Las Encantadas (2021 - now)

Las Encantadas consists of over forty drawings inspired by the earliest Spanish voyages of exploration to Central and South America.  This series is a re-imagining of what sailors saw - or thought they were seeing - as they encountered American shores for the first time. Filled with terror, despair, or wonder, they projected their own vision of the world onto the landscapes they encountered, at a time when supernatural beliefs and science were blurred. 

Traditionally, in vertical compositions such as these, the sky, air, and sea each connote a different universe of thought and feeling. For example, the top register might suggest transcendence, and the bottom, something abject. I explore the opportunities that arise when one plays with and subverts this symbolic order.    

Sources for Las Encantadas include the narratives of the early explorers, European, Central and South American folk beliefs, the imagery of the Novohispanic Baroque, and the lyrics of Hispanic songs.