Alyssa Enriquez
• cyanotype on cotton, birch board •
Lately, I’ve made it a habit to walk in the forest, in familiar and new places. After each walk, I feel renewed. I more often than not notice something I hadn’t seen in my previous walks—reminders that there is always something to learn, a new way of seeing.
On these walks, I gathered botanicals that struck something in me—perhaps reminding me of loved ones—their favorite flower, the ancient Equisetum L. horsetail, and even the humble but mighty black spruce. Gathering familiar things brought smells, memories, and tears to my eyes. It also sparked an inquiry about the boreal forest out my back door. I furthered this curiosity by taking an ethnobotany class to learn more about the cultural, medicinal, creative, and personal value botanicals hold in Alaska and beyond.
The cyanotype panels of these botanicals found close to my home are a reminder to pay attention, stay curious, and be still.
“Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open heart.”
–Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
ALYSSA ENRIQUEZ
Alyssa Enriquez is a photo-based artist and arts educator residing in Fairbanks, Alaska. Alyssa completed her MFA in Photography at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and earned her BFA in Fine Art Photography from Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California. Her most recent work subtly investigates social ecology in the subarctic, through the utilization of historic photographic processes to create vignettes of place, the sublime, and human impact on the landscape.
Website: alyssaenriquez.com
