Statement

My work is inspired by observations of the natural world and the dynamic processes that drive it. After going on a semester-long geology field program, I discovered the parallels between the forces that form the earth’s surface and the slow processes of printmaking. My practice incorporates drawing, printmaking, and bookbinding techniques to explore the shaping of landscapes and our connection to them through time and memory.

My pieces range from figurative to abstract landscapes, often featuring repetitive marks, patterns, and textures. In creating, I mirror processes that shape the environment, etching into or carving away the surface of a plate to create an image – just as rock is worn away by wind and water to create the variation and organic beauty of the land. My process is slow and usually indirect, incorporating mistakes, unintentional marks, and other surprises that come with transferring an image from one surface to another.

At its core, my work is about connections and how we relate to our environment. My work references natural markers of time and systems of connection – tree rings, rock strata, ecosystems, and river systems – and offers the viewer a subtle change in perspective or a map-like view to bring awareness to the ever-changing environment around us. I am intrigued by the contrast between the human lifespan and that of our surroundings, both animate and inanimate beings. In my practice I focus my attention on various subjects – a tree, rock face, or river – and their prolonged existence compared to their observer, but a fleeting one in the context of the planet’s history. These works are my meditations on the passing of time and ephemeral moments, on the warping of memory and the constancy of change.

-Alexandra Riesco, 2024