Art in Progress

          St. Augustine is a city rich with history. It was established on September 8th, 1565 with a mass held by Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales. I wanted to make a piece that commemorated this very important milestone in the history of St. Augustine by replicating an altar. There is a labirynth on campus that is perfect for showcasing the piece because of it's ritualistic undertones. I made a box and then burned the top in order to leave "traces" of what would have once been on the altar: candles, a bible, and a monstrance. I then stained the box to give it an aged feel. I'm extremely happy with the piece and how it relates to the space. The box sits perfectly in the center of the labirynth, highlighting its central importance to the concept of a mass celebration. Research https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/163971 https://www.visitstaugustine.com/gallery-image/first-mass https://missionandshrine.org/

Dichotomy           This piece was mainly inspired by museum displays of dissection that feature whole specimens. Traditional dissection diagrams were often detailed, featuring many different descriptions of certain parts. I wanted to represent this by creating a space that resembled the same atmosphere of a museum, equipped with viewing tables and fossilized creatures. I created "amoeba"-like specimens out of air-dry porcelain clay. I built wooden boxes and painted them white to act as extensions of the wall itself. The panels on the wall worked as the diagrams that described the inside of the air-dry porcelain specimens. I'm pleased with the way these turned out because it was exactly how I'd imagined it in my head. Inspiration Dewitt Godfrey Tammy Kanat Penny Evans

          Rituals connect people in many different ways, be it physically or mentally. People rely heavily on this to cope with the everyday trials they face in life. This work represents the basic human need to worship and accept a higher power, whether it be worshipping inside or out. The arrangement changes based on the way different people choose to worship this higher power. The pieces represent relics and items often used in rituals to offer things. 

          I have always been inspired by the movement that organic shapes have. I was inspired by the natural shapes that amoebas take on. They have many free-flowing lines and shapes within a larger shape that act as one. In most of my work the shapes are flat, but by incorporating 3-dimensional elements I was able to change the viewers experience. It was important that people were able to feel the same closeness that I do with all of my pieces. By allowing the forms to protrude from the wall, the viewer is able to have a more intimate experience with them. 

  "The colors linger into the early winter, in the brown and orange leaves on the cottonwoods along the streams and irrigation ditches, in the strings of red chili on the fronts of houses, and in the groves of lemon yellow aspens far up in the mountains."  - John Brinckerhoff Jackson, A Sense of Place, a Sense of Time , page 20           We often associate the same few colors with Mexican heritage, such a yellow and red. I was heavily inspired by the use of color and adjectives used to describe pueblo architecture in the first few chapters. The linework beneath the painting itself is reminiscent of a map, much like the one found on page 35 that details the plan of a bonito pueblo. Beneath all of the colors that surround the structures is a foundation much like that of a blueprint. The work is reminiscent of a simpler time that didn't involve the use of technology and modern day luxuries.             (Reference photo, page 35) *     *     * &q