In preparation for my third mentor meeting...

Questions I am asking in general with my work are. . .


Does knowing more about the past give one better insight into the present or who they are?

Does the natural world (in our immediate surroundings) have an impact on who we are culturally and individually?

How does nature and what we consume from it influence us culturally and individually?

What is the importance of documenting the existence and personal stories of my family to me as an artist? Why?

Questions regarding specific works. . .

Water Secrets - How can we connect with the past and our ancestors through our interactions with the landscape? Are we connected with others through sensory cues and stories of particular places? What can our experience with nature tell us about ourselves? 

"A landscape should establish bonds between people. . . art also belongs with landscape studies as I interpret them for it is only when we begin to participate emotionally in a landscape that its uniqueness and beauty are revealed to us." - J. B. Jackson

Papier-mâché forms and transfers - How can the tactile qualities of objects and the narrative qualities of images be combined to document changes in a place over time? Can the work create an emotional connection between the viewer and work while also drawing connections between people and place, the enduring and ephemeral, experience and memory?

Hand photos and shells - The woman in my family show love and devotion to family through their work. Can my elders and ancestors be honored through my labor? Can my work connect me through time or space with them? Can the objects we touch and utilize tell as much about who we are as our stories?

Collard Leaves and Food memories audio - Can food and natural sustenance establish bonds in the same way  that a landscape can? Can what we consume connect us to place? Can it connect us to people? How can we be defined by what we consume? Where is the line between cultural and individual identities in regards to diet and traditions? What is the connection between memory, food, and place?

Inventory - What do our belongings say about the lives we live and our values? How do we determine the value of an object or a person? What can be learned from the way we organize and document our lives or our belongings?

Veins, Dyes, & Display

Finished Khaki leaf

Finished Composite leaf

Finished Moss leaf

I've been finishing up painting the veins in on the paper leaves I made in February and casting new ones. The line quality and variation is improving. This semester my goal has been to create leaves that are less realistic, emphasizing transparency of process and material. These objects look less like actual leaves, making the increased verisimilitude of the stem and leaf veins a necessary element and an interesting contradiction. 

New Moss dyed pulp leaf

Sage dyed pulp leaf

I mixed two new batches of dyed pulp, in an attempt to cast leaves with more vibrant color and improved texture. I'm pretty happy with the results. One is a delicate moss green, the other is a deeper sage color. Both pulps have legible text, interesting variation in hue, and pick up greater detail from the mold. All of the new leaves are made entirely out of library catalog cards.

Detail of new Moss leaf

I've also been thinking about ways to display this work. I haven't completely ruled out pinning them to the wall as specimens but I'm not sold on it either. One option is to display them lying on a surface in bunches; the way they would be purchased or stacked after picking and washing.

Collard Bunch (display idea)

Detail of Collard Bunch (display idea)