Portolani 2005 $100
Pigment inkjet prints on Meridian drawing paper, Thai mango and cellulose papers.
11” x 7.75”
Edition of 25
15 maps with continents formed like female torsos trace a journey begun in August at
the orchard on Breezy Hill and concluded the following May with discovery in the deep
wood. They are patterned after portolani, old maps of exploration that include text
and illustration, and feature firsthand knowledge of new lands as well as sometimes
fanciful speculation about uncharted territory. Images and poems by the artist.
PORTOLANI: Maps of a Journey Installation 2005
Acrylic paint on drafting film
15 suspended panels, 24" x 19” each
The fifteen Portolani maps hang two to three feet apart, one behind the other. Seen
whole, the installation winds a serpentine path through the gallery suggestive of
currents and waves. Ambient air movement in the gallery causes the installation to
sway slightly. The motion and the play of light are important elements in this account
of journey. The maps imply ocean voyage. The poems of journey were written over ten
months in the sea of swaying trees that flows out over the landscape of this work.
Directly behind each map hangs a sheet of unpainted drafting film with ovate leaf shapes cut into it. Light projects these leaf shapes onto the maps and add another element of motion to the installation.
Separation between the maps gives viewers space to step into intimate connection with the imagery and poems.