Landscapes

I've been considering ways to merge this body of work with the leaves. So far I am working towards building a small collection of objects. that when exhibited together, will build a narrative of a specific place and time. The objects in these collections will either directly appeal to or reference each of the five senses. Since I focused on memories of my grandmother's back yard last semester, it seems like the most natural place to start off this semester. I plan to branch out, exploring different places and stages of my life. Last semester, I sketched ideas for the topographical object paintings and sand paintings from memory alone, so there was a lot of room for artistic license. This resulted in the paintings emphasizing the formal qualities of  landscape, becoming more schemas of a generic creek and ravine than the actual place I sought to depict. Since my goal is to be more specific and direct with content, I enlisted the help of some satellite imagery to get a better sense of the actual landform. This way I can show details of the tiny plot of land that is close to me and the larger context it belongs to.

Experiments with Paper

I started off my studio practice this semester by experimenting with ways to dye library catalogue cards. My goal is to be more precise in the way I approach materiality in this body of work; reducing the pulp to a single material source is the first step. By comparing the results of dyed blended pulp vs. pre-blended torn paper, I sought to determine the best process for achieving accurate and vibrant color. I prepared two dye baths and allowed the paper to absorb the dye for several days. The pre-blended pulp dye bath produced more uniform and vibrant color but required a longer process to separate the pulp from the dye solution. Although the torn paper dye bath was resulted in more dull, uneven color, it was easier to separate from the dye solution. The torn cards also sat in the dye bath for a long time causing the paper fibers to break down too quickly during blending. This made it difficult to create pulp with bits of legible text. The next step will be to cast a set of leaves to determine the strength of the fibers and the durability of the leaf once it drys.

Torn paper in dye bath

Pre-blended pulp in dye bath

Pulp made from dyed torn paper

Reflecting on 2nd Residency

The last two weeks, I've spent a lot of time thinking about the 2nd residency and what it's going to take to move forward. One thing became evident very early on, even before the first critique. Although I feel a lot of progress was made with the technical aspects and conceptual ideas surrounding my sand paintings, continuing that body of work in its current form is not very high on my agenda. I plan to explore paper as a medium more in the current semester; in the form of papier-mache embellished objects, cast leaves, and possibly biomorphic forms. I feel paper is a fascinating material to work with because it comes with a history and it has a physical memory. Paper begins its life as a natural, living object and is intentionally transformed in form and function. I believe this transformation is echoed by my artistic process. I also appreciate paper for its tactile qualities and versatility.