February 2025 · Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, California

During my residency at the Lucas Artists Residency Program at Montalvo, I worked solely with found materials: fallen branches, bark, soil, and leaves, letting natural constraints guide me. This approach deepened my connection with the land and underscored the power of limits in a world of excess.

One project led to the next. First, I looked at the soil. Then I looked at what had fallen on the soil, and worked with pieces of different wood and bark. I alternated between studio time and daily walks through the forest. In the studio, I found solace in engraving wood while listening to The Great Simplification podcast, an ongoing exploration of resilience and our uncertain future.

I left grateful for the quiet, the collaboration, and the reminder that true creativity comes from attentiveness to what is already here.

Works from the residency

Soil Wraps
Soil, sycamore leaves, moss, twigs, and lichen, shaped by hand and wrapped as a gesture of protection for a precious material.

Forest Script
Eucalyptus bark, hand-engraved to channel the marks insects leave in wood, placed among the trees.

Two Xylophones
Instruments carved from fallen branches. Realized with the help and inspiration from other artists in the residency program. Their sound became part of I Am Arte: A Ritual in Love.

What Remains
Oak bark pieces left after carving the xylophones, suspended from a redwood branch with wire, installed in the forest.

The studio and surroundings