Drought Portraits & It's Not Just About the Rain

2015

Drought Portraits and Its Not Just About the Rain are charts of historical data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) woven as abstract landscapes. The data drawn from represents dimensions of California’s climate such as average annual temperature, annual precipitation, and the Palmer Drought Severity Index. With reference to images of California agriculture; I develop the patterns through spreadsheet calculations, coding, and weaving with California-grown organic cotton, dyed with a variety of plant dyes and mineral mordants.

It's Not Just About the Rain

It's Not Just About the Rain, installation view

photo credit: Philip Maisel

It's not just about the rain (1895-1914): panel 1 of 6

photo credit: Philip Maisel

It's not just about the rain (1915-1934): panel 2 of 6

photo credit: Philip Maisel

It's not just about the rain (1935-1954): panel 3 of 6

photo credit: Philip Maisel

It's not just about the rain (1955-1974): panel 4 of 6

photo credit: Philip Maisel

It's not just about the rain (1975-1994): panel 5 of 6

photo credit: Philip Maisel

It's not just about the rain (1995-2014): panel 6 of 6

photo credit: Philip Maisel

detail of It's not just about the rain (1995-2014): panel 6 of 6

photo credit: Philip Maisel

It's not just about the rain

2015

6 panels each 20"x20"

Average annual temperature for California 1895-2014; hand-woven California-grown organic cotton dyed with madder root and cochineal

From the series "Drought Portraits." Drought Portraits are woven charts of historical data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center. The data drawn from represents dimensions of California’s climate such as average annual temperature, annual precipitation, and the Palmer Drought Severity Index. With visual reference to landscape, agriculture, and bar charts, I develop the patterns through spreadsheet calculations, coding, and weaving with California-grown organic cotton, dyed with a variety of plant dyes and mineral mordants.

photo credit: Philip Maisel

It's not just about the rain (PHDI)

2015

2 panels each 20" x 60"

Palmer Hydrological Drought Index (including ground water and reservoir levels) for California 1895-2014; hand-woven California-grown organic cotton dyed with weld, osage orange, indigo, and iron

photo credit: Philip Maisel

detail of It's Not Just About the Rain

photo credit: Philip Maisel

Drought Portraits

Drought Portraits 1 and 2 (1982-2014)

2015

Left: Drought Portrait 1 (1982-2014)

32" x 33.5"

Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) by year for California; hand-woven cotton dyed with indigo, madder, weld, osage orange, madder root, myrobalan, and iron

Right: Drought Portrait 2 (1982-2014)

32" x 32"

Average temperature and total precipitation by year for California; hand-woven cotton dyed with a variety of plant dyes

detail of Drought Portrait 1 (1982-2014)

2015

32" x 33.5"

Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) by year for California; hand-woven cotton dyed with indigo, madder, weld, osage orange, madder root, myrobalan, and iron

Drought Portraits 3 and 4 (1982-2014)

2015

Left: Drought Portrait 3 (1982-2014)

32" x 32"

Hottest temperature by year for California; hand-woven cotton dyed with a variety of plant dyes

Right: Drought Portrait 4 (1982-2014)

32" x 32"

Coldest temperature by year for California; hand-woven cotton dyed with a variety of plant dyes