PROJECT PROPOSAL

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Through this project I will be investigating the abundant flora and fauna present in the ecological wonder that is my back yard. This project is highly reliant on observation and personal, anecdotal experience. I began this project viewing myself as an observer, looking in on a world which existed long before me and will continue on long after, as a space which has changed over the course of its existence and which is subject, inevitably, to continuous change. I sought to capture a snapshot of a moment in time, a moment I could see and get to know, the moment in which I lived in this house. From the moment I set my first box down in the house till the moment I carry the last box out (in just a few short weeks from now) I will be a part of the ecosystem and the natural culture of this plot. I know from the unique pain and joy I’ve experienced here that my heart is linked even if my presence in this ecosystem is exceptionally brief when compared to the lifespan of the universe and this planet. There is much conceptualization, realization, and exploration still to be done over the course of this work, but this is a slice of my current findings and curiosities.

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I am creating illustrations on mixed media paper, utilizing graphite and watercolor paints in addition to white and black pen. I have selected these materials as a reference to and in respect of historical scientific illustrations. The minerality of watercolors pulls these illustrations directly into the natural realm, utilizing the materiality as a conceptual landing point. By incorporating the raw pigmentation marks of watercolor as a component of the final piece, I am able to visually articulate my research, material experimentation, and invite the viewer to consider the process of creation. By leaving elements unpolished and inviting evidence of process to show through, I allow the illustrations to articulate the imperfection of this project and the inherent unfinished-ness of this exploration, making space for me to make mistakes, be wrong, and present my own relationships to/within this ecosystem. The ideal context and presentation for this body of work is a bound book, available to be viewed and handled in the real. I’d love for this work to be available for purchase, download, and rental to the public. As a door into the book, selected illustrations could be installed as a gallery exhibition with corresponding didactics drawn from the written content of the book.

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The timeline for this project extends beyond the fall term, ideally ‘concluding’ by the time of The Show. With this in mind, my goal for this fall term is to complete approximately thirty illustrations largely of the botanical variety. These illustrations will be informed by my research into their form, composition, color pallet, seasonal and environmental qualities, as well as fundamental research into the relevant background. This term I will be focusing on my emotional and visceral responses to the subject matter and process, creating notations of stories and memories from my life in addition to noteworthy environmental factors relating to the subjects.