During my year long Artist Residency in Motherhood, where I created this series, "Abstract Narratives" I began to integrate the many facets of my life such as: motherhood and play, parenting and domestic chores, Buddhism and meditation, nature and walking as well as my studio practice and process. As the work explores these themes it has moved away from being something fixed and complete to something that touches and records an ongoing process that is connected to everyday life.
Through the process of working on "Clay-Bed", notions of chance vs. intention presented themselves to me. The first step in the process to create the piece was to cover the paper in matte medium and assemble it into a full 80" x 60" sheet. After the sheet was constructed, I poured silt clay on top of the sheet and spread it out with my feet. As I laid it out to dry outside in the hot desert sun, my four year old daughter found the sheet and the garden hose and began to rinse it off for me! Capturing her in this act (of chance) I recorded her experience as she slowly took steps around feeling the cool, slippery, wet material seep through her toes and glide underneath the bottoms of her feet. This kind of accidental play or "walking meditation," invited her into the world of learning more about her senses.
After the clay dried, I shook off whatever was loose and sealed it again with matte medium. Upon being dried, I hung it and was reminded of the dry cracking earth which is often found here in the high desert of Albuquerque.
As I sat and looked at it, color presented itself to me through memory of a mural I had often seen at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, which I frequently visit with my children.
The geometry which I settled on was a response to the structure of how the large scale collage was constructed. Using pastel and chalk lines, I incorporated the intentional act of drawing back into the work. By doing so, I asserted myself back into the process.
