As the Glow Grows > In Knots

In knots 01
Xacto hand cut and painted photograph
Approximately 11 inches by 11 inches
In knots 02
Xacto hand cut and painted photograph
Approximately 11 inches by 11 inches
In knots 03
Xacto hand cut and painted photograph
Approximately 11 inches by 11 inches
In knots 04
Xacto hand cut and painted photograph
Approximately 11 inches by 11 inches
In knots 05
Xacto hand cut and painted photograph
Approximately 11 inches by 11 inches
In knots 06
Xacto hand cut and painted photograph
Approximately 8 inches by 8 inches
2023
In knots 07
Xacto hand cut and painted photograph
Approximately 8 inches by 8 inches
2023
In knots 08
Xacto hand cut and painted photograph
Approximately 8 inches by 8 inches
2023
In Knots 11
Xacto hand cut and painted photograph
Approximately 16 inches x 19 inches
2023
In Knots 13
Xacto hand cut and painted photograph
Approximately 16 inches x 18 inches
2023
In Knots 14
Xacto hand cut and painted photograph
Approximately 16 inches x 15 inches
2023
In Knots 15
Xacto hand cut and painted photograph
Approximately 16 inches x 24 inches
2023

As this project has grown, I began questioning the behavior of the air potato vine itself. I observed how it extended outward until it fell upon another plant, wrapping, twisting, and knotting itself around its host eventually suppressing it under a dense canopy of leaves.

To reflect this in my work, I moved away from traditional rectangular formats, allowing the photographs to take on more organic shapes. I also realized that framing the pieces contained the glow and energy of the images in a way that felt contrary to my intention. By displaying them without frames, the reflections spilled onto the exhibition walls, making the works feel as though they were growing beyond their boundaries mirroring the vine’s invasive nature.

At this stage, I also experimented with non-traditional heights and, with the generous support of the Houston Endowment of the Arts and the Weingarten art group, I developed a unique hanging system to further enhance the immersive quality of the pieces. This shift transformed the work from passive documentation into a recreation of my observations bringing the movement and life of the vine into the gallery space itself.