Roxanne Darling
October 24 – December 6, 2019
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- 65 and In Full Bloom (Poem) “I was a flower child. Excuse me, I am a flower child. The only settling I’m doing at this age, is into the deep grass surrounded by blooms still soft and fresh and full of color. Sorry not sorry. No fading out for me just yet. This party is just getting started and you’re invited.” -RD
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- © Roxanne Darling, “At Home on this Dome”
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- Discussing Age at Sunset with a Saguaro (Poem) “I learn, the saguaro stands still, singular and self-contained for up to 90 years before growing an arm. I mention, that I’ve often felt like a puppet, too many arms tangling in things I don’t really care about. Sun setting. Tucking my arms in. Still standing.” -RD
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- Dusting Off the Sands of Age (Poem) “I don’t know if it’s immaturity or a brilliant strategy to never think old thoughts but I cling to my desire to be young, dusting off old age as it tries to cling to me. I missed the first part of my life. (Don’t ask; I usually don’t tell.) Trust me, I love being a grown up but I have dreams unrealized and plans that wake me in the night so pardon me for playing naked as an innocent child. I’m in catch up mode.” -RD
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- El Dorado (Poem) “OK, so El Dorado means the Holy Grail, the gold, and the heaven and the true love. And also the name of this place I’m in. Why not claim my own heaven? My own gold? My own true love? You might consider it grandiose. I see it as Truth for each of us. Maybe you’ll join me here on the mountain, the views are splendid, it’s so easy to find yourself.” -RD
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- © Roxanne Darling, “Finding Balance”
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- Gazing into The Deep (Poem) “Some are afraid of hitting bottom. I am afraid of being shallow. No matter the topic, the body of water, or the experience, I usually want to go deeper. I do this with my eyes open. I want to see what’s below the surface. I want to see what’s holding me up and what’s bringing me down, so I can learn how to float. To be unattached to this world while still in it.” -RD
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- Going Toe to Toe with My Shadow (Poem) “Some days my shadow self looms large. Seeking stillness I hide in the center, my om home, and wait for sunset to gather me up again. Hide and seek. Day in. Day out.” -RD
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- In a Metoo Kinda Mood (Poem) “Incest, rape, assault are prickly propositions. ‘Don’t say those words out loud.’ So maybe a picture can tell the thousands of memories… be still. I won’t wear a crown of thorns. I’m no martyr. But the space between my legs, once small & unsafe, is now mine to manage.” -RD
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- Like The Moth (Poem) “The female yucca moth pollinates the Joshua tree flower laying her eggs in the flowers’ ovaries. Those little eggs hatch and feed on the yucca seeds. Neither would exist without the other. Nature can exist without me, I know. But not I without her. I want to be part of this cycle of sharing, of blooming, of feasting in the wild. Nature is my safe word. Nature is my safe place.” -RD
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- © Roxanne Darling, “Not Afraid of Storms”
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- Occupying The Present (Poem) “The road to personal power is paved with vulnerability. Standing alone I see the world before me. Woman. Earth. Sky. No needs. Only wants.” -RD
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- Resting in the Redwoods (Poem) “As I entered the old growth forest the wood nymphs whispered my name. I kept walking. They kept talking. “Here, now?” I asked. “Why wait?” they answered. “Now is a good time to be you.” -RD
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- © Roxanne Darling, “Rox among Rocks”
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- © Roxane Darling, “Saying Goodbye”
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- © Roxanne Darling, “Sitting”
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- © Roxann Darling, “Waiting”
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- © Roxanne Darling, “Sunrise”
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- Wild Winds (Poem) “This place is called The Garden of the Gods. Indeed, having this worldly view calls forth my inner goddess. I choose not to be sad about all the times I rejected my divine nature and instead stand my ground with this nature. All this divinity dancing on top of the earth, surrounded by sea! At last, I can see.” -RD
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- © Roxanne Darling, ” Mustang Convertible”
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- © Roxanne Darling, “Wrecked”
Statement
I AM: For the Love of Nature are nude self-portraits composed in the Western U.S. at age 64-65, exploring the solitude and contemplative environment of the unoccupied landscape. Being in the natural environment provided solace for me during and after childhood difficulties. The landscape became a logical setting to explore personal and universal themes often associated with women — consumerism, sexualizing the female form, and judgments regarding the appearance of women in society. The images are performance pieces where my unclothed body, my gestures, and the surrounding natural elements, prompt questions about the meaning of vulnerability, nakedness, self-acceptance, and aging.
The images invite the viewer to accompany the artist in the less obvious adventures being presented, to experience the freedom, privacy, restfulness, and self-assertion conveyed in the photographs. The images declare: I will not become invisible with age and I am content being alone. Poetry created for each image explores these ideas further.
The subject is present and often standing, bearing witness to the places and memories of the journey that led her there. In others, the subject is reclining, finally finding a state of rest and comfort from a life of struggles, while hiding behind norms and protocols. The character is vulnerable, yet the scenes and accompanying words contrast the idea of fragility and exposure with empowerment – much like nature itself. The images aim to present the beauty of living natural things, in contrast to the desecration of both women and the environment.
The ideas of waste, trash, trash talk, merchandizing, old and useless often apply to women’s bodies and the environment. Rather than overt finger pointing in acid tones, the artist uses her own nakedness in nature to find beauty. She prefers honey rather than vinegar. Her image titles give clues; her accompanying poems invite the viewer to go deeper with her, into self-acceptance and respect for nature. – RD
Bio
I am an emerging artist living in Santa Fe, NM. I work in various media, including photography, ink drawing, painting, and conceptual installations. Words are important to me, so they often play a role in my art.
I like being naked in nature — it feels like a default state to me. I am also a private and at times formal person, which, I know, sounds like a contradiction. And so continues my transformation from being the dutiful daughter to an older woman more interested in free expression and self-acceptance. I’m more honey than vinegar, more focused on creating beauty than proselytizing.
I’ve been fortunate to work in many diverse professions — all of which feed into my creativity as an artist, now in my 60s.
-RD
