Square / Quadrado – Installation, four color photo-documents, 4 x 4 feet.

I have almost finished producing and printing the photo documents of my actions / performances in the various constructed fabric ‘drawings’ and environments I made at the Obras Foundation in Portugal last year. I have finished six different series of multiple images that total forty-seven photo documents. My dream team (photographers Luis Branco and Rui Fernandes and my dear Cydney Payton) helped me produce these works in and around the studio at the Obras Foundation and at the nearby castle at Evoramonte last fall. I am calling this whole project Body of Works / Corpo de Obras. The remarkable Portuguese artist Helena Almeida influenced and empowered these works. However, I think this work quickly became ‘my own’ in Portugal and in production afterwards. The project crosses the boundaries of drawing, installation, performance and photography and the process has pushed my work in a very personal and productive way.

In Portugal last fall I had intended to apply this installation / performance / photographic process within the beautiful landscape and environment near the Obras Foundation. There just wasn’t enough time. So I am going back to Portugal in October to complete this series. I am fortunate that photographers Luis Branco and Rui Fernandes will work with me again. Unfortunately I won’t have Cydney with me. I am excited about this opportunity at the Obras Foundation and happy to try and ‘finish’ this body of work.

Below I am showing one image from each of the six series we produced last fall in and around the studio at Obras and at the castle at Evoramonte. It is difficult to convey these works on the blog because they are all series of multiple images. Several of these completed series are installed in my studio now. If you can, please come by and see them. I am planning on exhibiting this Body of Works / Corpo de Obras in both Colorado and Portugal.

Square / Quadrado – One of a series of four, color photo-document, 24 x 24 inches.

 

Enter / Entrar – One of a series of ten,color photo-document, 24 x 24 inches.

 

Circle / Circulo – One of a series of three, color photo-document, 24 x 24 inches.

 

Flower / Flor – One of a series of three, color photo-document, 48 x 48 inches.

 

Performing the Drawing / Realizar o Desenho – One of a series of nine, color photo-document, 24 x 24 inches.

 

Performing the Drawing / Realizar o Desenho – Installation, nine color photo-documents, 6 x 6 feet.

Horizon / Horizonte – One of a series of eight, color photo-document, 18 x 12 inches.

This last series above titled Horizon / Horizonte was shot on top of the castle at Evoramonte. In the new series I hope to accomplish this October – we will be working in the landscape and environment between the Obras Foundation and the castle on the mountaintop at Evoramonte. I see it as a very ‘feminine’ landscape with rolling soft hills and sheep, magic stones and ancient trees, beautiful ruins and ramparts, and of course a castle :). It is a mythical and mystical environment. I will be applying this performance / installation / photographic practice in these lovely environments.

The working title for this upcoming series is On Land / Em Terra. Below are some snapshots I took of the environs surrounding and near the Obras Foundation and at the castle at Evoramonte. You can see why this place draws me in.

at the Obras Foundation – looking towards the castle at Evoramonte

at the Obras Foundation – the ancient solstice stone

near Obras in a meadow – with cork trees called sobreiro in Portuguese

in the castle at Evoramonte – looking at the landscape

I am so happy to be going back to this remarkable territory – the Alentejo region of Portugal! If you are new to my blog and this project you can look at the previous posts by looking at the archive listing which is a bar at the top left hand corner of the blog or by scrolling down.