As part of my Desert Fellowship at Blue Sky CenterI proposed a series of Pattern Hunting workshops.
Half of the workshops took place with a group of ten students over three weekly sessions. Using a Pattern Hunter zine I created as our starting point, we were able to capture patterns that described texture, shadow, nature, textiles, and urban setting all within a block. We then used our makeshift studio to simplify and turn them into stencils. We screen printed these using a Cuyama colour palette, and collaboratively layered our designs to tell the stories of what we’d found.
Other workshops took place as Pattern Walks, with residents as tour guides and companions. Together we gathered images and stories with pencils, paper, and a camera, that described the small moments that make the Cuyama Valley special. An invitation was extended further to locals and visitors to join our hunting troop by using #patterncuyamaon instagram to add their own images to the pattern library!
With thanks to Blue Sky staff who helped facilitate workshops, the Cuyama Rec. District, and the Cuyama Community who collaborated with me. Photography courtesy of Blue Sky Center.