Ashley Favor, Art Environment and Sustainability
Western Colorado University; Masters in Environmental Management Program
Alchemical Narratives
My time at Elsewhere Studios allowed for the rare and intimate space required to navigate positive plant identification and ethical foraging from the native species. I perceived this invitation as an opportunity to lean further into my intention to one day fully wild forage and grow my own apothecary supply. With a background in nature-based arts and community herbalism, I have become interested in harnessing the intersection between plants and planets as a layer to my emphases. A primary vein within this realm acknowledges the elemental energy associated with a plant, and thus the harmonious forms it can be prepared and received.
Our arrival to the magical town of Paonia was beneath the Sagittarius full moon, representing a time of reflection rooted in the element of fire. My week there forward dialed in to local plants of fire and sun such as dandelion and yarrow and determining the many properties and uses that they offer. I allowed the lunar cycle to continually inform and dictate my interactions with the plants, flowing through a new element per week. My time became occupied with moving at the speed of an insect, learning the plants, graciously foraging them and co-creating.
During my second week in residence I became captivated by cattail, a plant of both water and air. It is edible and a useful material for tasks such as weaving and fire making. In pursuit of utilizing plant material for structural forms ranging from baskets to cordage, one must be patient and abide by the properly informed processes of foraging, drying and rehydrating. With my time being limited to a few weeks, the forms that I made with cattail and willow were visually intriguing, though entirely fragile. Whether we utilize natural materials in a useful fashion or are motivated by the many metaphors they offer us, this tendency to study nature remains consistent all throughout my work. When I think about the potential the elements maintain, they may appear delicate and fleeting, or destructive and powerful. These multifaceted extremes are alluring to me as a creative, becoming empowered to embrace this range within my own form of existence.