| Craig Hall Gallery: March 17 - April 11, 2025 |
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| A Study of the Sonoran; My Connection to the Beauty of the Desert By: Abbey Rennaker I have always wanted my art to transport the viewer to a pristine natural world. Connection to nature is the keystone of my identity as an artist. This show is a multi-media exploration of the desert American Southwest. Growing up, my family and I would take yearly sojourns to Arizona to visit our extended family. Since childhood I have explored this unique landscape. Watching for jumping cholla, checking shoes for scorpions, and listening for that telltale rattle was all part of the adventure. All that was worth it for the chance to step into another world. For me the connection to this landscape is real and visceral. Representing it artistically was no easy task, and I felt it was necessary to do so with elements of the desert itself. In preparation for creating these works I spent two weeks in the desert, observing and collecting. I collected plants, seeds, bugs, and soil to be made into dyes and paints. This process allowed me to connect more deeply to these elements and capture them more accurately. The goal of this show is to capture the quiet majesty of this landscape. To transport the viewer into the space that can only be occupied when you are standing among cacti. It contains textures and colors so strange you can't help but stare, oddities and surprises are never lacking. In these works, I hope to emotionally transport you to the state of being I occupy every time I'm in the desert. |
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 Abbey Rennaker Seven Sacred Pools, 2025 |
| Hiking in the desert makes me relize why so many indigenous peoples say these landforms are holy. They have a quality that defies definition. One such form are the seven sacred pools in Sedona. They are simply eroded rock that mimics a cascading stream. But the infrequent rains allow only the deepest sections of each divot to fill. This creates 7 discrete pools of water situated on a large rocky surface. |
 Abbey Rennaker Collecting, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Petroglyphs, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Prickly Pear Decay, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Saguaro Sines, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Light from the Valley, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Sacred Color, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker From Sand, By Sand, 2025 |
| The sole materials used to create this piece are sand and a binding agent. The sand was hand collected by me in Sedona, Arizona. (This was actually done on the day of my 21st birthday). 1 wanted to monochromatically represent this landscape and thought using sediment from the actual site was the best way. Indeed, the entirety of Sedona's rock face is this color, one that can never quite be represented in paintings or photographs. |
 Abbey Rennaker Reflecting Colors, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Sedona in Dye, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Sunset in Dessert Dye, 2025 |
| The colors of this piece are unique because they are entierly created using natural materials. You may notice other pieces in this show with the same color variety. All of these are solely using natural materials, which I hand collected in Arizona and made into pigments. The materials include Cochineal, Desert Sage, Desert Oak, Ocotillo, Palo Verde, Head Sandmatte, Lichen, and White Rhatany. |
 Abbey Rennaker Palo Verde Cradle, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Glowing Cholla, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Ocotillo Spines, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Edge of the Wilderness, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Bark Unfurled, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Siphons Draw, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Shadowed Detail, 2025 |
 Abbey Rennaker Chochineal Collection, 2025 |
| This painting is of me collecting cochineal insects to create dye for this show. The natural dyes used in some of the pieces required a lot of collection work beforehand. The most valuable of these materials is Cochineal. They are small mites that parasitically live on prickly pear cacti. They were very difficult to find, after visiting several sites I finally found some! I eagerly collected as much as I could, paying no mind to the many cactus spines that ended up imbedded in my hands. |
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| Artists Statement Selah Coleman Through my photographs, I explore the beauty in the mundane and seek simplicity within complexity. My work draws on elements from both my childhood and adulthood, inspired by the small but profound moments involving spaces, textures, and people. Each image dives into the emotions surrounding these moments, striking a balance between joy, nostalgia, and the layered interplay of positive and negative emotions. My goal is to reflect the beauty I see in everyday life -- its immersion, complexity, and its quiet, fleeting grace. |
 Selah Coleman Supplements, 12-25-24 Gelatin Silver Print |
 Selah Coleman Saturday Morning Traffic, 12-21-24 Gelatin Silver Print |
 Selah Coleman After a Plunge, 12-18-24 Gelatin Silver Print |
 Selah Coleman New Trash Bags, 1-22-25 Gelatin Silver Print |
 Selah Coleman Trash Bag Stock, 3-20-25 assorted plastic grocery bags Selah Coleman The Stool in the Corner, 3-20-25 wood and leather bar stool |
 Selah Coleman Afternoon Talk, 12-21-24 Gelatin Silver Print |
 Selah Coleman Garage Layout, 1-22-25 Gelatin Silver Print |
 Selah Coleman Thawing Out, 1-22-25 Gelatin Silver Print |
 Selah Coleman Early Risers, 12-18-24 Gelatin Silver Print |
 Selah Coleman A Close Companion, 1-2-25 Gelatin Silver Print |
 Selah Coleman Watch This, 12-18-24 Gelatin Silver Print |