The peaks that only I can see, refers to an inwards journey. Using my own body’s geometry as the foundation of the composition of forms, they speak of the invisible depths beyond the physical. These paintings are created using light washes of ash on canvas.

The ash used for the pigment is taken from the ceremonial fire of the Temascal. The Temascal is a sacred ritual that originated with the pre-Hispanic Indigenous people of Mesoamerica. During the ceremony lava rocks are heated in the fire before being brought inside the dome shaped Temascal. Entering the Temascal is symbolic of entering the dark depths of the earth, and of one’s self. It is a ritual act of cleansing purifying and rebirth.

After the ceremony is completed I collect the ash from the fire pit and refine it into pigment. The triangular forms are marked out and painted using a mixture of the powdered ash and water onto raw un-stretched canvas, staining the canvas in layers. Each layer is washed to remove the residue and left in the sun to dry, fading the layers and giving depth to each subsequent layer.