Memoirs of Fish camp

2020

Memoirs of Fish Camp is influenced by my time in the Sierra Nevadas. It was a time of growth and reflection, which is present in my creative process as I make these layered prints and textile pieces. My materials include: second hand and scrap fabric, natural made textile dyes, paper, charcoal, ink, and chalk pastels. 

Living and working in the mountains of California was a rich and layered time for me. Memoirs of Fish Camp is a multi-layered installation that recalls this experience through the use of dyed fabric, printed forms, and gestural marks. Memory and place are shown in a physical form. Smaller marks and sewn details invite the viewer to look closer and contemplate them. Formal and compositional choices quote nature from specific locations. Patterns and designs of nature, as well as microscopic cross sections of plant life, inspire my use of organic shape. The torn fabrics possess a raw aesthetic, and their second-hand sourcing stems from this experience in the natural world, something that prompted me to think more about what it means to live sustainably. The natural dye is important as a reference to my experience in nature, representing the physicality of the plant life that surrounded me. Making the dye is a labor and time intensive process.  It allows me to have a physical connection to the pieces, similar to that of my experiences in nature. The overlapping methodology among the pieces unites their variety of materials and process. They are abstract representations of place and the nature found there.