this soft world, 2021-22

Drawing forms the core of my artistic practice—the act provides a space for deep thinking about human impact on the natural world and interconnections between plant and human life. Incorporating handmade inks, watercolors, charcoal, and paper primarily created from botanical sources, these works are equal parts research and play. Through their presentation in different groupings, the drawings reveal an exploratory process of close observation and learning about the biology, ecology, and histories of different plants and landscapes.

In this work, handmade paper is intertwined with the varied media and markmaking of the drawings, providing not just a surface but a material with a presence and physicality of its own. In one piece, paper made from white mulberry bast fiber provides an absorptive support for ink formulated with mulberry fruit, all sourced from trees in my backyard. In another example, a wash of ink made from fallen leaves and Baltimore’s first snow of the year mirrors the circular shape of a sheet of abaca, a plant fiber grown and harvested continents away. With nuance and attentiveness, these drawings speak to the desire to tend to and build a tactile relationship with the earth while grappling with and grieving an uncertain future due to the global climate crisis.

Full list of materials:
Handmade mineral pigment watercolor, charcoal ink made from grapevine and fallen branches, black walnut ink, mulberry fruit ink, ink made from fallen leaves and Baltimore's first snow of 2022, and sumac drupe ink on handmade abaca, kozo, and cotton papers

All drawing media created from botanical and mineral sources foraged and processed by the artist.