Sensing place and Inner Landscapes

Last week, New Mexico artist Jacqueline Mallegni led a 4-day fiber paper-making workshop here at the pond. Ten creative women from all around California and Colorado gathered to explore the concept of “sensing place.” The artists set to work deep in a singular process yet achieved many individual interpretations. Their works developed into delicate and gorgeous pieces that were equally inspired by scenic observations and personal reflection. Surrounded by wild landscapes, four gorgeous days were spent discovering the meditative process of flax fiber paper collage and enjoying great food and company.

Mallegni guides her own art practice from her love of the natural environment. Her focus on three-dimensional fiber sculpture is influenced by the Japanese style of handmade paper, which utilizes wood, ink, indigo, thread, and plant fibers. This process-driven medium is the remedy we all need to slow down, observe, and embrace the cycles of nature and within our own lives. Mallegni supported the artists in pursuing their own voice through an understanding that sensing place is less about exterior place and more about what is happening within our creative souls.