From Iceland to the Santa Cruz Mountains, 2012 – 2015

ICELAND, Rock Skins – Essential Memory,  2012/13 – Paper Impressions taken from the volcanic rocks of Iceland and peeled away as a delicate skin. It is a process of recording a memory of the land itself as our earth shifts and transforms. Iceland had always been a place I longed to visit and in July 2012, with a residency at Baer Arts Centre in the North West of Iceland I set out to connect in a meaningful way with the land itself. I wanted to touch the land, ‘hands on’ in direct contact. A generous gift of Kozo paper triggered the idea of taking impressions of the land and I found that this delicate paper, with its strong fibrous structure, was the perfect material to mold to the volcanic rock and to take completely three dimensional casts of stones found on Baejarklettar – a beach on the land belonging to the Baer Arts Center. The artist residency, with its custom built studios, is the home of architect, Steinunn Jonsdottir. It is a working horse farm, tranquil and atmospheric, set on the edge of Skagafjodur, a fjord, lapped by the arctic ocean. Baer Arts Center –  http://www.baer.is

The project continues with the redwoods and oaks of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The delicate paper skins peeled from the trees capture a detailed impression, a fragile memory of trees that are challenged as climate change continues on it’s rapid trajectory.