Monday, May 23, 2011

Day #4



This has been a day full of conceptual ruminations. I came to the residency with an image of a wind downed tree and the resulting cavity beneath. There is a lively impression that freshly toppled trees leave that I find evocative. The uplifted boulder, snugly wrapped by roots leaves a shape in soil. Similarly, some stones stay soil bound and leave their imprint on the risen root mass. No windblown tree goes down cleanly, there are always roots that resist the collapse and show an evident tension - connection - to the original tree location. I love the energy revealed, the spaces created, the perforations that happen when trees fall over.
How does this relate to my mark making in the alpine vista? How does the distinct edge of mountains and sky reflect the edge of a windblown stump? How can I include the impressed shapes?

Uprooted
Wind beaten to the extremes of uprooting is a trauma that leaves a scar beyond the individual that is toppled. When a forest titan is blown over and the earth is torn asunder by the tenacity of roots. Even boulders can be hoisted aloft. These vacated stones leave an impression, the uplifted roots draw a shape, the remnant hollow becomes shelter.
Man has marked this earth deeply. We are well rooted. Our presence is seen in the very extremes of our planet.
I am unsure how as an artist, I can respond to the extremes of the Alps. My work is not a triumph over adversity. It is a personal story. I am recording my presence. In the fragile state of today's world I am determined to draw with a mark that lasts. In this Residency I aim to leave a significant trace.

No comments:

Post a Comment