Quiet tensions between humanity and nature

I create drawings, installations, video, and sound-based works that explore the fragile spaces where identity, memory, and the natural world meet.

Working across charcoal, graphite, ink, monotype, video, sound, and installation, I build images and environments that invite stillness, attention, and reflection. My practice is rooted in observation and texture, and in the quiet moments when forms begin to blur, dissolve, or transform.

Living in Bristol, Maine, I am continually shaped by the landscape around me — the density of the forests, the presence of coastline, the movement of weather, and the subtle appearance of animals in their environment. These experiences inform work that is both intimate and expansive, grounded in material process yet open to larger questions about vulnerability, connection, and the relationship between the human and more-than-human world.

Visit Jan Arabas’ Forest Installation at https://www.openhouseofhistory.org

Working across drawing, video, sound, and installation, I explore the quiet space where the human and natural worlds meet.
A wooded trail with a metal signpost indicating directions to Mill Pond and Goose River, surrounded by fallen leaves and green undergrowth.

Performance Wear

Clothing for your explorations of the Maine coast, designed by a local artist..

A young woman wearing a long sleeve top with a green and white jungle and animal print, standing outdoors in front of leafy greenery.

Maine’s Rare and Endangered species

Close-up of a cuckoo bumblebee on a flower, showing black and yellow fur, large eyes, and antennae, with a green blurred background.
Illustration of a spotted salamander climbing on a fern plant with green background and botanical elements.
Close-up of a butterfly with white, black, and orange markings perched on a plant. The background includes a map, botanical sketches, handwritten notes, and watercolor splashes in green and beige colors. Text on the image reads "Cowberry Blue (Plebejus idas empetri): A species of special concern in Maine due to climate change, pesticide use, and habitat loss."
A turtle with a dark shell and a yellow and black-striped neck is on a wooden log, with a person's hand out of frame close to its head. The background features green watercolor art, sketches of plants, and a map with text about Blandings Turtles being rare and endangered in Maine due to wetland loss.