Sacred Grove, Voices from the Warehouse, 2010

I Don't See Anything That's Not Beautiful, Veils, 2021

I Don't See Anything That's Not Beautiful: Veils

I Don't See Anything That's Not Beautiful: Prayers, 2021

Sacred Grove, Voices from the Warehouse, 2010 Water-Soluble Wax Pastels on Masa Paper, wire, lighting

prev / next

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Water-Soluble Wax Pastels on Masa Paper, wire, lighting

The empty second floor warehouse at 1000 Jackson evokes an ancient ordered grove of trees. Massive 13” wide, northern yellow pine pillars suggest trees placed at regular intervals. These are in fact tree trunks, planed by carpenters in the last century. Branching out, both floor and ceiling are made of wood. The site is the former home of wooden window manufacturing.

The print installation, Sacred Grove, references the natural source of the building materials and the commercial activity of the Wilmac Warehouse. Sacred Grove exhibits 30 life size paper reproductions of pillars in the main exhibition space. The natural wood grain texture along with scars from years of drills, nails, staple guns, etc. was transferred to soft, fibrous paper by rubbing it with water-soluble wax crayons. This is a technique often used to record impressions of gravestones. Here, centuries of natural history evidenced by the pillar’s wood grain are joined with the trace marks of recent industry and human labor. Rubbings with earth tone pigments echo tree colors. The forms are closely placed in a natural, organic arrangement mimicking the original grove. Each column is internally illuminated with a battery operated light fixture. The interior space suggests a natural forest yet presents a ghostly presentation of paper columns in an industrial venue.

This work is funded in part with a grant from the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment of the Arts.