Mountain Lake Biology Station
For two consecutive summers I was selected to participate in an artist residency hosted at Mountain Lake Biology Station. Each time, I lived there for two weeks working as one of five autonomous student artists selected from the University of Virginia's Art department. I had a chance to work with and learn from professors Megan Marlatt and Amy Chan, as well as several other professional artists including Stephen Vitiello, Nathalie Miebach, Valerie Monlar, and Matt Spahr.
Floating Arrows Twigs, Leaves, Candles 2014
Man in the Pond Clay, Stone 2014
The Man in the Pond is quite simply a sculpture of a man lying in a pond. I began by collecting rocks from the forest and stacking them in the shape of a man along the shore of the pond. I then dug up clay, purified it, and began using it to make a sort of skin for the man that will define the more human features about him such as his face and musculature. I then documented his slow erosion, taking photographs of the piece once a day as it was weathered by the wind and rain. My hope was that through this process, all of the energy that I put into the sculpture (collecting materials from the land and relocating them to the pond in such a way), would return to the Earth.
About Time Tree Limbs, Sand, Stone, Plaster, Rope 2014