Systems of Presence

For the month of April, I was invited to be the Artist in Residence at The Fountain Valley School

outside of Colorado Springs, CO on the prairie at the foot of 14,000’ mountains. It has been an

incredible gift of time to deepen my creative practice and an opportunity to try to understand and

interpret a place I’ve never seen before. Daily diaristic rituals of drawing and color collecting

began on the day arrived. Each of these practices was a way to become more intimate with a

sense of place. When I stepped out of my Casita on the first day, there was a Spotted towhee wing on my

doorstep. It felt like it had been presented to me and I had to draw it. This turned into a daily

ritual of drawing specimens that manifested...like clues to a mystery unfolding. In the last 10

days, I worked on the interaction or “Interbeing” of my 10 favorite specimens. This act of

drawing with such detail has been a very connective practice.

The color data collection is woven together with my haiku practice. I’ve been writing daily

haikus for years as a way of discerning what is true in any particular moment. I set out to

understand the colors of this new landscape by collection 9 per day...resulting in 270 colors now

by April 30th. Having never been to Colorado, this has allowed me to feel the colors that make

up this place. It became a poetry book on the wall.

This color practice has influenced my collage landscapes. I hand painted Mulberry paper with

colors extracted from places I’ve seen. I love the collage practice because, like a haiku, it

communicates the essence of a place. Once the collages were cut out, I was attracted to the

remnant shapes that were left behind. These became more abstract pieces that feel like echos or

memories of moving through the landscape on my daily walks. These abstracts are becoming

small paintings. It’s very satisfying when my process unfolds organically like this...I just need to

pay attention and follow the clues.

Finally zooming out, I was interested in getting the lay of the land and looked to archival aerial

photos of the campus from the 1930s to present day for inspiration. Simplifying these changing

topographies and cutting them out is starting to evoke themes of absence and presence and the

passing of time. Tracing each one is like a journey across a place impossible to revisit. They are

particularly interesting when layered on top of each other, like lace, casting shadows. I know this

will lead to future mapping work.

This Colorado artist residency has revealed the benefit of paying attention. I am so grateful for

this supportive, interested community and the gift of time to incubate and produce this work,

honoring this stunning land. Being here has given me a fresh perspective which I will carry home

with me, hoping I can approach even familiar landscapes with this level of curiosity and inquiry.

I hope that my work might invite us to take a moment and witness the magic of everyday life.

With deep gratitude.

castle hill show