“Proposals for Healing a Mountain“ ten  3”X 5” glass jars,  wax covered  table, clay, moss, feathers, metal, pigment, sand, bees wax, paper, glass jars, 2011

“Teeth Carved Out of a Mountain”, clay, paint, 2011

“Bones Carved Out of a Forest”, branches, paint, 2011

“Rain Cloud Before the Expansion”, wire, tracing  paper, Mod Podge, clay, paint, fishing line. December 2011

Statements:

“Proposals for Healing a Mountain”   Prosthetic mountains are not intended to blend seamlessly with the landscape.  They serve as a memorial… a ghost.   They are an imperfect representation of the healthy mountain that once existed.

The ten prosthetic devices (displayed in jars) are designed for mountains that have been damaged by strip mining.  Each model illustrates a potential healing method. Some prosthetics have wings that allow the mountains to escape the earth when threatened.   Others are immensely delicate, made of ice, or illuminated from within.  They can also function as vast greenhouses: each containing a different ecosystem:  a jungle, a tundra, or a desert, preserving the landscapes of the past.

“Rain Cloud Before the Expansion” What does it look like inside of a raincloud? I imagine a time when everything is whole and unfractured:  Dandelion seeds are still firmly attached to their pods.   Milk is unspillled.  A spider’s silk is wound tightly within her abdomen.    The rain is tucked inside of the cloud, waiting for it’s release.    The world vibrates with expectant energy.

Inside of the cloud, hundreds of raindrops can be seen, refracted and multiplied through the fish-eye lens. The cloud becomes zeppelin-like: an airship in reverse with a porthole looking inward rather than outward.    These are the final moments before the storm.

Bio:

Ashley Williams grew up in the mountains of Southwestern Virginia and now lives on top of a mountain, in a former mining town, in Colorado.

She studied at The University of Virginia where she was awarded a BA in Studio Art and the  Aunspaugh Fellowship in 2009.    She is currently an MFA candidate at The University of Colorado.