assemblage:
“comstock wabi-sabi”
The high desert environment and presence of the Comstock Era mining activities are integral to this body of work which, literally, relies on both for its material and formal qualities. Each work incorporates found and natural materials from the local Silver City area. While collecting material out in the environment, I realized that the Japanese aesthetic of “wabi-sabi” was abundantly present in the landscape. This aesthetic recognizes the beauty in objects that are faded, worn and rusted, while embracing their impermanence and imperfection. This series celebrates the wabi-sabi aesthetic and acknowledges the region’s history, culture and environment.
high desert café
mixed-media with found objects
18.5”x10.25”x4”
While living in Silver City, I awoke each day to watch the sunrise over the mountains as I drank a cup of coffee. The morning was a time to contemplate the day, express gratitude, and feel the awe of nature as it presented itself once again. This experience inspired High Desert Café. In addition to this experience, I found many fragments of coffee cups, mostly small pieces or handle parts. One fragment happened to be larger and broken almost perfectly in half, allowing it to stand out from the other fragments. Although combined with a rusted wire enso form, I felt the piece needed another element. So, I decided to brew a cup of coffee on the wood background, forming a natural patina. I developed a brewing technique that included cutting a yogurt container in half and using the top portion for holding the coffee on the wood. Then, using an eyedropper, I added drops of boiling water to control the size of the coffee stain.
sunrise: a portrait of the artist in silver city
mixed-media with found objects
32.5”x10”x4”
Sunrise: The Artist in Silver City is the culminating, final piece in the Comstock Wabi-Sabi series created while a Resident Artist in Silver City. It visually collects many of my experiences while living and working in the Comstock region. I was immensely grateful to wake up each morning and watch the sunrise over the mountains as I planned my day. The yellow wood, plate, and lid suggest the warmth and sunlight of the summer months and the incredible warmth of the community of Silver City. Each of the components of this piece naturally fit together—such as the honeycombed wood’s width matching the width of the yellow board, the broken tool handle’s length aligned along the side of the yellow board, and the plastic cowboy head resting precisely between the broken tines of the comb. Underneath the horizon line and suggested wooden mining structure lies the lode of silver that gave the town its name.
ivory button
mixed-media with found objects
15”x10.5”x2”
Ivory buttons, such as the one in this piece, were commonly used during the 1860s. Buttons from this period were usually sewn in an X formation, but I chose to sew this one into a closed, square shape to mimic the black square it is presented on. Ivory Button also represents how the work in this series uses a pseudo-scientific manner of presenting a specimen. In this case, a tiny object, such as a white button, is centrally presented on a black field, encouraging the study and close observation of its details.
drought
mixed-media with found objects
8”x31.5”x3.5”
On my first hike out into the desert mining area of Silver City, I was shocked to see so much dried-up hosing lying around. I noticed how the sun faded the color and how the color intensified where it was buried. As the plastic dried and crumbled away, it exposed the underlying web of reinforcement. These qualities reminded me of the Japanese aesthetic referred to as “wabi-sabi.” This aesthetic recognizes the beauty in objects that are faded, rusted, and worn. As a result, I collected several pieces of hose and brought them back to the studio. Along with a few pieces of sun-dried plywood, these two materials were combined to create Drought, the first piece in this series. Additionally, as a Mid-Westerner, coming from the Great Lake State, I was confronted with the reality of a dry, desert landscape and the resulting challenges of drought occurring within the region.
black rain
mixed-media with found objects
28”x12.5”x3”
Black Rain responds to the physical landscape changes that I experienced firsthand while living in Silver City. It recognizes the effect of mining that occurred over 100 years ago and the mining currently being done in the area. This piece is also one of a few from this series where I have chosen to begin working with abstract forms. Although abstracted, the large plastic forms hang onto representational associations of mountains, horizon, water, and rain. Ultimately, a balance between abstraction and representation is reached with this piece.
