to find (in) words

a series of artworks created in conversation with the research of Penny Morgan, Professor Emeritis of Fire Ecology & Forest Ecology at the University of Idaho, made possible through the “Visualizing Science” VIP Grant Project.

lines drawn by our own interpretations and interventions
fill. permeate.

to find (in) words. Installation view. Prichard Art Gallery, Moscow, ID, USA. 2017

_{To find (in) words}

a poetic collision stemming from correspondence between
Penny Morgan & Stacy Isenbarger

awe.

to find (in) words
                     burned


in the heartwood snag.
        resilient. Phoenix. departure pulled forward
from ashes.    consumed, this place of        exactness.
loss.
                        paradox found.
unexpected beauty.
lines drawn by our own interpretations and interventions
                                              fill. permeate.

During this project, various mixed-media drawing were created after our discussions of the shock and awe experienced by many trying to understand the expectations of wildfires, both during them and months later when new growth appears in the changing landscape. Forms are based loosely from fire scars on trees and embedded text from our coorespondance.

drawings above: (1) Seek (2) Strike Between (3) Loss, Awe & Counting. c harcoal, thread & paint, 11in x 15in each, 2016

The “Visualizing Science” Project was exhibited again in 2018 at the Art Museum of Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls, ID, USA. Due to Professor Morgan’s and Isenbarger’s continued work together, the installation shifted and new work was created to suggest a sense of more time passing and how a landscape will transform positively during a spring following an active fire season.

to find (in) words: spring, installed at Art Museum of Eastern Idaho, Idaho Falls, ID, 2018