TACTILE MEMORY

Statement:

Sonoran desert is not obvious: it’s an introspective landscape that shares its gifts quietly. Initially it appears to be a chaotic arrangement of prickly sticks, twigs and cacti, yet this chaos presents a unique balanced tapestry in which the various stages of life tangle and unfold simultaneously: a blooming cactus next to a cholla skeleton, a tree, simultaneously dead and alive, dried brush and a vivacious poppy sprouting right next to it. Alien-like seed pods have evolved over time to germinate in the harsh desert: they are sharp and defensive, yet their curves are incredibly feminine and maternal.  

Over the years I have been collecting these gifts - pods, twigs, rocks, branches. By carefully observing these dried bits of desert materials I created abstract etudes that emerged spontaneously, combining intuitive explorations of balance, texture and color with repetitive motions of embroidery and thread wrapping. Methodical application of thread allowed for meditation on time, survival, mother / womanhood, while explorations with wax, clay and thread were guided by memories of the objects, their textures and impressions of landscape. 

There is a tense stillness and a sense of anticipation to the desert,  as if nature is suspended in space and time, waiting. Waiting to be reborn, waiting for the rain, or just waiting for the next coo of a dove to pierce the still silence.  This tension, too, organically found its way into these sculptural pieces.