Rios
An Exploration of New Mexico Landscape through Hand Papermaking
The body of work Rios was created in response to a three-week immersion at the Doel Reed Art Center in Taos, surrounded by the inspiring and diverse landscape of Northern New Mexico and its fluvial terra. My work is directly inspired by experiences in nature and the research that evolves from a desire to understand the history and systems of the unique locations I explore. My creative practice intertwines the historic craft of hand papermaking with contemporary place-based methodologies.
While working in Taos I collected a variety of plant fibers, both native and invasive, and river sediment as the material base for my handmade paper. Research, both material and scholarly, is a critical component of my studio activities. Collecting, testing, and discovering the papermaking properties of these plant fibers informs the physical manifestation of my artwork. This distinct process of material selection also allows me to physically embed elements of regional specificity and conceptual implications into the work.
Water conservation and water rights in the arid New Mexico climate is a serious and sometimes contentious matter, and the process of hand papermaking uses a significant amount of water. So I decided to gather my materials from the studio and take them to the river to make paper in the flowing currents of water moving through the landscape. Much of my time working in New Mexico was spent creating work on site at the Rio Grande near Pilar and at the Rio Pueblo just outside of Sipapu in the Carson National Forest. I am drawn, emotionally and metaphysically, to areas where a body of water plays a dominant role in the landscape, resulting in this method of working being a very powerful experience.
Formal abstraction is used to depict the intersection of dendritic systems and patterns found in waterways, plants, and paths of travel observed and experienced in New Mexico. The technical processes of marbling, pulp painting, drawing with a wet slurry of pulp while making paper, and the sculptural manipulations of the paper as it dried in the New Mexico sun were used in the creation of this body of work.
While working in Taos I collected a variety of plant fibers, both native and invasive, and river sediment as the material base for my handmade paper. Research, both material and scholarly, is a critical component of my studio activities. Collecting, testing, and discovering the papermaking properties of these plant fibers informs the physical manifestation of my artwork. This distinct process of material selection also allows me to physically embed elements of regional specificity and conceptual implications into the work.
Water conservation and water rights in the arid New Mexico climate is a serious and sometimes contentious matter, and the process of hand papermaking uses a significant amount of water. So I decided to gather my materials from the studio and take them to the river to make paper in the flowing currents of water moving through the landscape. Much of my time working in New Mexico was spent creating work on site at the Rio Grande near Pilar and at the Rio Pueblo just outside of Sipapu in the Carson National Forest. I am drawn, emotionally and metaphysically, to areas where a body of water plays a dominant role in the landscape, resulting in this method of working being a very powerful experience.
Formal abstraction is used to depict the intersection of dendritic systems and patterns found in waterways, plants, and paths of travel observed and experienced in New Mexico. The technical processes of marbling, pulp painting, drawing with a wet slurry of pulp while making paper, and the sculptural manipulations of the paper as it dried in the New Mexico sun were used in the creation of this body of work.