Plunge:  Estuary/Phase IV 2006 Materials:  acrylic ink and paint on translucent mylar I call these ‘pourings’.  The mylar is laid flat on the floor.  I begin with a drawing in ink or paint.  Then I pour water over the drawing.  The ink and paint dissolve, mix and move with the water over time, creating flow patterns and puddles.  As the water evaporates, pigment is left behind in ways that I could never do on purpose.  The shape of the flow and pooling is determined by the ups and downs of the under-paper and the slope of the floor (not at all flat).  My ‘score’ for the pieces was that I could only change the elevation.  I could lift the mylar up or press it down.  I could slide it to change its placement on the hills and valleys below it.  I could not control the water mixture in any way, but I could guide and influence and then see what happened. The inspiration for this series came from watching a friend swim under water.  The image of my friend’s body was rippled to the extent that it seemed transformed by the medium it was in.  The image looked exactly the way it felt to be swimming.  Being under water affects us deeply – we become ‘liquified’.  Water reminds us of our essential nature as fluid beings.  There is an intimacy in water that I see as a metaphor for a way to be in nature.  I believe that sustainability will ultimately require not only great ideas and commitment but also courage and gentleness and a willingness to be moved by, and to deeply partner with, something we cannot control.