Somelight

At home in Connecticut this year I’ve been focusing on the light through the trees, the changing geometries of sun and moon, and the drama and chaos under the canopy. I’m interested in catching these moments in person, of rescuing something of the present before it is past, of bearing witness to beauty at the edge of an unknown future. The turkey vultures catch my attention as they float and teeter in thermals. When they gather and circle as a group, they are called a “kettle” for the way they bubble up. The birds are ugly and beautiful, majestic and gross. They hold these opposites. They punctuate the trees. They act as tethers between earth and sky, death, decay, and life.

Somelight is Porter’s second exhibition at Jennifer Terzian Gallery. The show features more than 60 drawings in gouache and pencil from the last two years, with everyday spring skies, dense summer foliage, a solar eclipse, northern lights, and various slices of daytime moons and egg-shaped sunrises.

Amy Jean Porter is an artist, writer, and naturalist based in Connecticut. She is interested in how nature and its patterns influence and intercept daily life. Porter’s drawings and installations have been presented in solo shows in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Paris, and featured in publications such as Cabinet, Lucky Peach, McSweeney’s, and The Awl. Her book collaborations include Of Lamb (McSweeney’s 2011) and Fungipedia (Princeton University Press 2019).

amyjeanporter.com