Ventifact: Breath Drawings (2013 - present)

In this series, I use my breath to create drawings of ventifacts, or rocks shaped by the wind.

I completed the first works in the series in 2013 as part of Vientos, a project that used wind as a metaphor for turbulence and resilience in human relationships. The early breath drawings from this time were inspired by wind-worn concrete ruins, the myth of Sisyphus, and my interest in the mechanics of failure.

The composition of the drawings was inspired by the Mayan huipil, garments embroidered with reference to the natural and supernatural worlds. In their woven patterns, the garments can relay narratives of birth, death, and regeneration. Huipil-wearers become the center of a symbolic world.

In making these drawings I use wind as a shaper, my body as an instrument, and the release of breath as a way to allow materials to interact just beyond the limits of my control.

In early 2020, in light of the pandemic, I returned to the series. My relationship to the source material—as well as the work’s associations—has evolved. The current breath drawings build upon the symbolism of the huipil. They are about breathing life into stone and memorializing the dead.

In Jewish tradition, placing a stone atop a gravesite symbolizes the legacy of the deceased in the heart and mind of the survivor. My daily ritual of beachcombing the shore of Lake Michigan for basalt, granite, and slag supplies models for weekly drawings.

 I think of these works as acts of memorialization, mantles of light, and shields.  

22” x 30” Drawings on Arches hot press watercolor paper, fluid acrylic and acrylic ink

2013 drawings created with support of a Jerome Visual Arts Fellowship, and to be worn by choreographic duo HIJACK (Kristen Van Loon and Arwen Wilder)

2020 - present, Drawings created in context of COVID-19 pandemic