rust form #2
mixed-media with found objects
21”x16.5”x2”
Working at a larger scale than Rust Form #1, Rust Form #2, continues my exploration of abstraction using a configuration of multiple pieces of rusty metal. Each metal piece was uniquely rusted based on how it was exposed to the desert environment. In this case, the pieces were found stacked and partially buried in the earth, thereby leaving light-colored earth stains against the red-orange rust. Two abstract forms were created upon joining the two metal pieces—a hard-edged, external perimeter form and a flowing, organic internal form. Continuing to allow things to be as they are, the composition was accentuated by the addition of found metal rings where there was a hole in the background plywood.
insect trails
mixed-media with found objects
10.5”x17.5”x3”
In an attempt to loosen up previous working strategies steeped in symmetry and perfectionism, I chose to embrace a more organic, asymmetrical approach that recognized the wabi-sabi aesthetic. This aligned well with the deteriorating objects and materials I discovered in the high desert. Insect Trails is the culminating example of embracing this new approach. The piece has no square corners and no level surface. Working with the objects and materials as they are was a freeing experience, although not without the temptation to straighten an edge or level a surface.
tangent point
mixed-media with found objects
12”x14”x5”
With a widespread resource of hosing left to deteriorate in the desert, I decided to make a complimentary hose artwork with Drought. This time, I wanted to acknowledge the curvature of the hosing that was hardened and preserved as it dried out in the desert. The use of a minor, supporting background allowed the hosing to float out into open space indicative of the West. The tangent point becomes a central focus and energy transmitter through the conical shape and inclusion of a quartz crystal at the end. Additionally, the hole in the wood behind the crystal exposes a wine glass bottom whose stem further directs the energy outward through the crystal.
dinnerware
mixed-media with found objects
6.5”x26.75”x3”
Broken pieces of plates, cups, and bowls are ubiquitous objects to find in and around the mining areas. Often, upon finding colorful, ornate, yet deteriorating pieces of dinnerware, I would pause and think to myself, “Who ate off of this plate, and what was their life like?” This historical perspective had a significant impact on every fragment I found. Each fragment contained its own stories, some evident, some secret. Dinnerware collects a diverse series of plate fragments along with rusted silverware amid a field of gray earth, acting as a neutral background. It also continues the exploration of asymmetrical composition and formal strategies suggesting mining pits.
medicine wheel
mixed-media with found objects
11.5”x11.5”x4”
Around Silver City, Gold Hill, and on the way to Lake Tahoe, I noticed dramatic deposits of ivory-colored earth, some natural and some the result of mining activity. After collecting some of the earth and choosing to work in a circular format, I found four-pointed plate fragments and a rusted aspirin container in my collection. By arranging the plate fragments around the four sides of the aspirin container, the piece mimicked the four directions, suggesting suffering in all directions. The quartz crystal wired to the aspirin container indicates that although we all suffer regularly, this suffering provides the opportunity to heal through medicine, clarity, and wisdom. The quartz crystal is a standard, universal crystal; it is considered the Master Healer stone.
sleep walking enso
mixed-media with found objects
9.5”x25”x3.5”
This later work pushes the boundaries of asymmetry and working with materials as they are. It went through many incarnations and developed naturally over quite some time in the studio. The foundation of the work is the lathed bedpost and earth-covered wooden balls. Each of the remaining elements naturally fits within the design of the lathed post, which defines the final composition. The piece is influenced by a book I read while a Resident Artist in Silver City. Love Letter to the Earth by Thich Nhat Hanh, a famous Buddhist teacher, discusses ways to deeply connect with the Earth to become more ecologically mindful of how we interact with it. Walking meditation is a way to develop a direct connection and stronger relationship with the Earth. Unfortunately, many of us remain asleep.
fractures
mixed-media with found objects
26”xx15.5x3”
While working with a piece of wood, it split in half, and a knot fell out. The resulting form reminded me of the fracturing of the earth due to mining activity and the holes left from mine shafts. Using the earth-covered wooden form as a foundation, the remainder of the piece was constructed around both horizontal and vertical landscape axes. External elements such as a setting sun and internal layering of rock strata are suggested. Human interaction within the landscape is evidenced by elements such as snap buttons, nails, and shingles.
