Distillations of Place

2008 – 2012

Distillations of Place addresses an evolving relationship with local ecosystems. I am particularly interested in places that have been heavily manipulated for the natural resource the landscape provides, and are now undergoing engineered reconstruction. Reconstruction projects raise a multitude of necessary decisions made in response to the questions: 1) what is the native landscape; and 2) how do we deconstruct the systems in order to reconstruct what is “natural.” Consulting scientists has given me the foundation to create my own systems that enable me to collect and process data. I use the information extracted by the system to initially deconstruct an image of a landscape, then to construct an alternative way of interpreting the environment in my paintings.

Colors are like a calendar; the passage of time is charted by the landscape’s color shifts. Colors can also act as an indicator of other environmental changes. Studied over time, they may point to a shift in the times when certain plants sprout and bloom or when the rains begin and end. Colors also carry a psychological impact, subtly affecting our personal relationships with place. If the landscape is manipulated, changing the progression and patterns of color, what impact does that have on us?