Shadow Entanglements: Jim Harris & Vanessa Porras
Untitled by Vanessa Porras
“Creativity is paramount because it gives people permission to be vulnerable and powerful; to feel disturbed yet graceful.”
Carbondale Arts presented “Shadow Entanglements”, a 2-person exhibition by Jim Harris and Vanessa Porras, at the Carbondale Arts R2 Gallery. “Shadow Entanglements” was on exhibition October 9 - November 9, 2020. The public was invited to an outdoor artist talk on Friday evening, October 9, at 5:15pm at The Launchpad to hear both Jim and Vanessa speak, along with Chris Hassig, whose show “Saiopor” began the same day.
In the five years following an accident in the Chilean Patagonia that left Jim Harris paralyzed, he’s experienced an improbable rebound. He progressed from hospital bed to wheelchair to walker to crutches to cane. As recovery slowed, Jim’s focus shifted from regaining mobility to rebuilding a sense of identity and purpose. Where his attention once pointed outward towards incredible places and the people, Jim has had to learn to turn that observation inward. That inner terrain is convoluted, rugged as any place stamped in his passport.
Topography of the Self is almost inscrutable. Weather builds and breaks, casting shadows over the range. Storms in the psyche give the landscape scale and depth as shadows slide over folded terrain.
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.” -CG Jung
Vanessa Porras’ “Entanglements” series explored heredity through patterns and line work found in hair and nature. As she worked, allowing her tools to carve the trail ahead, the image began to present itself. What began as an exploration of line work transformed into abstract prints inspired by undulations, topography, braids and lineage, reminding us that we belong to nature just as much as we belong to those who we call family.
“Shadow Entanglements” was generously sponsored by Kat and Pete Rich who are super awesome supporters of the arts and are constantly inspired by the power of creativity here in our community.
This exhibition opened the same dates (October 9 - November 9, 2020) as “Saiopor” by Chris Hassig.
Jim Harris, printmaker, Carbondale, CO
Jim Harris worked as a ski photographer and writer until he was paralyzed while snowkiting in Patagonia. It took over a week to reach definitive care in the States where five of his nine broken vertebra were fused. “I feel lucky that the doctor never told me I’d never walk again,” says Harris, “There wasn’t much reason to think I would, and I might have believed him.” After his spine fusion he began to wiggle a toe. Within a few months, muscles in both legs began firing. In the five years since that accident Harris has transitioned from wheelchair to walker to trike to mountain bike and continues to challenge the limitations of his disability.
Vanessa Porras, printmaker, Glenwood Springs, CO
Vanessa Porras works as an educator for Aspen Art Museum teaching primarily for AAM’s outreach programs including Mobile Story Art, Pitkin County Jail and Youth Recovery Center at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs. A portion of her teaching time is also devoted to VOICES, a non-profit based out of Carbondale, whose mission is to amplify voices through the arts. Additionally, as an artist, Vanessa works as a printmaker specializing in woodcuts and abstract ink drawings.
Vanessa obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Colorado Mesa University in 2018. Art has always been an imperative ingredient to the makeup of her character. She initiated her odyssey back to art after graduating from Colorado Mountain College in 2014, where she received an Associate of Arts in Spanish.