bedroom doorknob:
for julia bulette
mixed-media with found objects
19”x5”x5”
During a visit to the Fourth Ward School Museum in Virginia City, I discovered that the number one job in Virginia City during the Comstock Era was prostitution. Upon further research, I found that there was a single person with significant notoriety who represented this profession. Her name was Julia C. Bulette. She was a prostitute and madam of the most successful brothel in Virginia City. Popular with the miners and local firefighters, she was brutally murdered in 1867 by a French drifter and jewel thief. This piece came together with the above information when I found a rusty doorknob and bedspring in my collection of objects. Other elements such as a board from a barrel, a large square spike, and red rubber pieces contribute to the formal and conceptual makeup of the piece.
rust form #1
mixed-media with found objects
18”x2.5”x2.5”
During a hike with a neighbor, I found numerous thin, rusted metal pieces that were identically shaped rectangles with one corner cut off. Interested in working with multiples, I decided to use these forms to make purely abstract work, something I had not done before. When I found a gently curved piece of wood, possibly from a mining structure, the piece came together. The width of the wood matched the width of the metal forms, so the parts fit together naturally.
lucky mineshafts
mixed-media with found objects
7”x17”x4”
Lucky Mineshafts continues the exploration of forms in the landscape due to mining activity. Here, both earth-covered angular wood pieces have been carved out to create the suggestion of a mineshaft or cave while mimicking the square shape of the die. Of course, the die also suggests the historical prominence of gambling within the area. This early piece was also pivotal in a move to begin working more organically and asymmetrically. Although subtle, the positioning of the die is not centered on the wood background.
aspirin & finger joint
mixed-media with found objects
14”x21”x3”
Aspirin & Finger Joint is an early piece in the overall development of this series of work. During this early period, I developed several strategies for working with found objects in the Comstock region. One of these strategies included working with the objects as they are. In other words, I was finding formal and conceptual relationships between the objects without changing them or forcing them. As a result, by paying close attention to each found object in my collection, the works essentially fit together like puzzle pieces. In “Aspirin”, two pieces naturally fit together: 1) the metal aspirin box is the same width as the piece of wood it is connected to; and 2) the notch in the stick wraps around the dirt-covered piece of wood, mimicking its right angles.
home enso:
for thich nhat hanh
mixed-media with found objects
17.5”x16.5”x2”
Inspired by the reading of Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Love Letter to the Earth, I found other relationships to support the use of the enso form. Hanh is also a practitioner of the enso form, often writing a pithy phrase in its center. A message in the book conveys that the Earth is a part of us; its entirety is our home. In other words, everything is interconnected. Therefore, if we treat the Earth as our own home, we can be better stewards of it. This piece uses a circular format to accentuate the enso form as well as the Earth form. It is built up to create a 3-D topography using powdered wood filler, dirt, rocks, and crystals.
tin can enso
mixed-media with found objects
26.5”x4.5”x6.5”
Amassing an extensive collection of objects with various material properties such as glass, ceramic, rock, wood, metal, and plastic, I was challenged to invent appropriate engineering techniques to attach the objects into a unified, single object. This piece was of a particular challenge and is an example of two technical approaches. In some cases, the attachment points worked best, being invisible, such as the attachment of the wooden tool handles on the sides of the primary board that uses internal wooden pegs. Also, the floating extension of the plate fragment and tin can is quite complex in its hidden supports and shimming. This visible attachment technique thereby adds aesthetic interest to the composition. This can be seen in the rock attachment that openly utilizes wire to secure it to its base at the top of the piece. The patina on the primary board emphasizes the circular holes in the wood suggesting another example of the enso form. This form was then extended onto the tin can by adding a black rim.
monochrome collection
mixed-media with found objects
37”x3”x5”
After numerous exploratory hikes into the desert mining region, I accumulated a large number of objects. To have them readily accessible, I laid them all out on a long concrete driveway. At this point, I realized that I was working as an archeologist or paleontologist—discovering, cataloging, studying, and reconstructing the objects. So, I organized the objects into material categories: glass, rock, ceramic, metal, wood, etc. I recognized that color categories also existed by organizing in this way, resulting in the ivory-hued Monochrome Collection.