Like the otherworldly biom of the Sky Islands in Southern Arizona, there is another world underground. Thinking about the natural world under our feet, I was inspired by Kartchner Carverns. By happenstance, I was hired to my year-old creative director job by Gary Tenen, co-discoverer and protector of the caverns that eventually became a state park.
The bat seemed a natural fit for this piece. Nesting below ground and hunting outside, no one is more aware of the advantages of cave life in the desert than the bat. Listening to recordings of it's high frequency echo locations, I felt some grunge. Flying through the choppy sound waves to navigate its way through cave chambers and out into the open air, the bat not only helps control insect populations but is integral in the pollination of desert plants.
My aim with these prints are to collect them into a book, "Codex Sonora." My next print will be a map of the Sonoran Desert and then I'll spend the next year working on the cover, text and layout of the book. I'm excited to finally make a book since starting this series in 2015, then it will be onto Volume 2!
