This series originated from my study of 19th century engravings created as part of the Mexican Boundary Survey—the results of which marked the US-Mexico border after the Treaty of Guadalupe in 1848. The engravings are based on plein-air sketches made by a team of surveyors who found themselves challenged by how to represent such a vast and geographically diverse expanse of land. These works attempt to evoke a moment when the future of a region was completely unwritten. Below shows the process of transforming the original image from engraving to carbon drawing to silkscreen edition.
Mexican Boundary Survey, Vol. 1, W.H. Emory, 1857
View from Gomez Peak, carbon on paper, 72 x 90 inches, 2019
View from Gomez Peak, silkscreen on paper, 33 x 24 inches, 2022, ed. of 20