20/20 Vision, Second Edition

The Art of Contemporary University Printmaking

Kimberly Anderson

This work is a selection from the installation, Recordings from the Cache la Poudre River.  The installment included four lithographs and an arrangement of hanging willow branches.  The focus of the work was a twofold process; I began first with an appreciation of the river and then further recognized the environmental issues at hand.  Working with such a fragile local commodity has led me to further research our current water systems in detail.

The lithographs were produced using an aqueous solution, which was created by mixing dry tusche with water from the Cache la Poudre River.  The solution was then poured at random onto the stone and left to flow and dry at will.  When dry, the solution created delicate, reticulated lines.  This type of linear form mimics geological configurations that have been created by water, such as stratified canyon walls.

Accompanying the lithographs were willow branches that I collected from the banks of the Cache la Poudre River.  When the river runs high in spring, the willow branches act as a recording device, catching natural debris as well as man-made debris, mostly small pieces of plastic.  While the branches are visually beautiful they display an ever increasing environmental problem, water pollution.  As with most waterways around the world, the Cache la Poudre River is becoming ever more contaminated through human interference.  These branches are to display the natural beauty found throughout nature and thus emphasize the harm which humans impose on ecosystems.