The Alchemy of Three
By Alyssa Marquez, Denver Billing, and Laurie Billing
Located at Farm to Crag and Ken Etzel Photography HQ
156 S Main St. Bishop, CA
This piece is a collaboration between three artists— a fiber artist, a ceramic sculptor and a sculptural artist— whose connection spans generations and deepens through love and shared creative practice.
This artwork continues the story of connection, expanding to explore the interplay between collaborating artists and the alchemy that transpires when artists create together. It is the result of providing space for each other’s creativity and allowing our creative vision to be influenced by each other. The idea of seeing beyond the self and allowing external influences to intertwine with our perceived self, is something which can only transpire through collaboration and can nourish the world.
Welcoming ideas or perspectives with curiosity and openness is a skill that we currently lack as a society. Holding steadfast onto one’s beliefs or viewpoints is not what makes us strong and resilient― it is our ability to be empathetic and compassionate that allows us to feel safe and open ourselves up to new perspectives, new experiences, and grow as individuals.
Alyssa Marquez is a mixed media and sculpture artist living and working in the Eastern Sierra. She has a background in wildlife biology and switched her focus to art in 2018. She currently uses the scroll saw to create abstract wooden sculptures with a focus on negative space. The forms and textures of the natural landscape greatly influence the organic shapes she makes and the organic materials she chooses to use. She sculpts with materials such as wood because the unique characteristics provide an element of surprise, something that cannot be controlled. As she carves and sands back the wood to the shape she wants, the grain of the wood is distorted and revealed. She interprets this as her sculptures being in collaboration with nature.
Website link: Alyssamarquezart.com
@lyss.marquez
Denver Billing is a musician and artist living and working in the Eastern Sierra. As a trained forester his body of work is inherently grounded in the soil. Without fertile soil, a plant will not grow to its full potential, and he believes the same is true of creativity and society. The ceramic medium affords an opportunity to carve shapes that are influenced by years of observing nature, society and other artists. Just as a flower requires rich soil to bloom, society flourishes through intention and open discourse. Denver’s artwork feeds the soil of society by encouraging empathy, compassion and a collaborative spirit among those who engage with art.
Website link: den-ver.com
@dnvrdrsbllng
Laurie Billing is a fiber artist living in Long Beach, California. She has been crocheting and knitting for 25 years. After attending a local weaving workshop 5 years ago her focus switched to weaving, including: rigid heddle, inkle and multi-shaft looms. She was immediately taken by the way the colors mix on the loom. Unlike knitting, where each item is made in a linear fashion with colors, weaving allows her to mix two or more yarns/colors together horizontally and vertically, creating an entirely new mix of colors and patterns. The color theory aspect of weaving has captivated her and has inspired her to dive deeper, and she’s now taking her art to the next level by learning to spin her own yarn. She is fascinated by the numerous techniques used to make yarn and she is using spinning to explore the beauty and relationship between colors.