Caminando en la Playa
21 x 28’’ series of 4, Woodcut Relief on Handmade Paper
When I visit the beach back in Puerto Rico, my feet were covered in sand. I love this feeling. For my series, Caminando en la Playa Con mi Abuela, I seek to replicate this experience through the paper making process. I collected sand the last time I was my abuela’s home and embed it in my handmade paper. This is my way relinquishing the sand I’ve held with me for many years. When making paper, I pour colored pulp in different areas of the deckel box to create air patterns that resemble waves. Working with sand made this experience feel like I was at the beach; residue was left everywhere on my hands and clothes, reminding of home.
While the paper is nostalgic through its texture, the woodblocks allude to the Eolianite rocks that are prevalent along the shoreline. The wood I carved was recycled. Like the Eolianite rocks its origin is unknow. The imagery I carved in the woodblocks are a translation of pictures I took of the rocks on the shoreline. The woodcut image is abstract; this reflects my experiences of reaching for specific moments of my childhood but these memories are vague, fuzzy and inaccurate. Meanwhile the variation in the woodblocks conveys the beauty of rocks, I use thick paint to create texture in the imagery and at the same time to show how fluid memories are.
My abuela never loved the ocean. The ocean has taken so much from her, mainly her things. As a result she did not keep memories in sentimental objects. However, whenever she searched for seashells on the shore, she got to see the beauty of the ocean, despite the destruction. I want to portray how I search for seashells as a way of eulogizing my abuela.