Artist Bunny Bowen will debut her latest exhibition, We are in the Trees, at Wild Hearts Gallery starting March 31. The show presents a collection of wood, fiber, painting and clay works inspired by Bowen’s nearly 50-year relationship with the forests surrounding her land in the shadow of Sandia Mountain.
“I am in these trees, as they are in me, our bodies intertwined in a tangible bond,” Bowen said of the physical reality of sharing oxygen and carbon dioxide with the western forests she has lived among since 1967.
The exhibition, which runs through April 26, features pieces that literally contain bits of the artist’s body, as she carves and sands wood grown on her own land. Highlights include “We are in the Trees,” a Rocky Mountain cedar piece carved approximately 50 years ago, and “View From Within a Tree,” a Japanese batik work on kimono silk.
The gallery will host an artist reception Saturday, April 11, from 1 to 3 p.m.. Additionally, a presentation scheduled for the April 5 ARTScrawl event will detail the creation of Bowen’s juniper and clay hangings, from the glazing of the clay to the shaping of rough juniper branches.
Wild Hearts Gallery is an artists’ collective located at 221-B State Highway 165. It is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekends from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Visual tours are available on the gallery website.