Stream Studies

Throughout last winter I returned to Ten Mile Creek, a stream running through Frisco, Colorado, to witness how changing temperatures and snow accumulation shaped the visible edges of the current. An overnight freeze following a sunny day left the banks sharp and ragged with ice hovering over the dark water. A fresh snow softened these same edges, with rounded piles of brightly-lit flakes perched on rocks and branches. After drawing, carving, and printing this stream, I return once again to the banks with thread to retrace the changing weather’s effects on these unexpected contours. 

Carrying a sketchbook and pencil, I walked alongside the stream, making quick sketches. The cold didn’t allow for many detailed drawings and I came to appreciate having to work fast. It was a bulky and clumsy way of drawing; I would reach into my pocket wearing thick gloves, struggling to find the small pencil tucked away. When it was snowing the flakes would warp the shape of my pages before I could make many marks. 

These initial sketches transitioned into black and white relief prints, then shifted back into ink drawings in order to plan a final embroidery into the print. I revisited the initial on-site pencil sketches, first with ink, and then with thread. Meanwhile, I returned to the stream to stand at the edges of the frozen banks.

Initial Sketch