former nurse who cared for people during birth, death, and in between, I learned to appreciate the human body as a dynamic form and
marvel. My labors in a third world country over twenty years ago were a watershed experience, and crystallized my beliefs about my world.   Daya B. Astor's artworks have been exhibited in shows throughout the US and in Europe, including galleries in Seattle,  Los Angeles, New York  City, the Animation Fest in Athens, Greece and galleries in Venice, Italy and Fitzroy, Australia. Her work has been selected by several non-profit organizations to provide visual voice to projects, such as domestic violence prevention (Project  D'vora Seattle) ;  fundraising for rape victims in the Congo (Mills College, CA); women's health awareness (NCJW Seattle Vagina Monologues); and  education (WRJ, NY) . Daya was born in mid century Brooklyn, New York and resides in suburban Seattle, Washington. She earned a Masters in Studio Art from NYU  in  2010. She has a Masters in Nursing. She is a member of the society of children's book writers & illustrators. Website: www.dayabastor.com