Photograph by Elizabeth Williams during our self-imposed artist residency, "Sky Island," in West Texas.

photograph by Leah Flippen

Painted off a hiking trail in Cold Spring, New York

This painting inspired the public works I made in 2017. I photographed the painting in my studio, made a drawing of the photograph, scanned the drawing and digitally manipulated the pattern to create a series of designs.

Painted off a hiking trail in Cold Spring, New York

I cut and hand-sewed this and a few similar paintings into flowing "Painting Dresses" to extend the fluidity of the fabric and the dappled light pattern to garments around moving bodies. The 15 garments in the series are all in private collections, and I look forward to creating more in the future. Please contact me via email if you would like to be notified when "Painting Dresses" are available again.

Painted off a hiking trail near Wanakena, New York

During my residency at Otto's Abode, I hiked down a section of a trail that was closed off by a beaver pond. Right before the pond, the trail widened out between dozens of Ghost Flowers growing under many different types of trees. (Monotropa Uniflora - The Ghost Flower does not contain chlorophyll. Energy is taken by the roots from photosynthetic trees and decaying material on the dark forest floor. The plant turns pink as it matures and black when severed from roots.) I chose this location to suspend an elongated and skewed, pentagon-shaped, fabric panel. I was captivated by the plants and the light and felt like this painting had to be made here. When I paint in the middle of complex and mysterious ecosystems, I stand on features like barren rocks or previously trampled ground so that the consequences of my presence are minimized. Thankfully there were lots of rocks on the trail. This photograph was made just before I began tracing the dappled light falling onto the fabric with cyanotype solution.

Painted off a hiking trail near Wanakena, New York, during my residency at Otto's Abode

Even though the fabric is suspended in these locations for only a day or two during the painting process, I consider the installations complete works of art during these short windows of time. I make these process photographs to serve as memories of the artworks as they existed in the places of origin.

Painted off a hiking trail in Cold Spring, New York

Not pictured: the cliff leading down to the Hudson River, just behind and to the right of the camera.
In this painting, I explored and celebrated the quality of fluidity that water, light moving through space across time, and silk fabric flowing in the wind all have in common.

Painted off a hiking trail in Cold Spring, New York

I extensively searched through guide books and the internet to identify what I assumed to be a tree in which I made this painting, only to find out that in ideal growing conditions, shrubs can grow to the size of trees.

Painted in my favorite park in Austin, Texas where this process began years ago.

Painted off a hiking trail in Cold Spring, New York

I wanted to this painting to feel like the angle and warm color of the early fall light in New York State.

Painted in Wanakena, New York during my residency at Otto's Abode

Photograph by Colette Clendaniel

Painted in Austin, Texas with the light from a street lamp.