Terrascape

This body of work was inspired by Connecticut’s geological past. The land is comprised of rocky hills, forests and river valleys created by volcanic and glacial action. I’ve spent much time wandering the landscape of Sleeping Giant State Park and reflecting on its history and the abandoned structures left behind. Its deserted quarry shows exposed layers of rock once hidden from view. Studying the layers uncovers the memories of its past and how it came to be. This history is stored in the layers of strata.

The work explores the beauty and physical characteristics of this geological feature and focuses on how it is part of the process in which the Earth records time. Strata is rendered through “terrascapes” of abstracted color fields, pattern and form that depict cross-sections of rock and earth which may reveal objects alluding to historical artifacts or organic material deposited long ago.

In order to capture the qualities of strata and invoke ideas of process, time and recording, I chose a medium that literally comes from the earth and is inherent in its own creation. Iron oxide is created in a chemical process and used to dye silk which is one of the main components of the pieces. In these “rust prints,” information about an object and its very presence is transferred and recorded onto the silk. What’s left is a memory of its interaction with the silk substrate.