In this new body of work, created during an artist residency in June of 2021, Boyts Yoder returns to her primary image, emblem and icon: the Guide. Originally found within the pages of a children’s book over 10 years ago, this elemental symbol perseveres and continues to give rise to a deeper and more complex visual vocabulary that forms the foundation of all the artists work.

The Guide emblem is the artist and the viewer, both portrait and self-portrait. It is a reflection, a witness, a companion, and sometimes forms a chorus. It is the foundation upon which a hopeful and beautiful world is built. In these environments, the artist hopes the viewer will find escape through portals, mirrors, and joyfully wild, imagined landscapes.

This work represents a very specific place and time (June in Texas), but also proof that pursuing an obsession with a singular form can lead one towards multiplicity, not away from it.

Boyts Yoder states: “When looking at these paintings today, I see manifestations of what I wish for myself, and for others, in a world that can so easily make one feel separated, alone and exhausted. They are talismans to call forth guidance, energy, protection, shelter, and escape. Emblems of brightness, strength, joy, and color.”